La Fiermontina, Lecce - 18 rooms

This is a beautiful, sophisticated, elegant, yet warm hotel on the edge of the old city in Lecce. Antonia and Giacomo, brother and sister, found this land in 2000 with a crumbling masseria on it. They took over a decade to design and build this fabulous hotel . It honors their grandmother, Antonia Fiermonte. She ran away from her village to 1930s Paris, where she married French sculptor René Letourneur, before ditching him for his best friend, sculptor Jacques Zwobada. Le Fiermontina is a tribute to her, filled with artworks by both husbands and other artists such as Le Corbusier. We were given a tour of their art museum by Antonia. It was fascinating to talk to her. The owner never knew her grandmother but shared experiences with both her grandfathers. We were the only one who went on the tour our first night at the hotel but I believe it is offered to all guests.

We had a booking for last year, obviously canceled, and the hotel was closed for 6 months due to Covid. Rates are higher this year and now include dinner which they did not before. There are beautiful places to sit outside, either on the terrace or under ancient trees by some of the art. We had suite 5 and I recommend it. It is on the ground floor and is the favorite suite of the owner's mother.

We tour a bicycle rickshaw tour of the Old City. This was recommended by hotel staff and was a great way to explore. We had a 3 hour tour for 130 euros. There is only one rickshaw company in town with 3 rickshaws. Our driver was highly knowledgeable about the city and we learned a lot. We bought a ticket that allowed us entrance to 4 cathedrals. He explained each of them, then gave us time to enter. Lecce is a lovely town, well worth visiting. It is called the Florence of the south.

Service was warm and impeccable. I can't imagine visiting Lecce and staying anywhere but here.

Tax Dude recommended restaurant 3 Rane. I'm so glad I paid attention. I was never able to find a website for it, though I did find it on Facebook. It has an instagram account that is attrocious, not properly showing off the restaurant. The food was amazing. It had an extensive menu. We could choose individual dishes or choose to have a 4, 6, 8 or 10 course tasting menu. We went with 6 courses including cheese and dessert. It was superb, beautifully presented, delicious to eat. Book ahead because it is a tiny place.