SNEAK PEEK
The ultimate Italian ‘safecation’
THEY say opportunity is born from crisis, and in these most peculiar times a group of luxury villa owners in Puglia have joined together to create a phenomenon known as a ‘safecation’, a concept that is redefining not only the region’s tourist industry but is having a ripple effect across the globe.
Pugliasafecation.com gives details of the six properties brought together for the first time, and while each have many different things to offer, they all have one overriding characteristic in common: the creation of a safe, luxurious environment. The aim is to relieve all the stresses and anxieties of contemporary travel, allowing you to immerse yourself in your own bubble of serenity that exists outside time and place, a space where you can truly lose yourself and shake off the cares and anxieties of everyday life.
SUPER-LUXURY HIDEAWAYS
This year has seen superluxury hideaways become the go-to for the well-heeled and discerning traveller and, these days, it’s become even more important to ensure you travel, not only in style, but safety too. The properties on the site have partnerships with private flight companies, offering the option of being chauffeurdriven to a jet and flown to your chosen paradise, which has been tailored specifically for your friends and families to reconnect and spend quality time together once again.
Each property is a haven – a walled, gated and completely exclusive sanctuary that offers a secluded luxury getaway, one where you set the boundaries so you can feel as safe and relaxed as possible.
From the idyllic Villa San Vincenzo, hidden away in sumptuous olive groves and abundant in homegrown crops from Italian orchards, to Tenuta Scaloti, steeped in luxury with its ten suites, private ballroom, chapel, swimming pool and lush gardens. Each is generously equipped with top-of-therange facilities, from outdoor cinemas to tennis courts and hammams meaning that, while they can all be found in exquisite locations, there is no need to venture far from your perfect cocoon if the fancy doesn’t take you.
A MAGICAL ENVIRONMENT
One of the most beautiful parts of Italy and, during the recent crisis, also one of the safest
SALENTO, the region where these properties can be found, is in the southern most tip of the region of Puglia. Already one of the most beautiful parts of Italy – during the recent crisis it has also remained one of the safest.
Surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of the Aegean and the Ionian seas, it provides the most magical environment imaginable, is steeped in other-worldly local charm and is home to some of the most exclusive, discreetly isolated, self-contained properties available anywhere.
All the properties listed on pugliasafecation.com are available for single groups of up to 20 guests, and are all maintained to the highest standards – not just of luxury, but the utmost in privacy, comfort, and hygiene. For the first time, the enigmatic Athena McAlpine’s convent, Il Convento di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, resplendent in all its cloistered glory and housing a world-class art collection, will be made available to rent in its entirety. Or you can choose Villa Elia’s bohemian, rustic charm, which even comes with two resident donkeys, who revel in the names Dolce and Gabbana, and Masseria Trapanà, which offers its own unique natural swimming pools hidden in underground caves.
When it comes to catering, each can provide fully stocked fridges, bespoke hampers and curated bar and wine selections for those choosing the most sheltered of self-catering breaks.
You might prefer a team of carefully selected chefs and sommeliers to take charge of your kitchen, or have food delivered in a non-intrusive, socially distanced way. Whatever you choose, the masterminds behind this project have ensured that your vacation is on your terms – perfectly private and absolutely carefree.