The third step has the scent of the wind and the eyes of the stars
After the Umbrian woods and olive groves of Salento, ICON Italy continues its journey in Puglia.
Once again, we are stunned by the landscape and its colours. By the open skies and the light wind, by that sense of balance that can only be found in special places: it is not absolute stillness, but a discreet harmony that gets under the skin and calms any inner conflict.
We are in Kyvos, from the Greek “cube”. A reference to its essential architecture, and the essential becomes an authentic and new experience of living.
We are in Santa Maria di Leuca, in the extreme south of Puglia, where nature is the absolute protagonist. Here, the Mediterranean vegetation becomes more rugged and luminous, the coast alternates between white cliffs and hidden coves, and the water changes shade at every hour of the day.
It is a stark, essential landscape, but extraordinarily alive: olive trees that resist the salty wind, caves carved by time, scents of myrtle and rosemary in the air.
And then there is the sea. Or rather, two seas that meet: the Adriatic and the Ionian, in a play of currents and colours that makes this stretch of coastline unique.
In Leuca, nature is not simply a frame: it is the living matter of experience, it enters into the eyes, into the rhythm of the day, into the very way the villa is inhabited.
And it is from this immersion, full and silent, that our story begins.
Day 1 – The arrival, light and peace
Kyvos welcomed us on a clear, sun-drenched afternoon. The horizon was a clear line between sky and sea and all around was calm: white stone, clean geometries, the blue of the water and the silent green of the countryside.
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a full light, sharply cut by the clean, essential lines of the villa.
Then, we settled into the house: some walked barefoot around the swimming pool, letting the wind pamper them, following the play of shadows drawn by the portico; some let themselves be attracted by the outdoor area, amidst light-coloured cushions and curtains moved by the wind; some lay down on the lawn and let the wind caress them, seeking a moment of peace; some looked out onto the terrace to search for the line separating the sea from the horizon and then stayed there, almost hypnotised.
Kyvos does not invite one to stop, but to tune in: with the landscape, with the light, with the sea, with nature, with the most essential part of oneself.
Everything here is fluid, measured, quiet. And in that peace, we realised we were exactly where we wanted to be. Satisfied but curious, alive as never before, in the throes of a dream holiday!
Day 2 – A surprise under the stars
Sometimes the strongest emotions come on tiptoe.
The second day at Kyvos was just like that: quiet, special, unexpected.
We organised a surprise for one of the travel bloggers in the group: waiting for her, in the garden of the villa, was her soulmate. The evening turned into something more: a dinner for two by the pool with a chef all to themselves, Fernando. The table was set down to the last detail, authentic and fragrant dishes, an exclusive and romantic atmosphere.
During the dinner, a large white cloth turned into a cinema…
The soft lights, an old-fashioned film projected under the stars and a love story, theirs, that we did not envy but … Leaving them alone… Dreamed for us too!!!
What magic Kyvos…
Day 3 – The taste of the sea
The third day was dedicated to the sea.
In the early afternoon we boarded a boat tour along the Adriatic coast: transparent waters, hidden caves, golden rocks and a slow pace that lulled us for hours.
While sailing, we were treated to a tasting of local seafood, fresh white wine, fragrant bread and tender octopus: simple but authentic flavours of the sea and its land.
The most unforgettable moment? The sunset seen from the boat, when the sun dipped into the horizon tinging everything orange, red and pink.
Dreamy girls suspended between water, sky and light, without the need for words we were simply at peace and happy. An experience that stays on you like salt on the skin: real, light, powerful.
The third episode of ICON Italy took us to an essential and powerful place, Kyvos, where beauty does not impose itself but remains.
Kyvos reminded us that simplicity, when authentic, can touch us.
And that Italy is made up of corners like this: contemporary yet ancient, silent, deeply welcoming.
Now we prepare for a change of panorama.
Our next stop will take us to Tuscany, our heart and soul. Our core. Our wholeness.
All our experiences – from the private dinner to the boat tour – can now be booked directly on emmavillas.com, to turn a “simple” villa stay into an eternal memory.
If you missed the first season of Icon Italy, you can still catch up with it here. And if you didn’t follow the first two chapters of this new 2025 edition, you can find the beginning of the journey here and the second episode here.
Keep following us on this journey of precious places, villas, peace and authentic beauty.
