Palazzo Ducale Guarini

• Bedroom 1 (Foglia): double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 2 (Stella): double bed (160x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 3 (Luna): double-twin bed (180/90x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 4: twin bed (80x200cm)
• Bedroom 5 (Seme): double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 6: twin bed (80x200cm)
• Bedroom 7 (Petalo): double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room
• Bedroom 8 (Fiore): double-twin bed (160/80x200cm), en-suite shower room

Bedroom 4 interconnects with Luna and Bedroom 6 is located up a stone staircase from Seme. Seme is accessed externally only. Since the fourth and sixth bedrooms use bathrooms accessed through the third and fifth bedrooms, these bedroom pairs may be most suitable for families with children as some loss of privacy may incur.

NB: A double-twin bedroom has two single beds that can either be joined together to create a double bed or left separate as two single beds.

Reduced Occupancy

During the shoulder seasons, Palazzo Ducale Guarini has a reduced price for a group of up to 6 that only need up to 3 bedrooms. The bedrooms not required will be closed, but the rest of villa, its amenities and its grounds will remain at the complete disposal of guests. If unspecified, the best bedrooms will be prepared for you.

Inside

guest accommodation is on the ground floor of Palazzo Ducale Guarini with most rooms directly accessing the wonderful gardens.

The main entrance takes one into a generously proportioned hall, whose high vaulted ceilings, pristine white walls and immaculate finish set the tone for the rest of the property. Five broad steps lead up to an elegant, luminous drawing room with French windows opening out into the gardens.

A small hallway accessed from the drawing room leads to the first bedroom, Foglia, a double-twin with an en-suite shower room and doors leading out to the gardens. Back in the drawing room a second door leads to the 14th century heart of the palazzo, now home to a voluminous living area with open fireplace and an inviting TV corner.

The living area flows into the impressive barrel-vaulted dining room, which is served by a well-equipped kitchen. A corridor leads from the dining room to an internal winter garden, which provides access to two more bedrooms. To the left is Stella, a double with en-suite shower room and a sitting area in front of a fireplace, while to the right, up a few steps, is Luna, a suite comprising a double-twin bedroom and a sitting room leading to an en-suite shower room. The sitting room, which also accesses the garden, may be transformed into a twin (the fourth bedroom) and is suitable for children whose parents are staying in Luna.

The fifth bedroom, Seme, is a double-twin with en-suite shower room, accessed only from the gardens. A stone spiral staircase leads from Seme to the sixth bedroom, a twin with low ceilings, suitable for children whose parents are sleeping below.

Just behind the outdoor kitchen, there is a dépendance with an impressive glass roofed vestibule and two bedrooms, Fiore and Petalo, both beautiful double-twin bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms.

Outside

much of your time at Palazzo Ducale Guarini will undoubtedly be spent in the superb private garden, which is very much at the centre of life. It is an historic garden based on the original 19th-century plan and features a vast array of trees and plants, including some unexpected and rare species.

Following the paths between the trees and flowering plants one soon comes across an antique fountain, a vegetable garden, from which you may pluck produce for your meals, and the lovely pool, built where there was once an irrigation basin.

Near to the pool is a dining area, an outdoor kitchen and a large shaded sitting area. Breakfast may be taken at the wrought iron tables in the shade of the citrus trees to one side of the house.

Walk out of Palazzo Ducale Guarini and you're in the middle of Scorrano, a charming town to explore.

A few decades before William the Conqueror assumed control of England in 1066, another group of Normans had headed south to Puglia, where they would soon establish a kingdom that would grow to incorporate Sicily.

Once in control of Puglia, they began creating a network of castles and other defensive buildings, one of which was Palazzo Ducale Guarini. The original construction included impregnable walls, watch towers and even a moat, and its occupants were feudal lords who presided over the administration of the area.

Over the centuries, Palazzo Ducale Guarini would pass from one aristocratic family to another, often through marriage. Some of the most significant early residents included Philip of Anjou (son of Charles of Anjou), Raimondello Orsini Del Balzo, the Prince of Taranto, and his wife, Maria D’Enghien, the Countess of Lecce. Each time it passed to a new family, the palazzo’s name was changed.

In 1687, the palace passed into the ownership of the Frisari family, who would remove all the fortifications and transform it into a splendid aristocratic residence. The last in the line of this family was Teresa Frisari, Duchess of Scorrano, and in 1894, she married Carlo Guarini, the Duke of Poggiardo. He moved to Scorrano, and Palazzo Frisari became Palazzo Ducale Frisari-Guarini.

With this marriage, so began the latest chapter in the history of the palazzo, and the present owner, Duke Giovan Battista, is the fourth generation of the Guarini family to live there. Alongside his wife, Lucia, he continues to conserve the building’s architectural glories as well as its numerous historical and artistic treasures.

The property's suites of salons, reception rooms and halls, not to mention its grand staircases, are home to a dizzying collection of objets, furniture, and art accumulated by the present Duke's forebears over the centuries. Coats of arms, portraits of ancestors, family trees, and bookshelves brimming with antique volumes line the walls; heavy, richly decorated drapes and curtains - some dating back to the 18th century - wrap warmly around windows and doors; a collection of Norman weapons and two small cannons from the historic naval battle of Lepanto in 1571 bring to mind a bellicose past; a grand piano and a diverse collection of other antique instruments recall a familial love of music; lofty vaulted ceilings with ornate frescos are illuminated by elaborate Murano chandeliers; a private chapel, still used for family occasions and at Easter, echoes with pious traditions; and a games room with a 19th-century pool table offers a more playful insight into those who once inhabited this remarkable building.

The palazzo has continually evolved over the centuries, and so it does today. Since they moved back to Scorrano in 2005, Giovan Battista and Lucia, a talented ceramicist, have made incremental changes to lighten the overall atmosphere. Mid-century-modern pieces now sit alongside antique furniture, soft fabrics have been replaced where necessary, and colour schemes have been updated to better evoke a 21st-century Puglian palette.

The wing of Palazzo Ducale Guarini where guests of The Thinking Traveller stay is similarly redolent of the past, though here too, harmonious contemporary touches have been applied to create a sense of balance, interest, lightness and space.

Between 4th-9th July the centre of Scorrano plays host to a spectacular festival of illuminations in celebration of Santa Domenica. Famous for its production of decorative lights used in hundreds of towns and villages all over Italy for local celebrations, Scorrano's festival is quite something. Apart from the illuminations, there is food, wine, processions, music and a great atmosphere.

Depending on the direction of the wind, traffic noise may occasionally be audible in certain areas of the grounds.

Although this property is located within walking distance of some shops and restaurants, we strongly recommend that you hire a car.

You may also wish to know that the pool has a single depth of 1.4m.

There is no private parking at this villa, though public parking is available nearby.