Such a lovely villa. The interior is beautiful and well appointed, and the view astonishing. Maura is an excellent host; very friendly and helpful. The villa is well located, within an easy 30 min drive of many of the key sights in Puglia and 1.5 hours from Matera. The heated swimming pool was much loved by the kids (and us). The TV was very close to the kids’ bedrooms so bear in mind if you want to watch TV after they go to bed but it was not an issue for us as we preferred to sit outside and enjoy the view (except when the final episode of Succession was broadcast and we were delighted to realise that the villa has Sky TV so we didn’t have to wait to watch it). We like travelling to different places, but this was such a stunning villa and a lovely area with so much to do that we will definitely be back! Thanks Maura.

The whole family (6 adults and 1 3yr old) had a lovely time at Villa Francesca. Maura very knowledgeable and helpful. I was unaware that we had to pay to heat the pool but maybe this wouldn’t be necessary earlier in the season.

A lovely spacious home with very comfortable rooms. Very easy to contact and deal with the friendly host. Don’t worry to plan ahead, the best suggestions for trips and restaurants come form the visitors manual and from the host.

The villa is stunning! The views are to die for and the property is very well kept. Maura is extremely professional and attentive. Would highly recommend this property.

What an amazing villla, a dream come true Maura is absolutely best host, helped us with everything we asked for Everything was just spectacular Maura hope to see you in September, thank you so much for everything

Great and specious property with an amazing view of the landscape with olive trees and the sea. Perfect location with "everything" in Puglia within quick reach. Very helpful and attentive hosts that helped making this a wonderful vacation. Highly recommend it!

We were a group of 5 seniors who spent a week in Villa Francesca. The house is as described in the listing, as is the pool. The property manager was very responsive to any issues we encountered and also helpful in arranging to have a chef prepare some food to have on hand for our late arrival our first night. She also arranged for a meal to be cooked in the house on our last night, which was wonderful. The location is good with easy access to necessities and areas for exploration.

We had a very good stay in this luxury house with everything you need.Maura is a lovely everything explaining host.Location is very good with lots of side seeing spots and the beach nearby The only negative point is the constant barking of many digs nearby.Seems to be the Italian way but maybe the owner knows his neighbours and can organize something

We have recently returned from a week at Villa Francesca and we loved everything about the house, the location and the fantastic support we received from Maura. The villa is spacious, clean and beautiful. The views from the porch and the pool area are simply stunning. We spent time each morning and evening enjoying the outdoor spaces and the views. We also cooked each evening and the kitchen and outdoor grill area were both excellent. The beds were comfortable, the showers had plenty of pressure and hot water and the laundry area was a big help to us. We have nothing but praise for every aspect of our stay. And Maura is an amazing host. The information provided in the guest booklet is excellent, and she was so responsive to all of our additional requests for recommendations, etc. She arranged transportation for us on several occasions including from the airport and to the train station, as well as a couple of excursions when we preferred not to drive. Our driver, Giancarlo, was fabulous. The location of the villa is perfect for exploring Puglia. Ostuni, Altamura, Matera and Locorotondo are not to be missed, and we especially enjoyed our drive to some of the waterside towns and lunch at a seaside restaurant. If you are even considering choosing this villa, just do it. Your trip will be fantastic, as was ours. We were five women, all 60ish, and had the time of our lives. Thanks Maura!

The villa is elegant, well equipped, quiet and has splendid views. Our stay was made particularly easy by Maura. the very helpful and very efficient agent, probably the best we have encountered in some 40 years of renting Italian and French villas.

Villa Francesca is ideally located between many beautiful hilltop towns and an easy drive to the sea. The view is breathtaking. Maura, who manages the property, went out of her way to make our stay enjoyable. She is a gem. Do take her up on her offer to have your first night's dinner catered. The cook is excellent and the food was delicious.

We stayed with our kids and a set of grandparents - everyone had a great time. The property is excellent for a family holiday, with plenty of space for relaxing or playing and a great location for exploring the local area. The pool is fantastic for all ages and much fun was had there. Having so many areas to sit, relax and eat is brilliant; the views from everywhere really add to that experience too. Cooking facilities are excellent, including the BBQ area. We particularly appreciated the second fridge in the utility area, which was handy for wine and beer! Maura's help and advice really contributed to making our holiday so enjoyable. Nothing was ever too much bother and and requests or queries were actioned very promptly (both before the holiday and during). She provides great advice on the local area, places to eat etc. One important thing to note is that there is a good supermarket a very short drive from the villa, which is extremely handy, plus the little shop at the bottom of the hill does wonderful bread. Being up in the hills not only provides extraordinary views but means you often have a nice breeze to keep you cool. The air-conditioning is also great and we always felt very comfortable in the villa. The lane leading up to the villa is indeed quite bumpy and twisty but we managed it in a massive 9-seater vehicle, so don't let it put you off. We would also recommend the cook-in chef option, which we had one night and was a lovely experience. Overall, this is a fantastic place to stay for a family holiday and we would highly recommend it.

We stayed with our kids and a set of grandparents - everyone had a great time. The property is excellent for a family holiday, with plenty of space for relaxing or playing and a great location for exploring the local area. The pool is fantastic for all ages and much fun was had there. Having so many areas to sit, relax and eat is brilliant; the views from everywhere really add to that experience too. Cooking facilities are excellent, including the BBQ area. We particularly appreciated the second fridge in the utility area, which was handy for wine and beer! Maura's help and advice really contributed to making our holiday so enjoyable. Nothing was ever too much bother and and requests or queries were actioned very promptly (both before the holiday and during). She provides great advice on the local area, places to eat etc.One important thing to note is that there is a good supermarket a very short drive from the villa, which is extremely handy, plus the little shop at the bottom of the hill does wonderful bread.Being up in the hills not only provides extraordinary views but means you often have a nice breeze to keep you cool. The air-conditioning is also great and we always felt very comfortable in the villa. The lane leading up to the villa is indeed quite bumpy and twisty but we managed it in a massive 9-seater vehicle, so don't let it put you off.We would also recommend the cook-in chef option, which we had one night and was a lovely experience.Overall, this is a fantastic place to stay for a family holiday and we would highly recommend it.

This was the perfect multigenerational family rental. The property is spacious, comfortable, with all necessary amenities, beautiful vistas, and within 10 to 40 minutes drive of sites. The website photos are accurate and the property has many unique spaces to accommodate varying needs (pool, reading areas, outside cooking and eating areas). Maura was helpful and supportive acting quickly and knowledgeably to our needs. We loved having the local chef who seemed like bringing over mom to make a home cooked , delicious meal. We will be back!

Excellent experience from start to finish. Maura was really responsive to email enquiries before the trip, extremely helpful and on hand with lots of useful info about the local area, without being at all intrusive. The villa is beautiful - spotlessly clean, comfortably air-conditioned and with plenty of space for a family, but the highlight for us was the outdoor areas! The views are just stunning - the photos don’t do it justice! From swimming in the lovely, warm pool (having a heated pool really does make a difference if you have children that don’t like cold water!) with those views, to lunch on the terrace enjoying a mild breeze it really was a truly relaxing week. There is plenty to explore in the local area - ideal for a family holiday. We love this part of Italy (this was our third visit) and Villa Francesca is certainly the best villa we have stayed in so far. We have definitely found somewhere we hope to return to!

our family spent 2 weeks at villa francesca; the picture of the panoramic view doesn't do the real view justice; simply amazing! the villa is 30 or so minutes from many of the places to see in puglia; from bari to lecce and all places in between. spend the day in monopoli, matera, locorotondo, castalana, lecce and brindisi and be back at the villa for dinner. maura can arrange for a chef to prepare amazing italian meals or arrange a visit to a local winery for a tour and another amazing dinner. several local ristorantes are nearby for pizza or dinner. villa is spacious and plenty of room with patios, pool and did i mention the view is breath taking. although there are neighbors you wouldn't know it. feels secluded and private. the beach is only 15-20 minutes away to enjoy the waters of the adriatic. locorotondo is famous for it's white wine but the red is also terrific. the best part of the experience is the value; 3 bedroom, 3 bath villa with pool and spacious rooms for the price of a hotel room in rome. our only regret is that we spent too much time exploring the villages around puglia and weren't able to spend more time at the villa; but there's always next year.

Superb villa with fabulous facilities and in a truly fantastic location from which to explore Puglia. One of the very best properties we have rented - anywhere! Highly professional and outstanding support throughout from Maura whose services were simply first-class. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she went out of her way to make our party feel welcome. Our party of 8 (two families with teenagers) had a wonderful holiday in an amazing villa. We look forward to returning very soon.

We had an amazing stay at Villa Francesca. The location was perfect, we were very close to beautiful beaches and amazing towns. There was a grocery store only a few minutes down the road which was very convenient. The pool was absolutely gorgeous. Maura was a wonderful host and was available to answer any questions we had. We also treated ourselves to a in home chef meal 2 of the nights. Lucrezia was an amazing cook and we would highly recommend her. Cannot wait to go back!!!

We had a fabulous 9 days in Villa Francesca and wanted to stay for another 9! The house is lovely, very well equipped and comfortable, but it is the amazing location that makes it perfect. The views from the multiple terraces really are as good as shown in the photos and it is wonderful to eat outside with such an amazing backdrop. Maura was extremely helpful and also provided a huge welcome basket which was very gratefully received after a long journey. This was our fourth time in Puglia and we love being in this area as there are so many places to explore right on your doorstep and the people are so friendly.

Villa Francesca is perfection. We loved the huge jacuzzi bath, exquisite pool, far reaching views, eating on the terrace(s), massive range of lighting options, mammoth clean windows, effective shutters, thoughtful range of novels, DVDs & games, the Lonely Planet guidebook, the Smeg fridge & cooker, the quality towels & loungers, the variety of seating indoor & out, the well-maintained driveway, the secure electronic gates. Cinzia, the warm, charming & talented private chef, cooked for us on the first & last nights - what a terrific treat & experience, we can’t recommend her enough. We loved the surrounding, idyllic neighbourhood and seeing how authentic Puglians live. There is life everywhere - olive trees, fruit groves, wildflowers, lizards, scenic trulli, winding roads, young and old Italians. We did day trips to: Locorotondo (beautiful. And great drinks, fresh doughnuts and friendly service at the Pasticceria) Alberobello (very picturesque, a high concentration of trulli) Monte San Angelo (stunning drive up the mountain, important Catholic pilgrimage site, a church in a cave, great café near the Sanctuary) Matera (JAW DROPPING!!!!! And drive across to Belverdere - instructions in the Lonely Planet - for even more awe-inspiring views. Really, these are ‘pinch me’ scenes. And hike down the gorge too, we loved it, we followed an apparent dead-end dirt track from just in front of the monastery, bordered on the right by olive trees - find the rough details in the Lonely Planet) Pogliano A Mare (friendly, close, pretty town; even better from the water) Pompeii (3.5hrs drive one-way, but the ancient site is very beautiful, and very atmospheric) Back to Villa Francesca - When you arrive it is as if you are the very first people to ever have been there. Maura provides a great welcome pack (butter, tea, coffee, bread, washing up liquid etc) & useful arrival instructions. Her information on Sights & Sites is something to print & keep in your car. There is *nothing* to complain about. The road is bumpy, but we managed it daily in a big 9-seater van; if you want to stay in ancient Puglia scattered with trulli, then of course the roads won’t be major. If you’re a v sensitive sleeper bring mask/plugs. The water pressure is very good, the bathrooms lovely, the storage plentiful, the chill out spots numerous. The whole place is an experience, so charming, vivacious & characterful. If you don’t like this Villa, maybe you don’t like Italy...or life.

We enjoyed our stay very much and Maura was helpful/responsive. A few things that would have made it better include a good set of sharp knives (we cooked in a lot), some much needed repair to the road leading to the house and increased water pressure in bathrooms. For this level of high end house the water pressure in the showers was terrible.

The Villa was very clean. Maura left a wonderful welcome basket, which we took advantage of after a long eventful travel experience from JFK. The binder in the Villa was extremely informative and useful. The location of the Villa was perfect for visiting several towns each day. Puglia is not a very popular destination for Americans but I loved how friendly the locals are and how immersed we were with the Italian culture, sightsee in the AM, lunch, pool, siesta, late dinner and stroll a new town! We loved everything about the Villa, Maura and the area so much that my husband wants to return again next year as there were several towns we wanted to see and didn't get the chance.

Beautiful well kept rooms and bathrooms. Very helpful, thoughtful guest manual with books and dvds. Host was amazing at responding and meeting all our needs. Swimming pool is perfect and amazing outside areas to lounge around on.

If you want the luxury of feeling like a princess, or prince, that is an easy drive to anywhere in the area, this is the place. Very private, luxurious, and well appointed, sitting above Fasano. The caretaker, Maura, is a phone call away for any questions or recommendations, and is ray of sunshine. The welcome provisions were a wonderful addition to this lovely villa, and if you need more space for larger families, a sister villa below, and very private itself, can accommodate. Walking gardens, a beautiful pool, well-appointed home with large showers and ample towels (yay!), several terraces, all with a spectacular view, along with the most charming people you'll meet in the area, are all you need right here. Thank you Maura, (and your very charming GianCarlo) for your help, information and mostly, what we hope will be a long and lovely friendship . We WILL be back!

We three couples arriving from different countries, very much enjoyed being together in this beautiful home, the perfect vantage point not only for fabulous views, but also for exploring the best of Puglia. The property manager, Maura, was very thorough and had us completely organized for our stay. The house is just as gorgeous in reality as in the photos. With the beaches only 15 minutes or so from the house, this is a perfect location!

We ( a family of 5) had a wonderful holiday. The villa is absolutely beautiful with an amazing view. We spent a lovely day at White Beach, recommend by Maura ( the villa manager ), the sea was lovely and clear and warm 😁. Maura also recommend lots of places to visit. We went to several towns all of which were beautiful. We will definitely be going back 😁

We spent a week in Villa Francesca during July 2016. In this case, "we" means a family of five, including parents and 3 young adults. The house is clearly very well maintained. It is extremely clean, spacious and comfortable. It is fitted with sober, quality furniture, as depicted on the website. Instructions on how to use the various appliances (air conditioning, etc.) and the house in general are extremely well laid out in a manual that one is well advised to review in detail upfront. We enjoyed the opportunity of the terraces available to eat outdoors, the large barbecue and of course the pool with a magic view overlooking the olive groves and the Adriatic sea a little further away! We very much appreciated the welcome hamper and the leave behind document offering useful tips on the many points of interest nearby (e.g. Locorontondo, Ostuni, Alberobello, Polignano a Mare, Egnazia, etc.). All communications with Maura Watson were fluent prior, during and post the rental process. During our stay, we had a small problem with the water boiler, but this was fixed without delay while we were away. We would certainly return and definitely recommend this property to friends and relatives.

We had a wonderful 10 night stay in Villa Francesca. It really is a beautiful place. We stayed as a family of four with two boys aged 6 and nearly 9 and it suited us all. I was originally drawn to the Villa because of the heated pool. It's so hard to find a private heated pool in Italy or indeed most other European holiday destinations that is actually anything more than a solar cover heating the top layer of water and those with proper heaters are usually out of our price range. I loved the fact that we could have control over the boiler heating and pay for what we used. You really could have it as warm as you liked. Maura was great from our first enquiry. She was able to offer us some flexibility on arrival / departure dates which helped a lot. The instructions to get to the villa were spot on and everything was as expected on arrival. The welcome pack was much appreciated particularly the coffee capsules and wine! There was washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets too - very thoughtful. The kitchen was very well equipped and we particularly liked the large fridge. The beds were extremely comfortable and the towels lovely and soft and in plentiful supply. We loved the inside of the villa particularly the master bathroom, but the real draw was the outside areas. There were so many different places to sit, relax and eat. I loved that you could always find somewhere in the sun and always somewhere in the shade for when you wanted to cool down. The children loved exploring the terraced garden areas. Great for hide and seek, although perhaps not suitable for very small children as the steps are quite steep, but the area is behind a lockable gate so very safe. Did I mention the pool? It's amazing. I really miss that pool! There is so much to do in the area and Maura was able to give several recommendations. We loved the caves, the Truli houses at Alberobello and most of all the ZooSafari in Fasano. If you have children it is a must. We were feeding Zebra from one car window and a camel from another, then a Shire horse, then a Llama - all in together. It's bizarre but brilliant. The Zoo area is fantastic too and there is a whole theme park with roller-coasters and other rides on site as well. We did two full days here. When we did eat out the food was amazing but you'll find a great selection available in local supermarkets. The people are really friendly and the weather when we went was just perfect! Thanks Maura. It was great.

When our originally planned villa was not available Alan came to the rescue with this villa. We went with it as we were new to Puglia and needed a recommendation. Alan met us at an easy to find Pizzeria and showed us the way. We were soon installed and the welcome pack of bread including a bottle of local wine was much appreciated. The photographs on the web site did not do it justice. The villa is a lot bigger and has a more opulent feel than we imagined. On the first day there our daughters decided to explore the garden but didn't make it to the boundary as it is so vast. The views from the top of the hill out to the coast are fantastic. During the two weeks we were there we had one small plumbing issue but Alan was immediately on hand to sort things out. The area around Laureto is fascinating. There is little English spoken and no English menus apart from in the tourist specific restaurants. We liked the fact that this was Italy for the Italians. Before we went there were lots of stories about how expensive Italy is. This could not be further from the truth. Meals, even in the sea front restaurants with their white table cloths and uniformed waiters, were very reasonable. If you choose to eat in or use the barbeque a whole fresh Sea Bass will cost you around €5 from the sea-front fish market, vegetables and bread can be bought from the local shop, 15 minutes walk away, for a couple of Euros and good local wine is around €1.30 a bottle. The ‘White towns’ and the Trulli are fascinating and I strongly recommend hiring a car and seeing the area within a 25Km radius. Don’t go out too early as the towns don’t get going until around 9:00pm. Our experience of the villa and surroundings was very good and I only refrained from awarding it an excellent rating because it doesn’t (as yet) have a pool.