Historical development opportunity in one of the most sought after regions of Italy: Salento, Puglia - South of Lecce - Real Italia

This part of Italy, South of the extraordinary Barocco town of Lecce, is probably one of the most interesting/fast growing touristic destinations in Italy, with a number of internationally well-known celebrities (like Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren) who have bought their Italian home in this area.

Located at the very South East of Italy, in between two seas (the Adriatic Sea, which here is rocky, and the Ionian Sea, which here features exceptional sandy beaches), offers an incredible lifestyle experience, especially in the inland areas. There are numerous villages and small towns full of character with exceptional antique buildings and truly interesting historical centres. A solid simple gastronomic tradition, made of fish, local vegetables and home made pasta (and local wines), completes a truly special lifestyle experience, which is a really exciting experience for an Italian like me; I guess even stronger for somebody from aboard.

The Property featured in these exceptional images taken by the dear friend Sergio Contaldo (whom I thank) is an ex-tobacco manufacturer, a large Property located in the Comune of Alessano (province of Lecce, South Salento), near a village called Lucugnano, close to the historical towns of Specchia, Tricase, and Tricase Mare (and Alessano).

You will also note 2 aerial movies that we shoot a couple of weeks ago.

The buildings – within a private land of circa 59,000 square meters – are formed by:

A main historical property (built at the end of the XIX Century, originally used for the transformation of the tobacco, a main industry in this area). This Property extends over two main floors, plus: a loft; 3 large patios; a large cellar. The ground floor is circa 5,000 square meters (circa 54,000 square feet) and the first floor circa 4,700 square meters (circa 51,000 square feet) for a total of circa 9.700 square meters (circa 105,000 square feet, in addition to cellars, lofts and patios);
An industrial more recently built warehouse on the back of the historical building that extends for circa 7,400 square meters (circa 80,000 square feet), with 6 meters ceilings (20 feet high);
Additional smaller buildings within the private land, for more than 1,000 square meters (circa 10,800 square feet).

In total the Property comprises a main historical building and some more recent buildings for a total gross area of circa 18,000 square meters (circa 194,000 square feet) in a private land of circa 59,000 square meters (circa 15 acres) bordered by a brick wall.

This Property is not only very large, it offers also a remarkable XIX old industrial character, and the rare possibility to create a large hotel (with substantial common parts: SPA, wellness areas, multipurpose areas, kids facilities etc) with the priceless added value of a truly historical character that would offer a unique restoration opportunity with these vast volumes typical of an old property.

This is not only very special but also truly interesting from the economical point of view, since the local authority, together with the European Union, runs significant non-repayable components (up to 45% of the total development costs, including the purchase of the property) for those entrepreneurs who set up touristic initiatives capable to create local employment and touristic growth (the project has to be approved by/agreed with the competent agency).

In this area of Puglia touristic demand has been strong for the past few years with double digits growing figures, probably among the best performances of the entire Country.It is time now to offer a large historical hotel with a strong connection with this extraordinary land of genuine Italian tradition.