| Last
year a friend visited me when I still lived in my farmhouse in Umbria,
central Italy. She got a call on her cell phone from a friend ‘Hi Steve,’
she said. ‘I’m at a friend’s house in Tuscany.’ I looked at her with raised
eyebrows and mouthed ‘Umbria’. She finished her call and said: ‘Sorry,
I always say I’m in Tuscany, because everyone’s heard of it!’
And that is
often the problem. Mention one of Italy’s other regions (yes, there are
19 more) to people not familiar with the country and it is like talking
about a Martian canal or another dimension. Which is a shame, because
there is a lot more to Italy than Tuscany. Like Puglia for example, located
in the heel of Italy’s boot and 900 kilometres (550 miles)and a world away
from Tuscany.
Puglia has
been described in the UK press recently as ‘the new Tuscany’ and
‘the next Tuscany.’ It is certainly getting a lot of publicity on tv and
in the media, so much so that people are now referring to it by its Italian
name rather than the English equivalent – ‘Apulia’. But is it really ‘the
new Tuscany’? |
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Well,
apart from being almost the same size, (Tuscany is 23,000 square kilometres,
Puglia just over 19,000) Puglia bears very little resemblance to Tuscany.
It is flatter, wilder, covered in huge olive groves and dry stone walls
and surrounded by sea. In fact, it has more in common with Greece than
la bella Toscana, borne out by the fact that people in some parts of Puglia
still speak Greek. The ‘new Tuscany’ comparisons actually refer to
the overseas property market. Buyers are now looking beyond the well-established
(and costly) areas to invest their hard-earned cash and are snapping up
properties in the south of the peninsula to use as holiday homes with rental
potential or as a permanent homes to relocate to. There is no question
about it – Puglia represents a good investment if you know where to look.
Look Beyond
the Conical
The stereotypical
view of the region (if you have one at all) is that it is the land of the
trullo – sweet looking white stone buildings hand built without mortar
and topped by characteristic black conical roofs. There were an abundance
of these around the Locorotondo and Alberobello regions of Puglia now snapped
up for a song by foreigners and being resold or restored. However attractive
they look, trulli can be quite claustrophobic to live in and so savvy buyers
are looking to another traditional type of Pugliese house – the masseria
or fortified farmhouse. |
| These
are spacious, light and cool in those long, hot Puglia summers, an important
consideration for prospective buyers. And now it is possible, thanks to
the innovative thinking of Landscape Properties, an Italian company owned
by a Pugliese, to own a 2007 version of the traditional masseria.
The project
is based in Salento, the southernmost tip of Puglia. It is a glorious
region much loved by Italian holidaymakers, and they should know. The beautiful
Salentine coastline boasts two seas, the Ionian to the west and the
Adriatic to the east. As well as clean, white beaches there are some breathtaking
places to visit. One such jewel is Lecce which is also known as ‘the Florence
of the south’. It is crammed to overflowing with ornately carved white
stone Baroque buildings that leave many people quite speechless.
The city is
lively too, on a recent visit I made in late October the streets were full
of people enjoying themselves, eating, laughing and shopping – at 10pm
on a Sunday night! This does not happen in Tuscany, believe me.
Another unrecognised
Salentine beauty is Otranto, whose old castle juts out into the sea and
where luxury yachts bob about in the harbour while their owners sightsee
and investigate the restaurants and shops of the town.
Talking of
restaurants – you eat very, very well here, with seafood being a speciality!
And if you love your vino, look no further, Puglia is one of the biggest
wine producers in Italy- of the most popular local wines being being Rosso
Primitivo del Salento IGT. Allegedly, Pugliese Primitivo grapes are shipped
north and added to Tuscan Chianti to give it more flavour!
The area is
within reach of two international airports, Brindisi and Bari and, as befitting
a popular holiday destination, has all the sports facilities you could
wish for: golf courses, horse riding and of course water sports. |
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Puglia
is one of the biggest olive oil producers in Italy and everywhere you look
there are groves of massive, centuries-old olive trees surrounded by dry
stone walls delineating the boundaries. And it is here, in this ‘forest’
of olive trees and just a few minutes from the sea, that Landscape Properties
is creating the unique masseria project. Each house is recreated using
techniques and materials that have been around for centuries. They are
also giving work to local craftsmen and reviving a dying skill.
Your Own
Masseria
The masserie
are on one floor and built around a central courtyard. They can be made
of traditional Leccese white stone or the yellow carpara stone, which gives
a more rustic look. They have all the modern comforts: Jacuzzi, swimming
pool, walk in wardrobes, electric gates and the interiors can be customised
as the owner wishes. It is a perfect blend of traditional and modern in
a peaceful setting, in at least two hectares of olive groves (about five
acres) where all you can hear is birdsong. Yet you are within walking
distance of a village with all conveniences, and near all the amazing attractions
that Salento has to offer, including the beach. Two houses have already
been sold and the owners will move into the first completed property in
April 2007. Amazingly enough, prices start from only Euro 565,000 (about
$752,000 US dollars) for the completed house, which has about 250 square
metres (2961 square feet) of living space. |
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| Owner of Landscape,
Francesco Carlucci, says now is the best time to invest in Puglia, as there
is no sign of what he calls ‘the gold rush’ dying down. ‘When you consider
that a property like this in this location can rent out in the summer for
up to Euro 5000 per week (about $6660 US dollars) it represents and
excellent investment,’ he explains. ‘Consider too that our completed properties
cost about Euro 2500 per square metre (about $3300 US dollars or $234 per
square foot) and you would pay Euro 3000 per square metre ($3994 US dollars
or $373 per square foot) for just a garage in Tuscany and I think
you can see the benefits!’.
Tuscany had
better watch out.
For more
information about real estate in this region visit Landscape
Properties . |
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 Escape
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