According to recent reports in the Italian daily La Repubblica, the Rocco Forte group is in advanced negotiations with the owner of the Relais del Cardinale in Fasano.
Will Rocco Forte manage or take over the property?
The aim being to add a second five-star masseria to its portfolio after Torre Maizza. The property which has been closed for more than five years, is now owned by Czech tycoon Radovan Vitek, who acquired it at auction in 2019 for €10.3 million. Among the new owner's plans was to expand it by acquiring two neighbouring buildings. But Covid slowed things down and Vitek now seems intent on seeking the relaunch of the relais by entrusting its management to Rocco Forte. For now it is not known if the British hotel group intends to acquire only the management of the complex, or the entire property.
The relais has 35 rooms, 30 suites and a heliport
The relais, created by converting an 18th-century farmhouse, now includes 65 rooms, including 30 suites, as well as a restaurant, a swimming pool, wellness areas with sauna and whirlpool, meeting rooms, a heliport, and an area to be used as a riding school. In 2021, the Fasano property hosted Michele Placido's wedding, while Raul Bova chose it as the location for a recent comedy film.
