Mediterranean dreams come true at this radiant Puglian hotel

The Puglian town of Ostuni sits atop the crest of a small hill like a tiered wedding cake. Behind the pale stone city walls, rows of flat-roofed houses climb upward like frosted layers. The city was settled in the Palaeolithic period and was long a strategic centre within the rural landscape. But more recently, it has become a key stop in the increasingly visited region, celebrated for its picturesque alleyways and panoramic sea vistas. Ostuni is now home to its first luxury five-star hotel, Vista Ostuni, the latest addition to the growing Vista collection under the LarioHotels group.

‘We were inspired by the landscape and heritage of the Puglia region,’ says the hotel’s architect, Roberto Murgia, who designed each of the 28 rooms and 19 suites as an homage to local materials and craftsmanship. ‘But also preserve the building – to bring it back to what it looked like 200 years ago.’ Vista Ostuni was originally constructed in the 14th century as a convent, and later functioned as a tobacco factory until the 1960s, with some locals even still recalling the days when sacks of leaves harvested from the surrounding fields were once stacked high under its triple-height atrium. That space is now a showstopping central hall with a trio of curving De Sede ‘Snake’ sofas and chartreuse curtains that fall from the soaring arched loggia.

The rooms, which range from the 36-square-metre Deluxe rooms to the 75-square-metre Prestige Suites, are characterised by natural textures: hand-painted ceramics from Grottaglie, woven rattan panels on the walls and furniture, and glazed terracotta floors sourced from local producers. Murgia also incorporated materials from the surrounding countryside. ‘For the bathrooms, we used a local marble from a quarry that only opened last year,’ he says. ‘We were the first to use the stone. It feels really rooted in the region.’

Though it sits only a few steps from the city walls, that provides just enough distance to frame the view of the White City from its rooftop Infinity Bar and pool. From a seat above, on one side, the city rises up against the skyline, and from the other, fields of olive trees and carob extend towards the Adriatic Sea in the distance.

In addition to the rooftop Infinity Bar and its sweeping panorama, Vista Ostuni boasts several other dining concepts, including the Chiostro Bar, with its colourful design inspired by neighbourhood cafés. ‘We started from the idea of the typical Italian village,’ says Murgia, who installed oversized terrazzo flooring to anchor the soaring vaulted ceiling, pinstriped textiles on the walls, and a wall-sized shelving unit with hundreds of bottles backlit like sparkling jewels. ‘It’s where everyone meets in the bar. It’s an essential public space.’

For fine dining, there is Berton al Vista, the latest outpost by Michelin-starred Milanese chef Andrea Berton. Here, tasting menus take diners on a tour through the region, with dishes like seared amberjack in a sea salt broth and lamb with roasted plums and chicory.

‘At Vista Ostuni, you have two worlds,’ adds Murgia. ‘One is the heritage and the story of the building. The other is a modern Mediterranean vision.’

Vista Ostuni is located at Via Giosuè Pinto, 60/A, 72017 Ostuni, Italy.