An interest in remote areas of our countries to unwind and re-connect with nature, after a long period spent in the fast-paced, polluted, buzzing big cities.
I like to think of the pandemic as a behavioural shift that awakened us to take deep care of ourselves.
There’s always somebody ahead of the curve, and we experienced this in Salento a decade ago or so. People from all over the world starting to express interest and buy Masserie, do them up and a get a profitable business from it.
With my parents driving along the countryside, I would sit in the back and wonder what were hundreds of these buildings doing all deserted? Where did they come from? What were they?
I was a kid and my interests were far from the historic value of some abandoned villas. Yet they already had a mysterious aura, the one that appeals to most kids. My first memory of a Masseria is with my best friend at the time jumping over the rusty fences, to check them out ourselves. Not much, it turned out. Usually ending up being scared away by some sudden whiff coming from empty rooms.
So, what’s a Masseria? Practically, a farmhouse.
They’re mansions with thick walls, barrel vaults with lunettes, large salons. Palaces for the countryside. Acres of fertile land around it. Some of them have private chapels, stables and many rooms for wine, or oil, or tobacco production. Private and intimate back gardens with healthy trees.
A bit of back story.
It’s the 11th-century and La Terra d’Otranto starts to get covered in these sumptious buildings, strategically placed along one of the most important commercial routes. They were house to producing the finest wine, oil and tobacco. Due to soil formation, rich in clay, combined with mediterranean weather, the fertility of these lands was found to be fruitful, leading to excellent agriculture produces.
For centuries, families based their livelihood on exporting these goods to the rest of the world. Demand increased, and successful operations led to more and more of these Masserie being built. They kept spreading across Salento till the 19th-century, at the time owned by laic and catholic parties, for both farming and leisure purposes.
It was between 1447 and 1595 though, that Lecce went from 6,000 inhabitants to 30,000. This growth had an impact on its surroundings.
As many people moved to the area, what were Masserie before – exclusively used for the wine, oil, tobacco farming – suddenly became residencies for the more wealthy families. Buying them off the people who’d made their living off it. A sort of bear hug for agriculture.
M. Cazzato defined their shift in purpose with a nice line: “Masserie are a concrete signs of an alternative to the official culture of the city.”
They represented the emancipation of a cultural freedom that was otherwise relegated within the city’s walls.
While I started researching for this piece, I chatted to Eugenio, much more well-read than me when it comes to etnography of Salento. And beacuse he’s the kindest person on earth, made a few phone calls, he got me access to a few of the most historic ones, one being Villa Cerulli-Bozzicorso,
Alessandro Cerulli bought this Masseria in 1792 and appointed Emanuele Orfano to its re-qualification, a renowned architect and sculptor who had worked on important pieces in the area. See the altar of Martignano’s church, or the Vergine dell’Immacolata church in Muro Leccese.
A few hundred metres away from Villa Cerulli-Bozzicorso, another one: Villa Nahi.
Eugenio and I spent a few afternoons walking around and through them. Him telling me about their history and anectodes.
Towards the end of one of our tour, an old lady was passing by. There’s absolutely nothing but abandoned huge farmhouses around us. She’s the only soul we met in the area. Eugenio tells me she’s spent her entire life on these lands, and even though she’s no longer capable of carrying out any physical work, she still comes here to check on the trees and the crops, making sure they are healthy.
If you were to be interested in these marvellous pieces of architecture that blends stupendously with nature, Puglia is awash with them. Once around here, just take an off-road, no matter if you are near Otranto, Lecce, Galatina or San Pietro in Lama – you’ll find plenty standing proudly in the middle of a wheat field.
It’s also thanks to these buildings, and the adventurous spirit of the locals who are giving them a second life, Salento has become more of a popular destination for the ones who want to build unforgettable memories in places where the past collides with the present, where nature and people live in harmony.
We, for our part, fantasise about establishing our first House of Deda headquarter in one of them.
Antonio Costantini