Holiday home Corni di Fiasco

Tucked away in the rolling hills of Apulia, sur­rounded by a sprawling Medi­ter­ranean garden with olive, fig and almond trees, lies Corni di Fiasco. An atmo­spheric retreat off the beaten track, just a few minutes from the beaches and coves of the Ionian Sea and the small village of Maruggio. Here, life is lived far from the hustle and bustle, in tune with the rhythm of nature.

The res­to­ration of the complex – com­prising a round, stepped “Pajara” and a rec­tan­gular “Lamia” – was carried out in stages, in close dia­logue with the site. It was important to the owners to pre­serve the inte­grity of the two ori­ginal buil­dings, with their volumes, stone walls and cha­rac­te­ristic rooms, whilst at the same time removing all super­fluous ele­ments. In this way, the essential qua­lities were revealed and the close sym­biosis of the house with its sur­rounding land­scape – the red earth, the lush garden and soft light – was res­tored. The res­to­ration was also carried out con­sis­t­ently using local mate­rials and tra­di­tional tech­niques.

Built using dry-stone con­s­truction without mortar, the ver­na­cular Pajara—with its conical roof made of over­lapping lime­stone slabs (chi­anche) that taper towards the top—stands out from the region’s tra­di­tional “Trullo” and, in form, is almost remi­niscent of a step pyramid. Thanks to its thick lime­stone walls, the interior remains plea­santly cool on hot days. The Lamia, also built from local lime­stone and which once served as an extension to the round building for domestic or working pur­poses, now houses two bed­rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen-diner with large windows over­looking the olive grove, as well as a living room with a brick-built fire­place. Whilst the house appears simple and clean-lined from the outside, the interior reveals imposing vaults, his­toric struc­tures and fasci­nating tran­si­tions between mate­rials that reveal the building’s con­s­truction and lend the rooms an impressive atmo­sphere. The design, too, eschews a new archi­tec­tural lan­guage, com­bining res­traint, authen­ticity and modern comfort to create under­stated ele­gance.

Both buil­dings are con­nected by a covered terrace that extends the living space out­wards. Here, amidst the trees, visitors will find a pool and plenty of space to simply relax. The num­erous steps of the Lamia lead to a small terrace from which one can gaze out over the land­scape and, in the evening, wait for the starry sky to appear.

What to do

Ideally, not much – this place is perfect for slowing down: perhaps reading, cooking, listening to the song of crickets and cicadas, swimming at the nearby quiet beaches and hidden coves, strolling through Maruggio, hiking and cycling. Additional services are available on request (e.g. cookery classes, wine tastings, boat trips, private yoga sessions or Shiatsu massages); Lecce, Gallipoli, Monopoli, Alberobello, the Itria Valley, Taranto and Manduria are all less than an hour’s drive away

Why we like this house

A sensory interplay of form, light, materials and nature.

This house is great for

Couples, families or friends seeking peace, beauty and simplicity away from the crowds. Also ideal as a retreat or a residence for artists.

Details

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