August 2, 2025
A Lagos native is capturing travelers in Puglia, Italy with her sustainable eco-friendly boutique hotel.
From Lagos to London and now Puglia, Italy, former gem dealer Thelma West has taken her passion for design and restoration to the next level with the launch of her boutique hotel, complete with its own vineyard and olive grove.
Set on a sprawling 40-acre estate in Puglia, Casina Cinquepozzi is a true labor of love for West, who co-founded the boutique hotel with her husband, Naples native and former Apple executive, Stefano Liotta. Launched this spring, the boutique hotel gave West a chance to channel her passion for jewelry design into a new form of creativity, hospitality, and restoration.
“I work a lot with old pieces where I have to take the best bits and give it new life,” she told Robb Report. “When we discovered this place, the mission wasn’t to change it.”
Casina Cinquepozzi blends sustainable tourism, luxury accommodations, and West’s deep appreciation for both her Nigerian roots and Puglia’s natural landscape of rolling hills, olive groves, and a stunning coastline. Named after the five historic wells on the property, the boutique hotel is the result of a thoughtful restoration of an 18th-century farmhouse, lovingly revived by West and Liotta.
When designing the property, West aimed to honor its rich history by collaborating with local artisans to restore the original architecture and integrate sustainable features throughout. The hotel boasts hand-painted ceilings, traditional ceramic tiles, and custom-made furniture crafted from locally sourced materials that add to its luxury sustainability factor.
A stay at the lush boutique hotel offers guests a deep dive into local culture and history, with each room telling its own unique story. Using an eco-friendly model, the property runs on energy-efficient systems and practices regenerative farming. Guests can enjoy estate-produced organic olive oil and participate in wine and olive oil tastings sourced directly from the on-site vineyard and olive grove.
It’s a setting West finds herself happily immersed in each morning.
“I step outside. In Puglia, it’s simple: I just go for a walk through the vineyard or the olive grove,” she shared. “I sort of get lost enjoying that silence. In London, we have a room called the nest. It opens up to the gardens, and I usually step out there for a few minutes, and that does good.”
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