Wicker chairs at small tables beside a wall of white curtains and a palm
07:30

What the house does, and when it does it

A day at No. 21

There is no spa, no gym and no concierge desk. There is bread at half past seven, a cold arch at one, a terrace at nine in the evening, and a door that locks itself at eleven.

The breakfast room on the ground floor, 08:05, before anybody came down

Six hours of it

The clock is the plan

07:30
Bread, a moka pot and a plate of tomatoes laid out on a cloth

Bread on the landing

A basket outside your door: two rosette from Panificio Rizzo on Via Libertini, butter, apricot jam made here in June, and a moka already filled. Tell us the night before if you want it at seven or at nine; after half past ten it goes to the chickens.

Included · stops 10:30 · no buffet, ever
09:10
A white mug standing in low window light on a worn wooden table

The terrace table, second coffee

The light crosses the long table between nine and half past, and that is the hour everybody in the house ends up on the terrace whether they planned to or not. Four chairs. No service — the moka comes up with you.

Terrace open 08:00 — 23:00 · shared by all nine
13:00
A stone archway over a small courtyard with wooden stools and a potted plant

The arch, which is four degrees colder

Between one and four the city shuts and so do we. The arch holds two stools, the bicycles and a jug of water that gets refilled at noon. Borrow a bicycle by leaving your name on the slate; they come back at dusk or they do not come back at all.

Two bicycles · free · no helmets, sorry
16:25
Worn stone steps lined on both sides with terracotta pots of herbs

Watering, and whatever you want to cut

Basil, mint, rosemary, two lemon trees and a bay that has got out of hand. Take what you need for the kitchen upstairs; the scissors live on the nail by the first landing and they have lived there since 2017.

Help yourself · please not the whole basil plant
20:50
A long table laid under a chandelier hung in a wall of greenery at night

Thursday supper in the courtyard

One long table, one pot, 22 € a head, wine from the Leone brothers at Copertino included. It happens on Thursdays from April to October if at least six people put their names down by Wednesday noon. Nobody is obliged to come and nobody has ever regretted it.

Thursdays · 22 € · list on the slate in the arch
23:00
A corridor with a deep green painted dado and a dark panelled door

The stair light goes amber

At eleven the landings drop to a low amber and the terrace lights go off altogether. The street door takes your key from either side at any hour, so there is no curfew — only a strong hint, and neighbours on both walls.

Quiet from 23:00 · the walls are 90 cm and still not enough
A stack of folded white linen seen close upThe laundry van comes on Tuesdays, which is why two nights is the minimum

Services, plainly

What we do, what it costs, and when it is not possible

CleaningEvery third morning, and on the day you askIncludedLaundryCollected Tuesday 08:00, back Wednesday evening9 € a bagCotFits every apartment except 10112 € the stayDogsTwo per apartment, arch and terrace welcome20 € the stayBicyclesTwo, in the arch, name on the slateFreeGarageVia Taranto, nine minutes on foot, plate registered18 € a dayAirportBrindisi, car with Cosimo, booked the week before75 €Late arrivalSomebody waits up to 23:00. After that, tomorrowNo key safe

On foot, from the street door

Everything anybody has asked us for, in minutes

2Panificio Rizzo — the rosette in your basket4Piazza Sant'Oronzo and the Roman theatre under it6The fish counter on Via Adua, open until 13:007Basilica di Santa Croce, best at 18:00 when the stone goes orange9The garage on Via Taranto11Station, for the 07:12 to Otranto26By car: San Cataldo, the nearest sea, and a bad road
An arched weathered wooden door set in stone with a folding table beside it
The street door, which has no sign on it and is not going to get one
A dark bedroom with a heavy curtain pulled back from a bright window

Said once, so nobody is surprised

We would rather lose the booking than lose the house

No parties, no hen nights, no filming, no drones over the courtyard, and no more guests in an apartment than the number on this site says. Three families live in the two buildings that share our walls, and they were here first.

How many each number sleeps →

One message, one answer

Ask about the hours before you ask about the price

Ask for a date
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01Say the dates and the number of people02Say what would ruin it: stairs, heat, noise, a dog03We answer the same day with one number and one price