This dramatic approach revealed a main house, or cumersa (meaning ‘gabled house’), built around 1750 and in need of a loving restoration. Set on the cooler slopes of the scenic Valley of Canale di Pirro, in Puglia’s Valle d’Itria region, its visionary owners could immediately see its potential.
It took several years to sensitively restore and establish this perfect hideaway. Today, guests staying at this family friendly 10-bedroomed masseria have access to a pool, an orangery, three hectares of private walled gardens around the house, as well as 40ha of vineyards, woods and olive groves.
Experienced local architects, Simone and Musa, worked together with London-based Tully Filmer and interior designers Thurstan Design to complete the meticulous restoration – a labour of love, given that the original building has many beautiful vaulted ceilings and interesting heritage features.
Today, the cumersa has four generous en-suite bedrooms and there are three kitchens, large living and dining spaces plus a wine room. Adjacent are three gorgeous en-suite bedrooms in the triplet of trulli, each one with its own distinctive conical roof. These were previously used as stables for the farm horses.
The Pagliaro bedroom is in the original grain storage room and interconnects to another bedroom, ideal for children.
The Garden Cottage Master bedroom is a ground floor suite leading to its own secluded dining terrace overlooking the peaceful garden. It has its own living room with a generous hearth and a walk-in dressing room and is perfect for a secluded romantic getaway.
The cumersa has two spacious master bedrooms upstairs, both vaulted and rather dramatic, with stone rolltop baths and expansive views through deep-set arched windows. All of the bathrooms are heavenly retreats and three have private outdoor showers.
A luxury farm stay for foodies
Food is a highlight at Masseria Pistola: expect freshly baked bread, organic muesli and estate honey for breakfast, often enjoyed on the covered terrace overlooking the pool. Seasonal fruits and veggies are harvested fresh from the kitchen garden daily and delicious desserts are chef’s specialty… but he’s equally good at teaching you the secrets of making pasta!
Evening meals are often enjoyed under starry skies outdoors in two protected courtyards lit with lanterns, or in the Mangatore dining room that comfortably seats 22 and is open-plan to the living room and kitchen.
Picnics and lunch can be set up anywhere in the garden too, if you’re not out enjoying wine tastings at some of the many award-winning wineries in the valley or exploring the famous hilltop towns nearby.
Wondering how you will spend your time at this unique holiday home? Masseria Pistola is set a bit further inland from the coast than its sister property Masseria Petrarolo, but there’s so much to do on the farm: you can walk for miles and play tennis (new astroturf court due in summer 2024) or discover the four-hectare Giardini Pistola.
Once you’ve explored these immaculate terraced gardens, enjoy surrounding meadows of wild flowers in the spring or discover the aqueduct or acquadotto, which is anincredible feat of engineering and one of the reasons the south of Italy could prosper once it was built and why this area remains one of the most interesting to explore today.
Masseria Pistola is the perfect base for families to explore, especially the World Heritage Site of Alberobello nearby, with its 1400 whitewashed trulli made of stacked stones. Stay a week, and you’ll wish you’d booked two!
Reviewed by Michelle Snaddon
Edited by Dawn Kennedy