Palazzo Margherita was once a crumbling 19th-century relic, but while re-discovering his roots in the 15th-century hilltop town of Bernalda (in Matera), The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola pledged to restore the decaying building to its former glory.

The result is more family home than hotel, with unobtrusive yet intuitive service, extravagant suites designed by the Coppola clan and rustic home-made cooking. It’s a rarefied Baroque bolt hole where you’re welcomed like an honorary member of the film-making dynasty – surely the kind of offer no-one could refuse. The hotel is on the main thoroughfare of this affable town, easy walking or biking distance from the historic center, restaurants and shopping. On the second floor there is a lounge bar and a projection salon, which shows films every Wednesday night. Take a flower-scented dip in the outdoor pool hidden at the foot of the hotel’s sprawling gardens.

There’s a bar close by the secluded swimming area, so you can kick back on a day-bed with a cocktail while gazing out over the winding fruit tree-lined pathways and gently swaying palms. To encourage a home-away-from-home atmosphere, guests can dine at the eat-in kitchen or in the courtyard if they wish.