Travelling in Apulia, in the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca, in most remote Salento, between dry stone walls and Trulli, discovering agriturism, Masserie and countryside bed & breakfast

... for those who intend to travel in Apulia, whether they decide to travel along the Adriatic or Ionic coast being fascinated by the clearness of the sea, or cover the inside paths where it is possible to admire the beauty of the countryside and the rural apulian architecture. Hundreds of ancient rural house are located all over the Apulian Region. From Gargano to Salento masserie and trulli constitute the main example thereof. Being real agricultural centers of production, the trulli and masserie of Apulia tell the story of farmers’ culture. A story of misery, hard work and great human values.

The masserie present different architectural forms depending on the various zones they are located: masseria regia, masseria abbazia, masseria fortificata, masseria a corte, etc. The highest presence of masserie in the Apulia Region are in Salento, in a section of land located among Otranto, Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca, and in the Itria Valley too. If in Apulia the masseria represent the great land property, the dry-walls buildings represent the presence of the little rural property. The dry stone walls typical of the Salento countryside and wonderful trulli of Itria Valley, as well as “Pajare”, “Lamie”, “Casedde” and “Furneddhi”, constitute a different form of rural construction. They are made with very thick walls to guarantee a preservation of warmness inside during wintertime and a pleasant cool in summertime, and represent a unique witness of rural wisdom.

In recent years a culture of recovery and reuse of ancient handmade products has spread. Today many trulli and masserie in Apulia are open to rural tourism. In many masserie of Salento the agritourism (farmhouse) or the countryside bed & breakfast are the most used tourist formula. In these structures it is possible to sleep, have breakfast in the open air, taste the traditional cuisine of Apulia, have horse and bicycle rides or walk in full contact with nature. In Salento the masserie nearby Otranto and Gallipoli, strengthened by their nearness to the sea and the development of seaside tourism, were the first masserie to be renovated, with the intent to supplement the insufficient income obtained from agriculture with the income from rural tourism. The majority presence of Masserie, Agriturismi (farmhouse) or countryside B&Bs in Salento are between Otranto and Gallipoli. In this part of Salento many masserie with the addition of agriturismo activity found a sufficient income formula, while in the land of the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca masserie were abandoned for longer time until the end of the Nineties, when initiatives of EU policy such as the so called P.I.C. “L.e.a.d.e.r” permitted the recovery of these ancient buildings.

Nowadays many masseria of the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca have changed their original destination of use, from the simple countryside Bed & breakfast to Masseria - Agriturismo. Next to these kinds of masseria is not difficult to find the teaching agricultural masseria, masserie that are school of Salento or Apuian couisine, masserie where to taste agricoltural products. In a modern way nowadays is possible to find also masserie that are locations for conventions or congresses, next to health centres masserias, SPAs, luxury five stars hotels, some times unfortunately forgetting the real spirit of the place. Many investors, in particular foreigners, are today available to acquire in Apulia abandoned masserie as well as remarkable land properties, with the intent to renovate them although with different purposes. In the area of the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca the Academy Award actress Helen Mirren bought a masseria with the aim to make her own house, while the U.K. Minister Mc Alpine (together with his wife Athena) recently opened a Farm Holidays - B&B nearby a masseria (ex convent), bought some years ago in the area of Marittima di Diso.