We are purchasing, below valuation price, a 16th century Palazzo in Nardò, Puglia. Restored it will become a luxury boutique hotel & events venue with 6 rooms & winebar/shop. The Palazzo is structurally sound and is very beautiful. See bit.ly/1i3rSjA for more details and pictures.
Puglia is becoming increasingly popular with sophisticated foreign visitors, and awareness is growing every year. Just in the last couple of months articles have been published in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveller, The Telegraph and the London Evening Standard.
The Palazzo will fit a current gap in the market in Puglia for luxurious accommodation, with a high level of personal service, at a moderate cost. See http://bit.ly/1i3rSjA for more details
There is currently no other wine bar or wine shop in the town centre and a shortage of restaurants open at lunchtime (we will serve light meals). There is a growing demand for both from the increasing number of foreign visitors and expats, as well as from the locals themselves, based on my market research. The Palazzo will also be a venue for events & a base for special interest holidays– extra guests being accommodated in a neighboring palazzo.
The property is structurally sound and work can be completed within three months. We have detailed quotes for all work and planning permissions and permits have already been obtained. The location is ideal – close to the sea, 45 minutes from the airport, in the historic centre of a beautiful but relatively undeveloped town which is beginning to take off. Lecce, a stopping point for most visitors to Puglia, is 20 minutes away.
I have had 5 years experience of project managing house restorations in Puglia, alongside 15 years in tourism. This includes 4 years of organising specialised holidays within existing hotels, taking over the whole hotel. Whilst in Puglia (the last nine years) I have organized made to measure holidays and events for individual clients and groups. I have also promoted both the region and my town as well as specific villas and hotels. I have written about Italian food, wine & restaurants, organized wine tastings and promoted cantine (wineries) as well as organizing cooking schools. My blog (personalpuglia.wordpress.com) has a readership of over 44,000 and I will also shortly be starting a blog for Palazzo La Rosa. I have good contacts within the U.K press, and am used to generating effective publicity.