Notes from the masseria

The journal

Weddings, wine, olive oil and the Murgia: what we know, told by the people who do it.

No. 11 · 4 November 2026Wine
4 min read

Castel del Monte Bombino Nero DOCG: Italy's only DOCG reserved for rosé

Castel del Monte Bombino Nero is a DOCG wine from northern Puglia, made in the hills around Castel del Monte and the Murgia plateau, and it is the only DOCG in Italy reserved for rosé alone. It is made mainly from Bombino Nero, a local red grape that gives fresh, savoury rosés with aromas of wild strawberry and small red fruits. At Tenuta Montevitolo, in Andria, ours comes from four hectares facing north-west, at 290 to 295 metres.

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No. 10 · 4 November 2026History
4 min read

Castel del Monte: what to know about Frederick II's castle

Castel del Monte is the castle that Emperor Frederick II of Swabia had built in the 1240s on the Murgia plateau, in the territory of Andria in northern Puglia: an octagon of pale limestone with eight octagonal towers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It is the castle on the Italian 1-cent euro coin, and from Tenuta Montevitolo, a short drive away, you can see it on the horizon.

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No. 09 · 4 November 2026Weddings
4 min read

Civil wedding in Italy for foreign couples: is it legal, and what do you need?

Yes. In Italy a civil wedding performed by the civil registrar (ufficiale di stato civile) or a delegate is legally valid, for foreign citizens too, as long as the paperwork is in order. Foreign citizens usually need a document from their own country confirming there is no impediment to the marriage, the nulla osta, with translation and legalisation or apostille depending on the country. Requirements and timing vary with nationality and residence, so check early with your embassy or consulate and with the civil registry of the Comune where you will marry.

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No. 08 · 4 November 2026Weddings
4 min read

Historic wedding venues in Puglia with olive groves: a masseria among the trees

Yes: many of Puglia's masserie, the historic farm estates of the region, stand among olive groves. Tenuta Montevitolo is a 19th-century masseria in the countryside of Andria, in northern Puglia, restored by the Alicino family, where the ceremony usually takes place outdoors in the olive grove, among Coratina olive trees, with Castel del Monte on the horizon. It hosts one wedding a day and is 50 minutes from Bari airport.

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No. 07 · 4 November 2026Weddings
4 min read

Masseria wedding venue near Bari: how a wedding works at Tenuta Montevitolo

Tenuta Montevitolo is a historic 19th-century masseria, a farm estate, in the countryside of Andria in northern Puglia, about 50 minutes by car from Bari airport. It hosts one wedding a day with every space reserved for the couple, and because it is a Casa Comunale of the Comune di Andria, civil weddings and civil unions celebrated there are legally valid. There is no price list: you send your date and number of guests, and the family replies within two working days with a tailored proposal.

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No. 06 · 4 November 2026Olive oil
4 min read

Olive oil tasting in Puglia: how to taste Coratina extra virgin, from tree to mill

To taste extra virgin olive oil, pour a little into a small glass, warm it in your hand, smell it, then sip it while drawing in air: a good oil is fruity, with some bitterness on the tongue and a peppery sting in the throat. In northern Puglia the olive is Coratina, usually harvested from late October and known for its strong bitterness and pungency. At Tenuta Montevitolo, in Andria, the seasonal olive mill visit includes a taste of the new oil, by booking.

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No. 05 · 4 November 2026Weddings
4 min read

The best time to get married in Puglia: light, heat and the countryside, season by season

There is no single best month: June and September combine long days with lighter evenings, July and August give long dinners outdoors but the full heat of the afternoon, while May and October are milder and less predictable. For an evening celebration choose between June and September with a late-afternoon ceremony; for a smaller daytime lunch and more free dates, look at late autumn and winter.

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No. 04 · 4 November 2026Weddings
5 min read

What food is served at a wedding in Puglia? A chef's guide to the Apulian wedding menu

An Apulian wedding usually opens with a long aperitivo of local food, such as burrata and mozzarella, focaccia and taralli, fried snacks, cured meats, seasonal vegetables and often raw seafood, followed by a seated dinner of starters, pasta, a main course and dessert, and then the cake. The best menus follow the season and choose a few regional dishes done well, rather than trying to fit in everything. At Tenuta Montevitolo the kitchen and the pastry are in-house, menus are tailored to each couple, and the vegetables come from a kitchen garden 50 metres from the kitchen.

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No. 03 · 4 November 2026History
4 min read

What is a masseria? Puglia's historic farmhouses explained

A masseria is a historic farm estate in the Puglia countryside: around one courtyard people lived, worked the land, kept animals and stored the harvest, and some masserie were fortified with high walls and towers. The farm was run by the massaro, the farm keeper, on behalf of the owning family. Many masserie now live again as working farms and places to stay, eat or celebrate, like Tenuta Montevitolo, a 19th-century masseria near Andria.

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No. 02 · 4 November 2026Weddings
4 min read

What time is sunset in Puglia? Month-by-month times for your wedding photos

In Andria, in northern Puglia, on the 15th of the month the sun sets at 20:29 in June, 20:27 in July, 19:56 in August, 19:06 in September and 16:27 in December, Italian local time. The best light for couple photos is the golden hour, roughly the last hour before sunset: plan your portraits there and build the rest of the day around it.

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No. 01 · 4 November 2026Experiences
4 min read

Wine tasting near Castel del Monte: a family winery in the countryside of Andria

Tenuta Montevitolo, the Alicino family's masseria in the countryside of Andria, is a short drive from Castel del Monte, which you can see on the horizon from the estate. You can book a winery visit of about an hour, or a wine and sparkling wine tasting of about an hour and a half: a visit to the cellars followed by five glasses paired with typical products of the area. Everything is by booking, always with someone from the family.

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