The resort

In Italy’s sun drenched deep South, the Riva dei Tessali resort makes an excellent winter hideaway. When all at home is dark and cold, slip away for a morning’s golf, lunch by the 18th, an afternoon on the private beach, or perhaps a set or two of tennis? Rounded off with dinner in the lively Italian family style: a perfect day.

There is a choice of accommodation available:
Hotel rooms, which encircle the central reception, pool, restaurant and bar.
Apartments close to the 9th Green which can accommodate from two to six people.

More details below.

Metaponto
Architect: M. Croze
18 holes: 6284m: par 72

The resort’s other course at Metaponto contrasts nicely. Here there is much more opportunity to flex the Driver with longer and broader fairways running between orange plantations and olive groves. However, a few water hazards are also present to catch an errant swish. Greens are larger too which might seem helpful until one reads the borrows...

The Hotel

The centre of the resort is the hotel complex which houses the reception, bar restaurant and pool.

Around the central reception, amongst the pines, are the hotel rooms. The resort is aimed at enjoying the outdoor facilities consequently the bedrooms are not enormous, yet still contain everything one needs for an enjoyable stay and are air conditioned too.

Dinner is served in the Italian "family" style each evening (i.e. lots!) in the restaurant beside the bar, this is also where the breakfast buffet is prepared each morning. Heading out to other restaurants will involve driving - so please let us know if you would prefer dinner each evening at the hotel as the supplement is very reasonable.

The Apartments

The apartments lie close to the 9th Green and are approximately 700yds from the main reception area. These are fully equipped with everything you could need to self-cater. We do however include a continental breakfast in your stay which is served in the apartment complex's own small bar and café.

Apartments can sleep from two to six as they have a twin and a double room plus day beds in the sitting room. Ideal for four adults or for families. There are plenty of facilities: a full bathroom upstairs, plus a shower room downstairs; balconies and patio gardens; , full sized kitchens with all the appliances you would expect - even a dishwasher.

The spacious sitting/dining rooms have plenty of room for everyone to relax and dine together, there is even a working fireplace (with supplies of wood), air-conditioning, even satellite TV.

The Area

Basilicata is very much an up and coming area of Italy that is awaiting discovery. However, regular flights to Bari with Ryanair and British Airways are really opening up this enchanting region, so we strongly recommend visiting now to beat the rush... The surrounding area is rich with history: Greek and Roman remains at Metaponto; the weird "Trulli" houses at Alberobello are fascinating to stroll amongst; the troglodyte dwellings cut into the riverside rock at Matera are the best preserved of their kind.

For more modern pursuits, the thriving port of Taranto is only 30 mins. away and has a splendid pedestrianised centre with a vast array of shops and restaurants. And as this is southern Italy the prices are really rather good!

Wherever one travel in Italy the food is always outstanding, rich with local specialities and Basilicata is no exception! In addition, the warm dry climate is ideal for wine making - especially for full bodied reds. The local grape variety "Primitivo" (renamed Stateside as Zinfandel) produces some intense, inky-black reds that demand to be taken seriously!