Though they’re not quite as famous as the classic Tuscan villa or Provençal inn, there’s nothing, in Italy or anywhere else, quite like a Puglian farmhouse hotel. Halfway from the town of Fasano to the beach, set on an estate that dates back to the 17th century, is Masseria Calderisi, a 24-room luxury boutique hotel that makes a strong case for the singular charms of southern Italian country hospitality.

The setting at Masseria Torre Coccaro is classic Puglia: a sun-bleached hillside facing the Adriatic Sea amid groves of olive trees. The view is no accident — the Masseria began its life in the 16th century as a watchtower, a fortified farmhouse, designed as a stronghold against marauding Turks. Today the fortifications are strictly ornamental, and the Masseria’s architecture just adds to the charm.

Set in a classic Puglian landscape of limestone and low-slung almond and olive groves, a few miles to the south of the town of Oria, about midway from Taranto to Brindisi, Masseria Palombara feels splendidly sequestered. At first glance little more than a typical stone-walled farmhouse compound, upon further inspection it’s revealed to be a luxe little adults-only resort, spa, and restaurant.

With a sun-bleached stone farmhouse from the 16th century and picturesque trulli, the conical outbuildings that are particular to the region, Masseria Cervarolo is a classic masseria. Some rooms are made from ancient architectural features while others occupy a 20th-century addition; all are stylish, in a rustic way. The restaurant’s open kitchen gives a close-up view of the action — cooking classes are available as well.

Puglia is a region that historically was down-at-heel in more ways than simply the geographic one, and even as the hotels started sprouting, they were more likely to be rustic farmhouses than high-gloss boutiques. The Masseria Torre Maizza, then, is a bit of a change of pace: while the main whitewashed farmhouse is a perfect example of the traditional local style, the interiors edge toward the luxurious.

Set in Grecìa Salentina, an enclave of Greek descent in the tip of the heel of Puglia, Critabianca was established as a farmhouse in the 14th century, and then transformed into an aristocratic residence by a French nobleman during a period of 18th-century Bourbon rule. Today it’s a classic country-house hotel, and a perfect introduction to the charms of southern Italian life, convenient to the beaches and to towns like Gallipoli, Otranto, and Lecce.

An absolute classic in the genre of Puglian agriturismo, Masseria Narducci stands more or less equidistant from Ostuni and Fasano, mere minutes from the Adriatic coast. Its whitewashed stone walls, surrounded by endless expanses of olive groves, are immediately familiar; its interiors distinguish themselves with an obsessive focus on shades of green against an all-white backdrop.

Just outside of Leverano is an Italian countryside classic, a splendid stone farmhouse which has been given the full-on luxury boutique renovation treatment, and has reopened as a stunning small hotel: the Masseria Antonio Augusto. The old exterior walls are still weathered, showing their age, but inside, everything’s buffed to a high sheen, often literally — the polished stone floors and arched ceilings feel more luxe than rustic.

Masseria le Carrube’s whitewashed stone structure stands at the end of a country road, surrounded by the scrubland that is typical of this corner of Italy. Once a working olive-oil mill, it’s now a boutique hotel, its 14 rooms and suites modernized, but subtly — the historical atmosphere remains. Of particular note is the restaurant, an all-vegetarian affair where chef Massimo Santoro showcases the finest local produce.