Graduation party at a masseria near Lecce: rent the hall, bring your own catering
The graduation ceremony takes place in Lecce, with the laurel wreath every Italian graduate wears and photos under the baroque facades. And then? The usual options are two: a restaurant with a set menu, or a venue rented by the hour. There is a third way that few people in Salento know about: renting the spaces of a masseria in the countryside and throwing the party your way, about 25 minutes from the university.
The problem with graduation parties (and how we solve it)
A graduation party has two souls that don't get along: the family lunch, grandparents, aunts and uncles, the ritual of the long table, and the party with friends, which starts when the relatives begin to yawn. At a restaurant you have to choose: one or the other, or two separate bills.
At the masseria the two souls live together: the vaulted hall in Lecce stone (55 m², up to 35 seated) for the long table with the family, and the garden for everything else: a long aperitivo, your own music, toasts that carry on after the grandparents have gone home. No closing time, no second seating pushing you off the table.
You control the bill
Let's be honest: after years of university, the budget is what it is. The masseria formula was born for this:
- You rent only the spaces, one single fee: hall, garden, tables.
- Free choice of catering: bring food from your favourite rosticceria or caterer, with no restrictions or surcharges. Or have everything prepared at home and heat and serve it here: the kitchen is at your disposal.
- Want zero worries? On request we can organise the food ourselves with local products.
With 30 guests, the difference compared to a set menu multiplied by everyone shows immediately: and you choose the quality.
When to have it
Graduation sessions come around several times a year, and the countryside works in every season: in summer the party lives in the garden until late; in autumn and winter the vaulted hall keeps everyone warm, with the stone as a backdrop for the photos. Book as soon as you have the date of your thesis defence: weekends go first.
Guests from far away can stay the night
The advantage no venue can give you: 6 independent lodgings, up to 16 beds. Relatives arriving for the graduation ceremony don't have to leave the same day: they sleep here and the day after, the party becomes a weekend. See the lodgings.
Where we are
In Carpignano Salentino, in the heart of the Grecìa Salentina: 25 minutes from Lecce and the university, easy to reach from Martano, Calimera, Zollino, Corigliano d'Otranto and Maglie, twenty minutes from Otranto. The countryside is closer than you think.
How to organise it
Write to us with the date of your graduation ceremony, the number of guests and how you picture the party: just the long table, lunch plus evening, or only an aperitivo in the garden. We reply within a few hours with a clear, no-obligation quote, so you know right away if the numbers work.