We had a fantastic stay in Palazzo Luceri which has been beautifully renovated and is situated in the relatively un-touristy town of Galatina. The terrace just off the kitchen was perfect for breakfast/lunch/dinner and was quite sheltered so warm even on breezier evenings. The upper terrace was fantastic for sunbathing and just looking across the rooftops. Everything in the house was of high quality and the dishwasher was a very welcome appliance! There were plenty of restaurants in Galatina but we also enjoyed cooking our own meals with the delicious local food. We would definitely recommend this Palazzo and if we are in the area again, we would love to have another holiday there. Thanks Jim and Paul!

Hi Jim and Paul, Thank you for our wonderful stay in your apartment. We only arrived back last weekend and intended to contact you. We really had no issues with the apartment, as we did not end up using the dishwasher, as Christiano had advised us it was not working. The weather was fabulous overall, aside for the first couple of days of rain, so the air conditioner was not needed either. We found the apartment very quiet and comfortable overall (once our legs got used to those stairs!!!) Great central location and great to use as a base for south Puglia. Your instruction manual was fantastic, as well as the visitors book for other recommendations. We apologise as we intended to write in it and totally forgot! The only negative comments we would make – we found the lighting very poor in the lounge room (for reading etc); it would have been handy to have some bath soap available; Since we arrived on a Sunday, so much was closed. We loved Puglia and would love to return one day. Thanking you again for a memorable stay. Regards Liz & Bruce

This apartment was way above my expectations. It was very clean, spacious, the Italian Manager; Christiano was superb, happily speaking in English and giving my partner and I good advice on the area. Galatina is an interesting town, the locals friendly. The English owner Jim, is very friendly and easy to deal with. Kitchen facilities are perfect, sun terraces beautiful (views across town!) bedroom, shower and lounge area - all excellent. We managed to park the Fiat 500 hire car, safely and easily within a close distance each day. I would definitely recommend this property for a week, two or even three! You won't outgrow it. A fantastic time, many thanks.

We spent a glorious week in this lovely apartment. Situated in the centre of the lovely town, it's easy walking distance to shops restaurants and sights. The apartment was spotlessly clean and comprehensively equipped. We didn't eat in, but the kitchen is great and the adjacent roof terrace is lovely, the perfect spot for breakfast and a chill out drink or two any time. The bed was very comfy and the bathroom spacious with a great shower. Galatina is perfectly located for visiting the sights of southern Puglia and we found the people friendly and helpful. We didn't hear another English voice in Galatina and felt we were experiencing "real" Italy. Jim was so pleasant and easy to deal with and provided so much helpful info, the whole experience was great from our initial contact and throughout. I cannot recommend this apartment highly enough!

My wife and I wanted to spend time in Italy, as far away as possible from the big cities, and we found the perfect spot in Puglia in the heart of the heel. The apartment in Galatina was our home for two weeks, and it was everything we expected and a whole lot more. The apartment itself is in the old part of Galatina, but it has been renovated with stunning attention to detail. The stairs will be a challenge for older visitors (we are 55 and 59 so could cope) but the climb up four floors is well worth it, and also helps work off the excess that one develops in the local bars and restaurants. A beautiful kitchen opens out onto a lovely flat-roof terrace, perfect for catching the sun, and the second terrace one flight up offers great views of Galatina rooftops. A modern bathroom opens off the single bedroom, but a lovely living room has a sofa bed and a second toilet is found off the kitchen. We loved lying in bed at night, hearing the conversations of occasional late night revellers echoing up from the cobbled street below. We were also very lucky that our visit coincided with the annual food and wine festival: absolutely glorious. The whole town dressed up for the moment, and everyone enjoyed a magical evening of music, wine and food. We walked all over town for for the first week, finding a great local market (Thursdays, out over the railway line on the road to Lecce) and the best cafés and bars, and caught the train to nearby centres. But we then hired a car, allowing us to explore some of the loveliest little towns (Gallipoli, Leuca, Ostuni and Alberobello) and the Florence of the south, Lecce, before coming home each evening to our fabulous base. Dealing with the owners, Jim and Paul, was a delight: thoroughly professional, helpful and the attention to detail evident in the apartment comes through in their in-line correspondence. And there on the ground, their local property manager Christiano, who was able to provide great tips and advice. All in all, one of the best holiday experiences we have ever enjoyed. Thanks so much, guys, we will definitely be back to glorious Galatina. Murray Olds, Sydney Australia

We spent 3 days in this lovely apartment in the centre of Galatina. Situated in a side street just off the main square, with a noticeable absence of English voices and tourists in general, we felt like we had been immersed in the "real" Italy. Indeed, the memories that will linger the longest are of those simple things such as wandering around for croissants (or "cornettos") each morning and polishing them off with coffee on the roof terrace - the one filled with chocolate and custard got a "10" from me... If you want to try some local produce head for Salvatore Stifanelli on Via Vittorio Emanuele, where you can buy some incredible "burrata" cheese, a kind of mozzerella with a gorgeous creamy liquid centre, which we had on our roof terrace for lunch with some cured meat, sliced tomato and balsamic, washed down with a bottle of Salice Salentino - again, simple but awesome!. Of the 3 restaurants we visited, Anima & Cuore was our favourite by some distance (just a short walk from the apartment) - wonderful fresh pasta dishes and fantastic croquettes. The service from Jim & Paul prior to leaving for Italy, and Christiano on arrival, was excellent - they are clearly proud of their property and with good reason. As long as you can handle the steep stairs over 3 floors (and they ARE steep) you will find that Palazzo Luceri is a perfect place to unwind and use as a base to explore the delights of Galatina and the Salento.

l'appartamento e' veramente bello in pieno centro storico di Galatina. Molto funzionale e sembra di essere a casa ...c'e' tutto cio' che serve per cucinare lavare leggere o guardare film. appartamento molto pulito e particolare perche' diviso su due piani con scale interne molto ripide ma un toccasana contro la "pigrizia".La terrazza per mangiare fuori e' un angolo stupendo di tranquillita' e il solarium sul tetto e' veramente straordinario e sia di notte che di giorno offre un panorama stupendo! Galatina e' ubicata in una zona molto comoda del salento per raggiungere tutti i punti di interesse e le spiagge piu' belle (adriatiche secondo me)

We had a fantastic stay in Jim and Paul’s townhouse in Galatina at the end of July 2013. They were both really lovely and helpful with an information pack beforehand and quick responses to all our questions before our start and also while we were there. A big thank you to both of them! Located in a quiet street, the apartment has everything you'd need in a rental property. The kitchen was fully equipped and we went occasionally to the local shops (e.g. the fishmonger for gamberoni!) to cook some Italian dishes. The rooftop terrace is magic and we regularly had our ‘Spritz’ or Campari there before going out. The kitchen, living room and bedroom have air condition which is great to ensure a sound night sleep even in the heat of summer (be aware that temperatures in summer can reach between 35 and 40 C during noon, but it cools down to a very comfortable 25 C during evening). The living room had a video projection system for a movie night (ideal for Fellini’s “Dolce Vita” or some Neorealismo movie!). Galatina is one of three historic towns slightly inland (Galatone and Nardò are the other two, just around the corner). All three have stunning centres, but Galatina excels with its baroque cathedral (and the square in front where the urban life takes place in the evening) and Santa Catarina with its frescoes from the – both of them are only five mins from the apartment. For us Galatina was an ideal solution: A beautifully restored small city, rather quiet, non-touristic, but with enough restaurants, ice cream parlours, bars for an aperitivo and some shops. In the evening the piazze become more vibrant with families, and young and older people out and around town. People in Galatina are very friendly and if you know some Italian even better. On the culinary side, try the pasticciotti and maddalene at Andrea Ascalone (he is known in the region for his products) and Salumeria Stifanelli for fresh Mozzarella and a wonderful mature pecorino with spicy fig jam (both in Via Vittorio Emmanuele). ‘Anima e Cuore’ has got some nice pasta dishes and a good spumone! Roughly equidistant between the Adriatic and the Ionian coasts, we rather opted for the beaches in Punta Prosciutto and Porto Selvaggio on the Ionian side which seemed more attractive to us. Finally, plan for enough time in Lecce which is only 30 mins away by car and architecturally one of the most stunning places in Southern Italy – we stayed for two days and could still have spent more time there.

We had such a great holiday. The apartment is really lovely and we had the most relaxing time lounging on the roof terrace with and watching movies on the projector. It has everything you need, is really well equipped and is perfectly located for exploring Salento. We had a little routine of getting back at the end of the day and sitting on the roof with olives and a bottle of Prosecco. The perfect lifestyle! And all the restaurants in Galatina were fab - La Campina being our absolute favourite. The kitchen in the apartment is very well equipped with everything you need and all the mod cons (although we enjoyed Galatina’s restaurants too much to do any cooking!) The area is really lovely, it feels very Italian, we saw hardly any other tourists and everyone was so friendly. There are excellent beaches, Porto Salvaggio was our absolute favourite beach, and really good for swimming. We have come back so refreshed and relaxed. It was just perfect. I will absolutely be recommending the apartment to everyone. Also the booking, arrival etc was all so smooth. So the perfect effortless holiday!

Alas I only had four short days in Galatina, but they were spent in an apartment which has obviously been lovingly restored to it's original glory and even improved upon with understated luxury - all dark woods, marble, vaulted ceilings and tiled floors. It also has the biggest shower head I've ever seen, a real luxury for an Aussie living in the UK and getting to grips with the ubiquitous and misleadingly named "power shower". The kitchen too is well equipped with modern appliances and all the utensils and crockery you need to whip up your own meals. The roof terraces were an oasis of sunshine and solitude (nobody else seemed to be on their roof the entire time I was there - in early May) and although I didn't have any meals on them (too busy with local restaurants) I'm sure a trip to the Thursday market would provide amazing ingredients for an excellent home cooked meal and relax on the terraces in the evening. Located in a quiet street moments away from the main square of Galatina's old town, the apartment has everything you'd ever want and need in a rental property. Galatina itself is, as I'm sure others will have noted, the perfect place to position yourself for exploring the stunning Salentino coast. Lecce, Gallipoli, Otranto, Santa Maria De Leuca, all the amazing beaches and much more is just an easy day trip from the apartment. Jim and Paul went way beyond the call of duty before I arrived, suggesting things to do and places to see and I really felt like they wanted to make sure I enjoyed my time away and got to experience all the things they love about Puglia - well as much as you can pack into a few days. One thing you must do in Galatina though is visit the Basilica di Santa Caterina and the convent next door, which are just a short walk from the apartment. Even if you've been in Italy a while and you're a bit "churched out", trust me, this one will wake you up. The walls are filled with surprisingly gruesome frescoes, almost like a Tarantino version of the bible. And in the back of the convent is a little room containing a relic of St Agatha. A clue to exactly what it might be is given in one of the more eye opening frescoes in the Basilica. Thanks again guys for all your hard work before I arrived and next time I'm in the Salento, 30 Robertini is a no brainer to be my first choice to stay. Natalie.