|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to our Cono Casa. located near Cisterno in the heart of Trulli country. Next to the unique style of housing "Dammuso" found on the island of Pantelleria, a Trullo is easily the most unusual rental you will find in all of Italy. Farmers built these houses of stone during the 1700 - 1800's in the Itria Valley of Puglia and maybe 1000 or so were built. At least that's all that are left standing today, with just a handful renovated and only one I have for rent...this one! The houses with their tall conic tops and white round bases look like tiny feudal towers poking out from a thick of olive trees. The Trullo served as the residence and barn during the winter and as a residence and granary during the summer. At that time it was common for the farming family to live with the animals under the same roof. On the roof top each of the cone shaped roofs are capped with a hand carved ornament, called a "vada." A stone "cow" fertility symbol where the udders are four square stones coming down. The traditional stone roofs were assembled without mortar because, according to some accounts, they were taxed by the local lord by the size and number of roofs. When the tax man was to come around, the farmers would disassemble their roof and put it back when the tax man was gone.
The owner, a lovely French woman, has restored her Trullo with the pride and taste the French consider a national institution: comfortable furnishings, antiques and just the right stuff including a very nice kitchen with loads of appliances. The walls are more than a meter thick to protect against the elements and there are no doors inside, only columns of stone and curtains separating the rooms (with the exception to the bathrooms where there are doors for privacy). Every year the people from this region white wash their houses up to the roof creating the look here, a white stucco with grey stone roof. The rental comes with a maid - 3 hours 2 days per week, and grounds keeper that tends to the dirt, pool and (importantly) cistern - 2 hours 3 days per week.
There is an alimentary 800 meters down the road and the charming white washed baroque village of Cisternino is 6 km away, where every weekend night the piazza has live jazz. A weird thing to come across in this rural, southern region. But the jazz is supposed to be excellent.
Perfect for: Couples and families.
The Details:
It is all on one floor.
Common areas: There is a living room, a dining room and kitchen in the conical house and in the Lamia (the dammuso looking house beside it) there is a small kitchen / dining as well. TV, (local channels only), VCR Ð CD Player.
Bedrooms and bathrooms: The Trullo has a double bedroom and bathroom. The Lamia has one twin, one bedroom with 2 bunk beds (4 children) and one bathroom shared, and the adjoining Lamia has a twin bedroom and bathroom. Two bathrooms have a tub with handheld shower, one bathroom has a shower. There is a dishwasher, oven, espresso machine, and one of the Lamia's bathrooms also has a laundry.
Outside: Love the outdoor area with its patio, alfresco and pool. The garden is planted with roses, lavender, olive and apricot trees.
PLEASE Note:
1) Water. Rare, rare, rare. There is enough water for you and your vacation, but it is a commodity you can not take for granted. This area has loads of blue sky and very little rain. The owner and us ask the following of you: Be very sparing of your use of water when staying here. Do not let faucets flow. Be smart and economic of your water use and think of this as your house.
2) Alarm System: You are perfectly safe here, but if you leave the house unattended - even for 5 minutes - you must turn the alarm system on. At night when you sleep, all things must be brought inside.
Services, Features, Amenities:
Swimming pool, heat, washing machine, TV with local channels, CD player and VCR.
|
|
|
|
THE AREA The beaches (both rock and sand) of the Adriatic are not far from here, there are hill towns to discover in the valley and nearby mountains. The Itria valley where this unique house sits is a surprisingly fertile area. The olive trees and vineyards yield an abundance of fruit, and the sun and rich red earth yield much fresh produce. One of the things that is fabulous about Puglia is the inexpensive, enormous portions at the restaurants. This region had a unique and powerful position of Italy during the 13th century when the great Federico II, King of Sicily (which included this region at the time) and Emperor of Germany turned Puglia into a grain powerhouse. Alfalfa, wheat and other life sustaining grains came from here and proved to be an economic machine. Soon after fortified hill towns began appearing and later Baroque castles were raised. All these places make this an interesting region to visit. Perhaps best yet, because tourism is not.....developed here (although more affluent Italians are making this area their vacation home), you feel like you are the first to discover this place. This is a unique visit among Italians far from the museum lines of Florence.
Do you like good olive il? Have you tasted the meaty magnificence of the cerignola olive? Is the excellent wine of Salentino one of your life's dsires. How about unique food (check out his link to Lonely Planet's list of Puglia food festivals every month. You may want to arrange your dates around this)? A little more adventurous and had enough of Tuscany and tourists?
Touring Ideas:
Cisterino 6 km
Bari 70 km
Brindisi 40 km
Beaches on the Adriatic 30 km (excellent diving in the area)
Regional airports in Bari and Brindisi. A one hour flight from Rome. Driving - From Naples 4 hours. From Rome 7 hours. From Milan 11 hours.
|
