Welcome to the South

Set in the heart of the Gargano peninsula in southern Italy, Baia di Manaccora resort is located on the coast road between Peschici and Vieste in an area of outstanding natural beauty that has been at the centre of a landscape remediation project since 2002. To improve integration into the natural landscape, the resort is undergoing work to remediate existing structures and create new facilities to replace portions of existing buildings. When first constructed from 1968 onwards, it consisted of a small hotel and 24 terraced house style apartments. Over the years the owners expanded the structure through the purchase of adjoining land to reach a capacity of 1,492 beds. They also introduced a range of services including equipped green spaces, cafes, restaurants and sports facilities. At the end of the five-stage relocation project, which began in 2010 and is due for completion in 2016, the resort will be situated more than 300 metres from the coast and 200 metres from woodland.
The new terraced houses are based on a hospitality model that combines the benefits of a residence with those of a hotel, offering on the one hand the domestic comfort of a living space with a private garden and on the other the convenience of hotel amenities such as the laundry service and the restaurant. Each unit is composed of an entrance, a bathroom and a large bedroom that communicates directly with the external kitchen area via a French door giving directly onto the surrounding countryside.
The new project sought to emulate the spirit of the location by using a number elements drawn from the local architectural tradition, such as the vaulted ceiling, the large arches and the overriding presence of the colour white. Toro Arredo Contract, the company commissioned for the interior design project, chose to restyle the Mediterranean interiors with a minimalist design and simple shapes while making powerful use of materials and colours. The atmosphere of southern Italian houses is recreated largely through the use of ceramic tiles and the choice of a collection that is even named after the sea – the Mediterraneo glazed porcelain tile collection from Cedir. A glossy white tiled pathway connects the entrance to the garden and, below the vaulted ceiling in the centre of the room, creates a kind of carpet of white tiles with blue arabesque decorations reminiscent of ceramics from Vietri and majolica from southern Italy. In the bathroom, the same tiles are used on the shower walls, while the deep blue chosen for the large floor tiles reflects the colour of the nearby sea. The same size tiles, but in an earth-tone terracotta version, are used on the exterior terrace, where the kitchen corner is decorated with smaller sized tiles decorated in warm, strong colours evoking the charm of handmade majolica.