Country
properties, italian properties for sale and for rent, real estate
agency Apulia, private mansions, farm houses, castles, agricultural
estates. Weekly / monthly rents, sales. English speaking reliable
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Fancy
buying your own country property but not sure what to choose?
We will be pleased to offer you practical tips, expert advice
on refurbishments, mortgages, tax and Italian law in addition
to hundreds of quality properties for sale or rent.
Puglia
is a region in the southeast of Italy with a strong
and varied historical background; many beautiful architectural
remains tell the visitors incredible stories.
The
southern part of Puglia, in the provinces of Taranto,
Brindisi and Lecce, is called Salento.
Salento has hosted the ancient Greek colonies of Magna
Grecia where Pitagora, Archita and many other philosophers
and mathematicians were laying the basis of our civilization.
It has acquired an even important role during the Roman
Empire when Taranto and Brindisi were important harbours
and big commercial, military and cultural centres.
In the Middle Ages Puglia was conquered by the Normans
that built incredible castles and cathedrals that hosted
the Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land.
In the 12th century the Church transformed many monasteries
into farms, and built new ones in order to manage their
activities related to growing crops raising animals
and producing all kind of cheese. These farms were called
masseria from the latin “massa” which means
“estate”.
Many castles and early warning towers were built after
Turkish armies occupied Otranto in 1480 and destroyed
Castro and Marittima in 1537.
Many of these stone structures still stand on our coasts
and countryside lending our landscapes a magical atmosphere
that has fascinated travellers of all ages including
kings and emperors like Federico II, saints like San
Francesco d’Assisi, writers like Goethe .
The
term comes from the Greek-Byzantine “trullos”
which means dome, cupola. This typical stone construction
dates back to the megalithic civilization; one can find
similar construction in Sardinia (nuraghe) and on the
islands of Krete and Malta. Trulli
are built in stone, without any cement, although they
are generally plastered inside. On the outside the base
(up to 200 cm) is generally painted white with lime
paste (whitewashed). The cone, built with flat rectangular
stone bricks, is often decorated with religious and
esoteric symbols. In larger constructions, every room
has got its own conical roof. Stone rooms with cone
roofs and thick walls (up to 100 cm) keep the temperature
inside incredibly low in the summer. Although an ancient
technique, trulli construction spread in the 16th century
when farmers living in precarious constructions (without
cement and plaster) were exempted from paying taxes.
The
“masseria” is a traditional
farmhouse to be found in the countryside of Puglia.
It is generally built in “tufo”, a local
sandstone, around a courtyard, and is surrounded by
high walls designed to protect its residents since Turkish
pirates occupied Otranto in 1480, and destroyed Castro
and Marittima in 1537.
Most masserias were built between the 16th and the 18th
century (1500 to 1700).
Although some masserias were real castles, hosting up
to 300 people, most of these buildings were designed
to host two or three families of peasants on the ground
floor, and the landlord’s family on the first
floor.
In the past 500 years the masseria has been the center
of production of apulian agricultural economy where
most people lived and worked in the countryside producing
wheat, almonds, wine, olive oil, milk and cheese.
After world war II most people moved to towns leaving
most masserias abandoned. In the past 5 or 6 years masserias
have found new life as country hotels, museums and private
residences..
In
Salento you will find a unique opportunity
to spend a good time in an uncontaminated natural environment
enriched with suggestive historical remains!
Our sea is crystal clear, ideal for scuba diving, snorkelling
and sailing, our countryside is inspiring to bikers,
horseback riders and hikers.
At night you can enjoy cultural events like theatre,
art exhibits, poetry readings and concerts in beautiful
medieval castles, and finish the day in a charming trattoria
like “La locanda del gallo” in Acaya, where
the owner will offer you our home made pasta (cavatelli
and orecchiette) and strong bodily wine (primitivo).
Salento
has recently experienced an impressive artistic explosion.
Many artists come here from all over the world to learn
the art of ceramics, and stonework. Many musicians come
to experience the rythm of “pizzica” a traditional
dance inspired by the mith of “tarantolati”,
people bitten by the tarantola spider.
The medieval castles host all kind of art and music
shows, antique furniture exhibit, theatre and poetry
readings.
One of the nicest events, “Luoghi d’allerta”,
takes place between September 12 and October 3 in the
towns of Tricase, Vernole, Sternatia, Vitigliano and
Alessano (more info at fondoverri@tiscalinet.it). The “Salento Film Festival”
takes place in Tricase, every year at the end of September.
In the first week of September the castle of Copertino
stages the “antique furniture exhibit” (mostra
dell’antiquariato).
The
art sons of Salento
Yari
Carrisi, Italian and American musician and
filmaker, lives in a old Masseria in Cellino San Marco
where his family makes excellent wines. His music is
inspired by traditional Salento sounds like “pizzica”
, his videos reflect a deep sensibility for human sufferings;
like Bruce Chatwin he has carried out his intellectual
search in the furthest corners of the globe.
Nicola Conte, the genius that conjugates
jazz, soul and bossa, lives in Bari but works everywhere!
His latest work, “Other Directions”, has
climbed European charts like Messner climbs the Himalaya!
Edoardo Winspeare, movie director,
lives in the Castle of Depressa. Edoardo is the official
cultural ambassador of Salento; he started explaining
the secrets of Taranta to his Austrian fellow citizens,
now that he is a celebrity, he discusses with top politicians
his ideas on preservation of our architectural historical
heritage. “Salento, being the border between latin
and greek civilization, is not a region as much as a
philosophy and a way of life” he likes repeating,
and he knows so well how to mould the salento philosophy
into his work.
Lia Di Gregorio, works with silver,
gold and precious stones. Her jewels reflect her simple
approach to life. Like Carrisi, she melts Salento with
Kashmir, stones with flowers, harshness with tenderness.
Francesco Selvaggi. Looking like a
Roman Consul, you can imagine him wearing a “toga”
while casting huge stained glass windows. Infact he
was born in Rome and came back to the land of his noble
family when he was 30. his masseria looks more like
a castle, in the countryside between Manduria and Avetrana.
There he works and teaches young artists that come to
stay in his bed and breakfast.
Leo Pantaleo, success has kept him
waiting for a while, but now Leo has fulfilled his dream
of managing an avant-guard theatre in Taranto. He will
utilize his French connections to bring back the magic
energy of Greek intellectuals that escaped Athens and
Sparta and came to Taranto 2500 years ago.
Salento
produces many quality wines and 70% of Italian olive
oil. You may live the experience of participating to
a grape harvesting session between the end of August
and the beginning of September, or come and pick olives
with us in the month of October. Olive oil contains
antioxidant enzymes; the use of olive oil is one of
the reasons why Italy enjoys one of the highest life
expectancy factors in the world. We can show you the
whole process of producing oil and wine, who knows,
one day you might be interested in making your own!
Your
time is important, especially during your holidays!
We can help you find the house that you like, where
you are likely to spend your vacations in the next
few years. We can also rent it out for you, and take
care of all maintanance work and gardening while you
are away.
We are qualified real estate agents and would like
to keep providing services to you even after you buy
a property… that’s why we will work very
hard to protect your interests!
If you decide to buy one of the properties that we
show you, we will charge a fee of 3% + vat.
If we don’t show any property that you like,
you don’t owe us any money.
We will come with you to visit the trulli or masserie
that you may have previously selected on our website
and will assist you in all dealings (in English).
All prices are negotiables in southern Italy, therefore
it may take a few days to find an advantageous agreement;
we will help you negotiate the best price.
If you are planning a visit, let us know at least
two weeks in advance in order to arrange a personalized
programme for you, your friends and family. We may
also book hotels and restaurants according to your
preferences.
Furthermore, we can help you estimate the necessary
work to refurbish the house you are considering buying.
Homeowners offering their property for sale generally
work hard to display it at its best. Often, though,
these surface conditions are all that separates a
home that sells for top Euros and one which is a real
bargain!
Obviously, a relatively low purchase price must be
balanced against the cost of repairs. We work with
architects and engineers that speak proper English
and will help you to look beneath the surface, giving
you an honest estimate for professional refurbishments!
Now
that you have decided to buy a house in Apulia, give
thought to how much location matters to you. It is quite
possible to find houses that are virtually identical
but vary greatly in price strictly because of location.
Trendy areas, like Ostuni or Santa Maria di Leuca, are
more expensive than less known places like Ceglie or
Avetrana. Furthermore, if your major concern is, for
example, being very close to the sea, you may accept
living in a higher density area. If you accept the idea
of driving 10/15 kilometers (20 minutes) to reach the
beach, you are more likely to find a house in the middle
of a quiet countryside!
You
probably already know the area you want to live in;
let us know what type of home you prefer, the number
of bedrooms and how important the cosmetic look is for
you! Do you enjoy renovating or you’d rather buy
a refurbished house? Buying a home involves compromises;
don’t overlook any possibility, even if the house
we show you is not exactly what you had in mind; we
may help you save a lot of money showing you properties
that you wouldn’t take in consideration at first!
Our experienced researcher will gather your information
and place it in our database which is huge and includes
hundreds of country houses (trulli, masserie, ville)
or just agricultural land throughout southern Puglia
(Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce).
Many
“trulli” and “masserias”
have been converted into country hotels (agriturismo),
bed and breakfast and beach resorts.
We have selected a few of them, the ones that we like,
and will help you make reservations... whenever you
like.
This is only one of our free services!
You only have to send a 20% down payment, two weeks
prior to your arrival.
You may rent a whole masseria, for example “Le
Saette” between Manduria and Avetrana, 6 kilometers
away from marvellous Porto Cesareo and Torre Columena’s
sand beaches, or just one room in a larger complex (agriturismo)
in the same area, like “Masseria Giudice Giorgio”
or Masseria “Li Reni” where the owner, Francesco
Selvaggi can teach you how to design and build
beautiful glass-works.
You may also choose to stay in the hills of Martina
Franca, the baroque small town famous for its architecture,
relaxing countryside and exiting opera festival.
For further information please contact us by mail at
info@italiancountryside.co.uk
Although
in the past years investors from all over the world
are buying agricultural land (mainly vineyards) in Puglia,
there are still a lot of properties at a very good price.
For example you may buy one hectare (10.000 square meters)
of land with olive trees for 10.000 Euros!
Sight-seeing
An
overview of places to visit. Martina Franca, Locorotondo,
Cisternino, Ostuni, Castro, Otranto, Santa Maria di
Leuca, Lecce.
Guided
tours, concerts, dinners in masseria, food catering
In partnership with Traim viaggi, we organize tours
of the nicest masseria and trulli complex, either
with small buses or on old carriages pulled by beautiful
apulian horses.
Special
packages
Our
holidays ideas for your stay in the trulli region. E-mail
us your requirements and we will work out our proposal
for your memorable stay in southern Puglia.
Would you imagine that there is a masseria in Andria
(Bari) where you can learn the art of Tai Chi? More
info at Biomasseria Lama di Luna (0833.569505),
www.lamadiluna.com,
prices from 95 Euros per night.
