In the heart of the Gargano, a remote and little known region of Italy, Tenuta Villa Oleandro is set 100m above sea level, amid an ocean of olives. Perched half way up a hillside, on a series of splendid terraces, the property enjoys a sea view and overlooks a valley of silvery green olive groves, verdant carob and fig trees and fragrant pine woodlands. An oasis of tranquillity, a haven of peace and quiet; yet the rest of the world is not so far away. Only a few kilometres separate us from the beach at Calenella Bay and the towns of Vico del Gargano, San Menaio, Rodi Garganico and Peschici.
Built during the 1920’s, though the heart of it is much older, in 2003 we bought the country house, or torretta (little castle) as it’s known to some locally. In a sad state of total abandonment and disrepair, the roof was host to a small copse of trees and shrubs, the house was only a very few years away from total collapse.
We worked hard to bring the property back to its former glory and after 2 years of loving, patient and at times exceedingly stressful restoration, renovation and extension, it was finally ready to show itself off to the world.
The Gargano, known as Italy’s spur, is a veritable limestone island of mountains between 600m and 1,000m high. Its very inaccessibility and total independence from the Apennines and the rest of Italy determined its characteristics and traditions. With 200km of unspoilt rugged coastline, including beautiful sandy beaches, pebbly bays, rocky coves, sandy dunes, sheer cliffs, caves and magnificent sea stacks - natural works of art and architecture sculpted by sea, wind and rain. Jewels in the Gargano crown are the Tremiti Islands and the presence of record numbers of orchid species.
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