Hotel Leone
Sitting at the foot of Montelparo with clear views to the sea, is award-winning Hotel Leone. A beautifully restored, three-floored, historic town-house, Hotel Leone offers that elusive combination of elegant accommodation, personal service and delicious, seasonal cuisine.
The property’s original heritage dates back to 1501 where documents refer to it as Palazzo Pellei – the name of a then noble and powerful Italian family. Over the centuries, the fabric of the building has evolved, and an upper floor was added in the 20th century. At that point, the property was known as Taverna del Leone. After some years of trading, Taverna del Leone was abandoned suddenly by its owners in 1986. Intriguingly, when the business closed to its last customers it literally become frozen in time. Everything was left exactly where it was, from the furniture right down to the cutlery on the table-tops were all left undisturbed. Some items were wrapped in cling-film to preserve them from the passage of time. Charmingly, some of those original pieces have been restored by a local artisan and are now back home in-situ and in use again.
Luckily, for its guests today, this ancient property was saved from ruin by British couple Madeline and Tim Jones who lovingly restored the building and passionately transformed this crumbling old palace into a luxurious boutique hotel.
