For our guests, Palazzo Muro Leccese is "the heart of Salento ," not so much for its geographical position - halfway between the Adriatic and the Ionian sea, between the beautiful Baroque of Lecce and the magic of S. Maria di Leuca -, as for the emotions that this ancient Palace of the seventeenth century arouses in visitors and guests. The honey-colored local stone, the solid white light that cre
eps powerfully into the "courtyard" and wraps up The Palace until sunset, the open spaces that encourage conviviality and relaxation, the scents that spread from the kitchen and take the memory back in time, to other moments, other emotions. Everything invites you to a magical escapism in a " timeless dimension", with a so wrap-around and nice service, although wonderfully discreet, that it is not difficult to understand why guests come from so far away and do not want to leave this Relais de charme and well-being. In the rooms, all differently decorated with refinement and elegance, the arches are joined in beautiful vaulted ceilings, solid, protective and unattainable, like everything that is majestic, that is history. That is there to preserve an innate beauty, a precious treasure. Fabrics and antique, precious furniture from England coexist with traditional flooring, furniture and laces from Salento and with luxurious, modern facilities, creating a regal and charming mood, eclectic like this land is. But even the food is regal and cherished, prepared with love and passion and served in a lovely dining room with wonderful vaulted ceilings and romantic niches for moments of great intimacy. Located a few meters far from Piazza del Popolo - surely the most beautiful square of Salento for that typical stone, so warm and compliant with artists' mastery - the building dates back to the seventeenth century and was refurbished for the first time in the '20s, acquiring numerous delightful architectural details in Art deco style, and then recently, under the supervision of the Cultural Wealth Ministry to preserve its authenticity and style. Like all the ancient houses, The Palace is built around its “corte” (courtyard). Today all rooms overlook on this space, but in the past it housed the stables, the well and the “pila” (stone laundry) with its grooves (li stricaturi ), confirming the remote intent to make it a common living space, a kind of popular lounge where families spent their days working and helping each other and in the evening they huddled round to listen to the stories of the wise old men which captured the imagination and the attention of the younger ones. Beyond the courtyard, a delightful garden and a wellness area, an oasis of peace originated from love for well-being and relaxation, where you can rediscover the joy of well-spent time. Naturally, with such elegant surroundings to enjoy you may not wish to leave this residence of charm, preferring instead to relax in the reading room, find a quiet corner in the garden where try your hands at crochet, sipping tea in the Aubergine room or enjoying - in the shade of the orange and tangerine trees - the flavors of authentic cooking, refined, driven by love for the good things. Sublime. OUR DREAM
That day, our childhood dream played all its cards…
As a professional Cicero, it shows up to the appointment and drives us to the discovery of The Palace. It tells of furniture of the last century come from England, of an ancient door come from distant India to become a table and of a colored glass belonged to Queen Victoria that now filters a warm and charming light in one of the rooms. Like a consummate art critic, it describes the beauty of an old painting, but like the most amazing illusionist it astonishes us by revealing that the picture hides a door. A long staircase, similar to an art gallery - so many pictures are hung - leads to the upper floor where a giant and antique chandelier greets us. From a half-open door we can glimpse a small corner of paradise where to take shelter, forget everything and get lost in a fairy book of the early ‘900. Step by step, walking on the beautiful and ancient floors, we arrive in the bedrooms. Here, time seems suspended, our hands brush the beautiful fabrics, our eyes devour a precious and ancient console table and our mind, quickly, fantasizes about our future days, imagining ourselves within these walls, under so very high vaulted ceilings, surrounded by a so magical light. While our fantasy is still running wild, we discover the tea room: how to imagine, from the outside of The Palace, that here, hidden among these thick walls, there is a corner so wonderfully elegant and naturally aristocratic? We are speechless, but our childhood dream resolutely opens a hidden door in the wall and a bright light floods the room. It is the entrance of the courtyard, that ancient common space where families, during the day, worked helping each other and, in the evening, huddled round to listen to the stories of the wise old men. Enchanted by soft pillows and beautiful flowers scattered hither and thither, we follow our dream, we go through the courtyard and cross a stone door: in front of us a small and lovely pool, under a vaulted ceiling made of local stone that let us glimpse a beautiful garden where colors, scents and benches invite us to indulge and enjoy our own time and take care of ourselves. We sit on a bench, we look at our childhood dream and let it speak. " You never settled for something that was simply beautiful " - he says - "you have always been looking for something that was sublime." And today, we live in this beautiful Palace. It is our “not so secret” heaven on earth and here every day is a gift to be fully enjoyed. We're sincerely happy every time you decide to spend your best time among these ancient walls, immersed in a so indulgent mood of comfort and relax, to savor your intimacy or for a romantic break. Every day, we try to make sure that everything is special, and we are quietly confident that we will succeed. Always full of pampering, but with a discretion that will surprise you. With love and sincere gratitude
Anna Maria, Enrico and Frisella - our beautiful Golden Retriever
