This beautifully-renovated, well-equipped and comfortable house, with its large roof terrace to enjoy the sun and its unique orchard garden for shade and calm, is not only a most pleasing place to spend time, but also the perfect base for exploring the historic towns, the countryside, and the coastline of this still largely unspoiled region of Italy. We loved it!

Secret garden property is beautifully appointed, comfortable and filled with everything one could need. Jon’s helpful packet of information in the property and things to do and enjoy was most welcome since it was our first visit to Puglia. Suggestions for restaurants were spot on- we had amazing meals. Cristiano was very helpful introducing us to the property and offering suggestions. The town is charming and surrounding area well worth exploring. Weather was amazing- quite warm. I highly recommend this spot!!

From the moment we walked in, we loved this beautiful house. The stone and woodwork features are stunning. Excellent sleeping and living areas. The kitchen is fantastically equipped with everything you could need. It was a joy to walk from the kitchen into the gorgeous secret garden. where the citrus grove provided a wonderful source of fresh orange juice each morning, and a great place to relax throughout the day. We also enjoyed some delightful meals from the outdoor barbeque. The house is well-located in easy walking distance to shops, supermarkets, and restaurants. We loved visiting the markets and stalls in the town squares and cobble-stoned streets. There always seemed to be some local festivity to enjoy! One night we stumbled into a wonderful street party. The local people were very friendly and welcoming. We chose to travel without a car, and found Galatina to be very easy to get around, and the train and bus services were excellent. Thanks to Jon and Rebecca for their hospitality, to Cristiano for his assistance and also to Leila the lovely neighbour.

Perfect for our holiday - beautifully presented and very comfortable.

The house is tucked away in a little courtyard, but once you enter the door it is airy and spacious. It has been renovated and maintained to a high spec and is very well equipped, both for entertainment and for cooking, so you can choose to cook for yourselves and eat in the peaceful and shaded garden (complete with lots of orange trees) or eat out in the towns several good restaurants. Parking in the nearby square was easy and it's safe to leave the car there. Galatina itself is an attractive town (we were there during the 3 day tarantella festival which was good fun) and don't miss the amazing frescoes in the church of Santa Caterina . The town is also a great base from which to explore the rest of Salento - the beautiful city of Lecce and the coastal towns of Otranto, Gallipoli and Leuca - all worth a visit. All in all, a very enjoyable holiday in a great property. Highly recommended.

This home is one of the most well done and appointed we've ever stayed in, and we travel extensively worldwide. Once you get your parking pass and get acclimated to the neighborhood it's very easy to find yourself at home and comfortable. Internet works great in all 3 bedrooms, and hot water abounds. The kitchen is gourmet in nature and has every conceivable pot, pan, and accessory you can imagine. Very hard to come up with a dish that you couldn't prepare in this space. Great television and tons of sound. These owners are at the top of their game. I rent out homes in the US and this is exactly how I represent my properties. We couldn't have been more pleased either personally or professionally. There were six of us.

We absolutely loved Galatina--a beautiful, lively town--and Giardino Segreto was the perfect base for our adventures in town and around Salento. The house is old, with high ceilings and worn stairs, but it's as comfortable as any modern home, with excellent plumbing, a well-equipped kitchen, and very comfortable beds. Even at the end of October, we enjoyed fruit from the garden and spent a lovely afternoon on the rooftop patio. We were two couples travelling together and it was a perfect size for us, but it would also be comfortable for more. There are three good queen beds. Hosts were very helpful and gracious. We look forward to returning one day for more Puglia food and wine!

This house is lovely; it certainly has the best-equipped kitchen we've ever found in a rental, complete with a little library of good cookbooks as well as that most elusive of vacation home wants - good knives and pots/pans! All three of the bedrooms are very spacious, so a group sharing would be happy regardless of which room they ended up with. Between the large garden and the rooftop terrace there's a lot of room to spread out, so everybody can have their own space if they want it. Unless you have a really tiny car, best to go get the parking permit from the police station and park in the adjacent piazza - the ingress to the courtyard is a bit hairy. Mark (Jon and Rebecca's friend who was staying next door) was very friendly and helpful, and Galatina is a good base for exploring the nearby beach towns and Lecce. Thanks Jon and Rebecca for your hospitality.

4.2 out of 5 overall. Villa-5, Garden-4.5, Kitchen-5, bedrooms & bathrooms-4.5, view from roof top garden-1, stairs-2, Corte Sta. Maria-2, nearby restaurants-3, next door neighbour-5. Galatina is off the beaten track. Very nice but need a car to get around. Day trips to Gallipoli and Otranto outstanding. Galatina not a foodie destination but a nice, historic town. Glad we made the trip. Would not repeat. Grazie.

Jon and Rebecca have created the most beautiful home, tucked away in a quiet courtyard in Galatina's Old Town. The house is spacious and light-filled with vaulted ceilings in most rooms. We especially loved the well-equipped kitchen which was a joy to cook in and the lovely walled garden. It really is a home-from-home with a huge flatscreen TV and large collection of DVDs if you fancy a film night in with pizza from one of the local restaurants. The house is right in the centre of the Galatina and within walking distance of restaurants, bars and gelaterie. This was our first time in Puglia and we found Galatina to be an excellent base for exploring the Salento region, including trips to Lecce, Gallipoli, Otranto and any number of gorgeous beaches. There is a fabulous drive from Martina de Leuca along the coast road to Otranto which rivals Amalfitana. Having spent years going to Tuscany we're now converts to Puglia and would love to return to Giardino Segreto with family or friends.

Excellent location for Salemto. Accommodations wonderful. No complaints.

Thank you Jon& Rebecca for sharing your home..Communication was easy and accurate. Well appointed, gourmet kitchen, high quality All Clad, Wusthof. etc. Quite a collection of cookbooks you don't even want to dine out... Very relaxing home.comfortable, roomy lots of DVDS , books , CDS... Galatina has several pastecerrias gourmet shops, pesceria and super mercado all whitin walking distance. Its very nice to have and consult the house infos beforehand. Very large outdoor area, we couln't really take advantage, because of cooler weather in March. You do need a permit for parking from the local police, its free... Highly recommend for your vacation

We loved it- a terrific renovation of centuries old building in charming town! The house is AMAZING! We were so relaxed and had everything we needed (who knew until now that a rooftop terrace was something I needed!) Excellent location for exploring southern Puglia, and so nice to come home to your garden or terrace and chill. Highly recommended !

We were so relaxed on this holiday, mainly because the house is exceptionally attractive with its intelligent decor and high vaulted ceilings --the old stones seem to make time stand still-- and we were happy not to jump into the hire car every day but to just chill in the living space or garden or stroll around the historic centre of town, taking in the gorgeous baroque stone-carving on the old patrician townhouses. I really enjoyed the fact that I could flip through one of the many mouthwatering cookbooks in the kitchen and create something indulgent for supper with everything at my fingertips. We stocked up on fresh produce (which is outstanding, especially the veg, cheeses, prosciutto and artisan bread) from the supermarket up towards the railway station or the outdoor market out to the east of it (Thursdays, behind the flea market). The kitchen is a pleasure to use. Fresh herbs are growing in the garden. In fact, everything you need to relax --books, DVDs, internet, garden, roof terrace-- is just ready and waiting. Eating out is also easy, walkable and delicious, with a range of prices from pizza/gelato on Piazza Alighieri to regional top dining in a historic setting at Anima & Cuore. Lecce’s architecture and cafes are deserving of a daytrip to themselves. We took the train (a tad too relaxed in terms of timetable – take a book in case the train is delayed/replaced) so that we could enjoy a glass or two of wine there before heading back. I loved Sant Isidoro beach (coastal drive north of Gallipoli) because the sea is clear and ridiculously shallow. You can always touch down in soft sand underfoot: a pleasure for me as I’m not so confident a swimmer as I used to be. Many thanks to Jon for making such a great holiday possible and to Mark for creating such a nurturing place. PS, very smart restaurant Percuoco (with glass picture-windows straight onto the narrow cobbled streets) adjacent to the Basilica, just a short walk from the house. Opens from 21h00 to 23h00 in the evenings – we preferred to eat earlier, but next time perhaps ... PPS, tip: pack mozzie repellent for night-time outdoors.

We hired the house as a group of friends and used it as a base for trips to the beaches at Gallipolli, the historic centre of Lecce, and jaunts around the area. The house is beautiful, the best equipped holiday rental I've ever been to, and is decorated beautifully. The garden and roof terrace are perfect. Would highly recommend.