Relais La Sommità Hotel in Ostuni, Puglia
The “Sommità Relais” hotel is a historic 16th century residence. The hotel sits at the top of the old town of Ostuni, also known as the “white city” in Puglia. The tasty food is served in an astounding decor and the hotel bed is easily the most comfortable one in the world! Check out this travelogue for some impressions…
La Sommità Relais Hotel
“La Sommità Relais” hotel is one of the few 5 star hotels in Puglia. The original building, a 16th-century palazzo backing onto Ostuni’s cathedral, has been exquisitely restored. Located in Ostuni’s historical centre, it features a spa, an excellent restaurant, historical architecture, a tranquil garden and terraces with a view, shaded by citrus trees and palms. You feel like in a little oasis in town.
Outdoor lounge and view of the hotel's upper floor
The interior of La Sommità Relais is full of original stone walls, columns and arched ceilings lit by candles or sunlight. The furniture is very modern yet it still blends in nicely and offers a few surprises such as the generously dimensioned couch and armchairs in the upper floor…
Check out their rates and availability here: La Sommità Relais Hotel.
Oversized armchair in the room floor
Overall the hotel offers a fascinating and romantic ambiance.
La Sommità's Cielo restaurant
Rooms at La Sommità Relais Hotel
The luxury hotel has 10 elegant rooms & suites, each with its own structural particularities, which are expressed by their individual names, such as “la torre”, “la cattedrale”, etc. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the citrus gardens and the Adriatic sea, others have small windows through the fortress walls. From our room “il mare” we had an overwhelming view of the sea!
The bed is exceptionally comfortable. Not sure what type of sweet sleeper features they use, but the night’s sleep alone was worth the money 
CIELO Restaurant – La Sommità Relais Ostuni
The “Cielo” restaurant offers excellent Puglian cuisine. The delicious menus are in perfect harmony with the seasonal particularities and the cavernous wine bar has a fine selection of local wines.
For starters we enjoyed delicious grilled squids stuffed with broccoli and “Canestro” cheese, small hamburgers marinated with citrus, crunchy and lobster sauce and raw fish including marinated sea bass with rice vinegar, red crayfish in aubergine parmigiana, prawn with green tomatoes, tartare of cuttlefish with passion fruit dressing and red tuna with ponzù sauce, orange, sprouts miso, basil and beet.
As main course we had, among other delicacies, “Branzino”, a sea bass cooked on the skin with salty lemon, “Salicornia”, fennel cream, potatoes and liquorice sauce. Take it from me: ‘Delicious’ is a wild understatement, my poor English just doesn’t allow for a more appropriate wording…
"Branzino": sea bass cooked on the skin with salty lemon, fennel cream, potatoes and liquorice sauce
It goes without saying that we also had to try a dessert. We opted for the fichi, a salad of figs with cheese on bread with caramelised almonds, sabayon au gratin and lemon grass sorbet. Yummy!
Excellent fig salad with extras!
But if you thought that at this point they are done with you… you are of course making a mistake. Guess what they serve with the caffé?
Also the breakfast buffet is varied and tasty. It’s served in yet another cavernous room with fine decoration and ambiance.
As per usual the staff is very friendly and helpful. Hotel manager Laura Stopani is obviously doing a great job. She was perfectly aware that we were coming via her preferred website Secrets Line, a very stylish website by tour operator Hotelplan Italia featuring Italian boutique hotels. Check it our for yourself, the hotels are enticing!
But also La Sommità’s website is very nice.
Michelin Star for La Sommità’s Chef
Update from 24th November 2011: La Sommità’s chef Sebastiano Lombardi was just awarded his first Michelin star, congratulations! And yes, the food not only looks nice but it’s also very tasty. Yummy!
Or, if you care for hotel manager Laura Stoppani’s own proud words, here you go!
Nel ringraziarvi nuovamente per l’articolo comparso sul vostro blog, siamo oltremodo orgogliosi di condividere con voi la nostra gioia ed il nostro orgoglio, poiché il nostro Chef, Sebastiano Lombardi, è stato premiato con la prima Stella Michelin.
Auspichiamo di rivedervi presto,
un caro saluto,
Laura Stopani, Hotel Manager
Wow, just how stylish is written Italian?
What to Do in Ostuni
Ostuni is a small village that best offers its gems while visiting as a pedestrian. The historic old town is picturesque.
Ostuni and its cathedral - White City in Puglia, Italy
Countless little shops and restaurants cling to corners and niches. Talking of restaurants: La Sommità’s excellent restaurant is under fierce competition from small local style places. Just around the corner from the hotel, to name only one example, you’ll find the restaurant “Il tempo perso”. It’s featured in many guide books and you’ll easily find out why that is…
Bar in the cavernous "Osteria del Tempo Perso" restaurant
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