- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday (7:00 AM - 9:00 PM)
If there is a place in the Salento where time has stopped running to listen to the earth, that place is the Masseria Le Stanzie. Located in Superhealthy, in the heart of the Serre Salentine, this structure is not a simple farmhouse, but a true living monument to peasant civilization and Apulian history.
we at Apulia Outdoor We consider it a must-see: here's why you should visit it and what makes its history so special.
The name itself, “The Rooms”, reveals the ancient soul of the place. It derives from the Latin Statio, or rest stop. In Roman and medieval times, the masseria stood along a crucial road (the Via Traiana-Constantiniana) that connected the port of Otranto to Gallipoli.
Here travellers changed their horses, pilgrims found refreshment and merchantslamp oil (the precious Salento oil that illuminated the European capitals) stopped before reaching the sea.
Visiting Le Stanzie means descending into the bowels of the earth. The beating heart of the masseria is its splendid underground oil mill, carved entirely out of the rock. Here, among ancient millstones and presses, you can still smell the scent of toil and the yellow gold of Puglia.
Today the farm promotes what it defines “Archaeology of Taste”: a restoration that is not only architectural, but also sensorial, where every stone and every recipe tells the story of centuries of rural life.
If Masseria Le Stanzie has a pulsating soul, this has the face and hands of Donato Fersino. Don't expect a formal or aloof owner: Don Michele is the very essence of Salento humility, a man who dedicated his life to the land and who still welcomes each guest with the same genuine warmth as in the past.
If Le Stanzie today shines with an ancient light, it is entirely due to the stubborn and poetic vision of Donato
Thirty years ago, this place was nothing but a pile of rubble, often used as a landfill. For many, it was a closed chapter, but for Donato, it was an ancestral call. With the humility of someone who has always worked the land and the foresight of someone who can look beyond time, he began a restoration that many called "crazy." But his wasn't madness: it was a act of love towards one's roots.
Donato is not the typical owner who watches from afar. You will find him there, every day, with his gentle soul and hands marked by work, always present among the tables or in the courtyard. His welcome isn't hotel protocol, but a natural ritual: it's peasant hospitality made flesh.
The real magic of Le Stanzie happens when Donato starts talking. Listening to his stories – stories of toil in the fields, of weary pilgrims, and of traditions in danger of disappearing – is perhaps the most precious experience the masseria has to offer. His calm voice transforms a simple stop into a journey through time, making you feel not just a customer, but a guest awaited for centuries.
The current management of Le Stanzie faithfully reflects his character: absolute dedication to work and a rare openness. This is what makes the masseria "the most authentic": the fact that it is still managed by those who loved that land when no one else believed in it. Donato remains the same humble man he always was, a caretaker who transformed a pile of stones into a sanctuary of welcome, where the door is always open and a story is never lacking.
Dining at Le Stanzie is a mystical experience for the palate. Don't expect tourist menus, but rather the rhythm of the seasons. Among the dishes not to be missed:
Sagne 'ncannulate with fresh tomato sauce and strong ricotta.
Broad bean and chicory puree, the symbol of poor and nutritious cuisine.
Pittule hot and vegetables from the garden grown directly on the company's 50 hectares.
The typical Typical Italian cake with custard cream filling Salento to end on a sweet note.
Eating at Masseria Le Stanzie isn't like sitting at a table, but entering a living kitchen, where food is the result of ritual gestures that have been repeated for centuries. Even before tasting the dishes, it's the atmosphere that nourishes you: crossing the threshold, you might encounter the experienced woman sitting next to the large fireplace, intent on rolling out the dough by hand with a speed and precision that leaves you spellbound. It is from those floured hands that the sagne 'ncannulate and the orecchiette that you will find on the plate shortly after.
Next to the crackling fire, you will surely notice the “pignata” made of terracotta, left to cook slowly for hours near the embers, releasing that unmistakable aroma of wood and legumes that reminds us of home and true tradition.
But the gaze is also captured by other corners of the farmhouse, where expert hands prepare tomato "pennule": red and yellow bunches of grapes that are woven with meticulous care and then hung from the ceilings, where they will remain to ripen and feed travellers throughout the winter. Every corner of Le Stanzie is an open-air laboratory:
Fresh Pasta: Prepared at the moment, following the rhythm of the seasons.
Slow Cooking: A return to the pignata and the grill for flavors impossible to replicate with modern techniques.
The Ancient Conservation: The dance of the tomatoes, a symbol of a peasant economy that wastes nothing.
It's this one “kitchen on the move” which makes the experience with Apulia Outdoor unique: we don't just take you to eat, but to witness the creation of a gastronomic heritage that is more alive here than ever
For those who choose to explore Puglia slowly, perhaps by participating in one of our Bike Tour in Salento, Masseria Le Stanzie represents the ideal refreshment point.
It is located along suggestive routes that connect the agricultural hinterland to the coasts of Castro e UgentoStopping here means honoring the ancient tradition of wayfarers: recharging your batteries with real food before getting back in the saddle towards the next wonder.
