Puglia Real Estate

Puglia property: buying it in particular in this region, Puglia,and in Italy in general finds its rationale in what David Hampshire, author of Buying a home in Italy, a very informative guide on purchasing property in this charming country, says about it:
“Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, possibly the most attractive of all, with more than its fair share of ravishing landscapes and stunning towns. It's a country of huge variety, offering something for everyone: magnificent beaches for sun-worshippers; beautiful unspoiled countryside for the greens; a wealth of magnificent ancient cities and towns for history enthusiasts (virtually every town is a history book of battles and religious milestones); an abundance of mountains and seas for sports lovers; vibrant night-life for the jet set; fine wines for oenophiles and superb cuisine for gourmets; a profusion of culture, art and serious music for art lovers; and tranquillity for the stressed. Few other countries in the world offer such an exhilarating mixture of culture and climate, history and tradition, sophistication and style. When buying property in ltaly you aren't buying simply a home, but a lifestyle, and it represents an investment in your family's future happiness, rather than merely in financial terms. As a location for a holiday, retirement or permanent home, Italy has few rivals, and in addition to the wide choice of properties and generally good value for its money, it offers a fine climate for most of the year, particularly in the south.”

Puglia, or Apulia as is also referred to, is a condensed version of what David Hampshire says about Italy. Just think of its many castles, cathedrals, old town centres (almost every town has one) with their maze of narrow and winding streets, masserie (century-old farmhouses which were flourishing centres of agricultural and social life structured so as to be self-sufficient), trulli whose building rationale (theories abound in this respect, the most widespread involving the tax laws of 17th century Italy. It is known that the landed gentry of the time imposed heavy taxes on any permanent structure. Thus, the theory goes that the peasant families, not able to bear the burden of this tax, built their dwellings so that they could be literally demolished at a moment's notice! Because a conical roof depends largely on the ‘topmost’ stone to prevent the roof from caving in, the peasant owner was able to literally demolish their house simply by pulling this stone out!) has been much investigated without reaching unanimous agreement on it. Not to mention its broad beaches lapped by sapphire, crystal clear seas, its craggy southeastern coast and…many other hidden treasures that we leave the visitor to discover.

One of the most attractive areas of Puglia and one of the most beautiful landscapes throughout the region is the wonderful Valle d’Itria, an area located in the heart of Murgia, a territory including the towns of: Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Alberobello, Ostuni, Cisternino and Ceglie Messapica.

It is a wonderful Karst swamp (because of the karstic nature of local rocks) on the south-east of the Murge upland. The Valle d’Itria is very rich in history, art and culture. It is a green sward studded with typical and ancient cone buildings, the famoustrulli, a great variety of dry-stone little walls that surround little vines and whitemasserie, ancient hollows and small green valleys.

A brief historical outline

The medieval Santa Maria d’Itria or Idria monastery bordering on the area of Monopoli and it belonged to the Basilian monks of Casole.

S. Maria d’Idria’s Basilian settlement was not very large compared to Sant’Angelo de Grecis’ feud (Land of Bari, in the territory of Monopoli), which also belonged to S. Nicola di Casole Basilian monastery. Moreover, S.Maria d’Idria’s settlement was in a rupestrian church (1200), in rooms used as farms and in a contiguous cave-chapel, called Santa Maria d’Itria, where there was a late Byzantine fresco of Madonna Odegitria ( the wayfarers’ guide). There are a number of archaeologic and documentary remains of this site. Currently, there is a Capuchin convent and a church with the same name.

The Valle d’Itria’s landscape is embellished by two ancient churches: San Donato and the Providence churches. The latter is a small church of 1561 (at that time it was called “Santo Antonio seu de Padua”), restored thanks to the parishioners’ contribution and consecrated to Santa Maria della Provvidenza at the end of the XVII cent.

The towns of Valle D’Itria are peculiar not just because of their wonderful old towns, but also because of the famous “trulli” dotting its lovely contryside. Trulli are dwellings where peasants used to live, but now they represent one of Puglia’s finest attractions. Many Italian and foreign visitors and tourists, indeed, enjoy spending a nice holiday in a trullo, a farm or a “bed&breakfast”.

Building technique

The trulli, limestone dwellings found in the southern region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of drywall (mortarless) construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. The trulli are made of roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs.

The “pinnacolo” (pinnacle) is the decorative element of “trulli”. It can have different shapes and it is placed on top of the cone, to make the building more elegant. Inside, there usually is the “tavolato”, a wooden shelf placed under the roof, so that the room in the cone can be used as a storeplace or a bedroom. The fireplace is also a very important element which was used both as a kitchen and a heat source.