This time we take you to a hidden gem in Puglia!
Last week we travelled to Italy with our great crew of Yoek stylists, make-up and hair artists, models and a fashion photographer. This because we had our photo shoot for Spring / Summer 2020 in the beautiful Puglian region in the eastern part. Since we already organized several shoots in the same area, we are quite familiar there and able to find the hidden gems; from the nicest restaurants to the prettiest hotels, and the most gorgeous streets and beaches.
One of our most favourite spots to stay and where we also had the chance to take some nice fashion shots is the relaxing 5* hotel ‘Canne Bianche’ set on the seafront in Torre Canne, where we were welcomed as we were family. While travelling we are always in search of nice people with a story, therefore we talked to Gianvito Mangano (24), the son of owner Antonio, to discover more about their hotel and passion.
Johanna (founder of Yoek) with Gianvito Mangano
In 2000, Antonio already purchased the land, but it took over 10 years to finish the hotel. In 2011 he and his team were delighted to open their lifestyle hotel ‘Canne Bianche’ (translation: white reed) near the beach. Gianvito filled us in on the meaning and lovely story behind this original name; while there was nothing on the land yet, his father used to go running along the coastline, where tall reed was growing extensively. In the winter season, rough wind would blow salt from the sea on the piece of land, covering the green grass-like plants with sea salt which resulted in white reed – ‘canne bianche’. And he already knew this would fit his hotel perfectly, since the main colours of the interior are natural and light; several shades of white and beige. For them ‘white’ also stands for; cleanliness, politeness and a welcoming atmosphere.
After finishing high school, Gianvito went to study Hospitality Management in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has spent quite some time abroad, from London to Paris and Australia, he recently moved back to his family in Puglia where he joined the family hotel business.
‘Canne Bianche’ is the only 5* hotel along the beach in this area, so you do not have to walk much when you are ready to get sun-kissed! The boutique hotel is quite extraordinary since the team is selecting every single piece of furniture and decoration their selves, and is putting a lot of time, effort and especially love in decorating every space. Plus, compared to other hotels you are not ‘just a guest’ here, for them you enter the hotel as family. They truly wish to create ‘a home away from home’ for people who come to stay with them. Creating a familiar environment, since most hotels lost attention and are mainly focusing on numbers and reaching their targets. This is exactly the reason to have more staff members then needed, since they want to invest in their guests by trying to understand what kind of people decide to stay with them and to build an informal and personal place.
While studying and working abroad, Gianvito has met many people from different countries, visited hotels around the world and is trying to understand people and places in order to learn something new. In this way he and his father are combining both of their experiences and knowledge, in order to work on quality instead of quantity.
Only recently we wrote about the olive oil we are producing and selling in the context of charity project ‘Oil for Education’; these olive trees are standing in the same area as the hotel. Antonio and Gianvito happily became ambassadors of the project, since they consider it as special initiative from their region. Normally it is hard to combine luxury and sustainability, but according to Gianvito this project shows their guests that you can still be able to show respect for the environment and other human beings even when you are enjoying the good things in life. He explains that their guests are mostly used to travelling abroad, but he wants to remind them of the fact that others might not have this opportunity. In this way they are attempting to make a change, by making guests sensitive and remembering them of their wealth and power.
The hotel is located near the sea in Torre Canne and offers amazing, luxurious rooms (from a classic room to a master suite ) with a furnished balcony or patio, garden with a pool, relaxing spa (one of our favourites!), two restaurants (T_imo for gastronomic dishes or authenthic flavours at N_eto) and a delicious breakfast buffet. And last but not least, they have a small boutique which also sells airy Yoek kaftans and tunics, so you can find new treasures for your holiday wardrobe.
Antonio, Gianvito and the rest of the team are waiting patiently for you to welcome you as their family!
CANNEBIANCHE_ , Via Appia 32, Torre Canne di Fasano, Brindisi – Puglia – Italy
Tel. +39 080 4829839 Website: https://www.cannebianche.com/
