It was the owners’ passion for Italy, that made today’s Palazzo Tafuri possible. Count and Countess d’Espous regularly travel Italy which they love, to discover country, people, food and wine.
Their travel also took them to Puglia, where they discovered Nardò, a jewel in the Salento, with its Baroque and Moorish buildings, churches and monasteries. Only 20 km from Lecce, the regions capital, it has the charm of a small city, with an active and colourful “Piazza life”, while offering all the amenities visitors enjoy.
And in one of the oldest parts of Nardò, in front of the monastery Santa Chiara, they found Palazzo Tafuri, beautifully located right opposite an ancient Monastery. Immediately it came to them that the Palazzo would be ideally suited for a unique Hotel; a centre for fine dining, relaxing, and retreating.
And that is how it started. The Salento born architect Claudio Colaci and Belgian born Interior Design Consultant Vincent De Cat got “carte blanche” to realize the project. It took two years and “full immersion” as well as local builders, craftsmen and artists to turn the original building in what it is today: a beautifully restored and refurbished Palazzo, combining the preserved beauty of the past with the comforts and amenities of a modern, luxurious Boutique Hotel.