Abbasciu – La Chiantata

As the well-kept secrets about Puglia start to get out, BFB is delighted to offer two smart apartments within one large villa on a working olive oil farm, just a ‘toddlerable’ 20 minutes from Brindisi airport. Abbasciu is the luxurious, larger apartment of the two, on the ground floor, with 4/5 bedrooms; and 2-bedroom Piccinnu is on the first floor, with a fab terrace living room overlooking the garden and olive groves. Both have been beautifully finished in the authentic Puglian style, using antique and handcrafted furnishings but also having a funky and arty vibe, with designer finishing touches. The apartments can be booked separately or both together for up to 15 family and friends plus babies in cots. [July and August only exclusive bookings taken]

The farm has been in the owner, Alessandro’s family for five generations, producing Golden Nectar Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the ancient olive groves that surround the villa. In 2006, Alessandro took over the reigns and with his Swiss wife Alexandra, and two children, they set about making the farm sustainable for the future through cultivating a really child friendly approach to the apartments and the whole experience for families.
From toddlers on ride-ons to kids on go-karts, or even a classic Chopper, children of all ages can free range around the grounds, finding plenty of places to play and work up an appetite for wood fired pizzas and BBQ’s. In the playground, with swings, slide and a roundabout, kids can bounce off energy on a big trampoline or get imaginative in a mud kitchen, while, right by the villa, there’s also table tennis and table football. A shady lawn with a football net is perfect for a kick-about or playing with bats and balls, plus, if anyone’s for tennis, there’s a proper court with a changing room, showers and floodlights for evening matches when it’s cooler. The shady pine garden is especially pleasant for a picnic and, throughout the year, there’s usually something to harvest, including tomatoes, figs, plums, mandarins and oranges. For playing indoors, the apartments include kids DVD’s, books and toys including Playmoibil, drawing kits and a Brio Train, plus an X-Box One in Abbasciu.

One family described their holiday like having all the best bits of a lovely campsite all to themselves (with the bonus of being in an apartment!) and that includes an 11×6, swimming pool with a separate toddler section only 70cm deep. Inflatables and pool toys are provided as well as a pop-up paddling pool for babies and designer poolside loungers for grown-ups to chill out, soaking up the sun.

Accommodation Overview

Abbasciu is a luxurious 180sqm ground floor apartment with 4/5 bedrooms that’s big enough for two or even three families, comfortably sleeping 10 plus babies in cots. The spacious living and dining room, with original vaulted ceiling, is open plan, with vintage sofas and armchairs by the fireplace at one end and an antique dining table at the other. This leads through to the designer dining kitchen with all the latest appliances and essentials, including a Nespresso machine, juicer and artisan crockery. A washing machine and tumble dryer are in a separate utility room, along with an additional American-style fridge freezer with an ice dispenser. Two master bedrooms have double beds and modern retro furniture; the red bedroom 3 has a queen sized bed and sofa bed; blue bedroom 4 is designed as a children’s room, with up to 3 single beds; and a studio room has a sofa bed. The apartment has a large modern bathroom and a large shower room, with double washbasins, WC and bidet. The apartment opens onto a covered veranda with handcrafted wooden furniture for kicking back with the Prosecco and this steps down to a sun dappled paved piazza with a wood fired pizza oven, designer garden seating and an exclusive dining area, shaded by overhanging foliage and with gazebo panels if required.