Mr & Mrs Smith

This latté-toned trullo set between Ostuni and Cisternino's whitewashed hilltop towns is a blissfully relaxing retreat: somewhere you can hear the birds sing, feel the sun on your skin, and escape the madding crowd in a peaceful Puglian setting. Tucked away down a winding country road, the villa’s rolling olive groves and azure pool provide vivid splashes of colour against the trullo’s pale natural stone walls and distinctive cones.

Despite its traditional façade, Villa Cisternino has some unexpected influences. The gardens and decor riff on North African design, with an oasis-inspired pool flanked by desert palms and cycads, kilims dotting the outside sitting area and bedrooms coloured with Moorish earth-and-spice hues.

Inside, the trullo is refreshingly cool and shady, its thick walls providing the equivalent relief of a delightfully cold flannel on sun-warmed skin. Interiors are minimalist and refreshing: neutral hues, crisp white linen, stainless steel appliances, softly lit concrete bathrooms with fluffy towels, bedrooms with barrel-vaulted and coned ceilings and an airy white kitchen.

Though the living spaces appear uncluttered, Villa Cisternino is well-stocked with welcome goodies, towels, linen and kitchen essentials. Given the efficient, friendly and utterly professional team who look after the property (look out for Nick and Sarah's lovable red-haired little one), this level of comfort and cosiness should come as no surprise.