As the winter chills hit Auckland and I sit here in my mothers, (dare I say it), knitted, possum wool, socks and 3 layers of winter woolies, wouldn't it be the perfect time to take a Mediterranean holiday. Better still, what if one could laze away the days in a rustic, converted farmhouse by the ocean. 'Masseria Cimino' is a an 18th century farmhouse which is now run as a hotel, located in Fasano by the San Domenico golf course and on the Adriatic coast, you couldn't think of a more perfect spot. I am a little familiar with this side of Italy as my sister-in-law has an apartment further up the coast at San Benedetto El Tronto, a destination I was lucky enough to stay in for several weeks some years ago.
Italy - I T A L Y! - What does it mean to me, apart from watching 'Under The Tuscan Sun' an embarrassingly unmentionable number of times, I Instantly recall the yellow and red expansive fields of sunflowers and poppies, gelati, Italian cuisine and sleepy, hillside villages. Before I settled into the Italian routine of 'slowing down', I found it a little annoying that everyone stopped work midday, no cafes or shops open, abandoned little towns, yet somehow you knew that behind closed doors, there was someone at home. However, 4pm would arrive and life would slowly start to stir, people would awake from their siesta and quietly go about re-opening their shops. Come evening around 9pm, Italy comes to life, fashionably dressed couples walk arm in arm along the promenade and village streets, the restaurants and cafes are buzzing with life, a profusion of people burst from nowhere and these small villages are still busy in the early hours of the morning. In fact, I can remember queueing up for my daily fix of gelato at 1am in the little village of San Benedetto... I am getting a little off track here as this post is really about this lovely hotel interior, however, I wanted to first share a little of what Italy meant to me. As you can see Masseria Cimino has been thoughtfully renovated, its fresh, white interior is perfect for the long, warm summers of this area. Keeping it simple, simply works!
You know something, right this minute, I could quite easily drop everything, including my woolly socks and head off for a season of blogging from Fasano...One problem though, I could never leave my little Poppy behind :(
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