The history of the ancient Masserie of Puglia

To get to know a place in depth, it is necessary to know the habits, the history, the traditions of those who live there. There is nothing more authentic and real than the roots of a land to get to know and experience a journey to the fullest. The farms of Puglia are the emblem of rural life, rich in history, stories, anecdotes and excerpts of peasant life that today represent one of the most popular destinations in the place. Let's discover together the evocative history of these historic houses.   The birth of the Masserie The history of the Apulian farms really dates back to the mists of time. The term masseria derives from household goods, that is, the set of everyday household objects and agricultural tools that were stored inside. The fundamental figure of the farms was that of the housewives, that is the women who carried out all the domestic and kitchen work here. Even today this figure is present in the farms, and they take care of the rooms and the kitchen. In the farms used as structures to host tourists, it is possible to take advantage of many services such as the Cooking Class, a unique and unforgettable experience, where housewives meet guests to teach them the preparation of local dishes such as orecchiette, panzerotti, focaccia, and much more. , making foreigners and non-foreigners appreciate the real Apulian cuisine. The farms were large agricultural buildings used as stables, deposits for fodder and inhabited by farm laborers and by the landowners themselves. Today the same areas that were once dedicated to the animals of the farm have found a new intended use, highlighted by modern furnishings with every comfort and ease combined with ancient and unique details such as the vaults, columns, niches and alcoves. . The widest development, however, took place at the end of the 1400s when the farm took on a defensive as well as agricultural utility. In particular, the Turkish invasion of 1480 pushed the population to build farms in order to protect crops and animals from raids on the agenda. In fact, today in many farms we find structures called sighting towers, which were used to better defend the structure. With the passing of the centuries and with the advent of the industrial revolution, the farms gradually lose their importance and in many cases are abandoned. Today, after a great revaluation of the territory, the farms come back to life of their own and in many cases have been transformed into accommodation facilities and residences of various types.   The typical structure of a masseria The characteristics of the farms are an integral part of their history. They took on an articulated structure in which the lodgings of the peasants coexisted, and the lodgings of the lords, the stables, the deposits for fodder and crops and the premises for the processing of products. As a court house of Mediterranean tradition, the farm has a single large central space (courtyard or courtyard) also with the function of a farmyard, overlooked by the entrances of the various residential and work buildings. Many farms were equipped with ovens and tanks for collecting rainwater which gave the structure complete independence from the nearest village. In the most important farms there was also a chapel or a small church. The farms have always been radically connected to the territory on which they arose and Puglia is dotted with these particular buildings which, depending on the area in which they were built, take on different and unique characteristics: from trulli, to towers, from wide arches to fortified buildings, with unique and ancient details. Discover the beauty of the farm, stay at Torrelonga and live a unique and unforgettable experience. Click here to book your holiday in Puglia.