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Li Cafari ex Masseria
A restored 16th-century masseria in Puglia's Porto Selvaggio — where ancient stone and considered interiors meet the Salento coast.
A restored 16th-century masseria in Puglia's Porto Selvaggio — where ancient stone and considered interiors meet the Salento coast.
Li Cafari is a 16th-century masseria on three hectares of olive groves and pine forest, set on the edge of the Porto Selvaggio natural park, 1,500 metres from the sea. The estate has been restored with precision — a seven-metre glazed atrium now connects the two original stone wings, flooding a 320-square-metre double-height living space with light while leaving the stonework intact. Interiors mix Eames, Saarinen, and Castiglioni with contemporary art, without any of it feeling curated for effect. Two full-time butlers manage the house. Nardò — baroque, largely undiscovered, with one of the finest central piazzas in Puglia — is ten minutes by car.
The Details
What makes it Kobu
Where a conventional restoration would have left the two stone wings separate, the architects glazed the gap. The result is a 320-square-metre, double-height living space with light coming from above and original stonework on every side — three lounge zones, a monumental concrete fireplace, and a dining room for 16 with views to the sea. The Ernesto Meda–designed kitchen runs seven metres with two stone islands. It is a serious piece of architecture inside a 16th-century farm, and the two things hold their tension well.
Most of the Salento has been packaged for export. Nardò hasn't. Stone streets, wine bars, a lively weekly market, and a baroque centre that still belongs to the people who live there — none of the tourist infrastructure that Ostuni or Alberobello have accumulated. Li Cafari puts it ten minutes from your door, with Porto Selvaggio's limestone coves in the other direction and Lecce's Michelin-listed restaurants forty minutes north. The estate offers enough to fill several days without leaving, but the location rewards those who do.
Directions
Brindisi Airport (BDS)
60 min by car
The Destination
Italy
Embrace la dolce vita and immerse yourself in Italy’s historic piazzas and palazzi, breath-taking vineyards and coastline, and unparalleled mouth-watering cuisine. Revel in the romance of Italy by drifting down the storied canals of Venice, climbing the coastal trails of the Cinque Terre, or unwinding poolside in Capri.
Photography
Commissioned photography for luxury hospitality and properties.
Selected work
