Masserie are rural buildings or sets of buildings of differing dimensions. They have a social and economic organisation based on land resources. They date back to the medieval period and were inhabitated by the farmer who worked the land and tended to the animals. The main activities were olives, vines, wheat and other cereals. The land owners took the lion's share of the harvest and left the rest to the farmer. There are different kinds of masserie but almost all of them have a tower which was inhabited traditionally by the land owner, usually for his holidays. The tower was also useful against intruders. All masserie have courtyards around which the buildings are often distributed (stables, the farmer's house etc..). Some masserie have a private chapel.

Houses with courtyards are typical of the Mediterranean area . They can be found in small villages and towns. They often have a large front door leading onto the courtyard with several houses around the courtyard. Sometimes, they have a back garden. The main element is the courtyard where in the old days families and neighbours used to meet and socialise, telling stories and passing their traditional culture to the younger generations.

Properties whether old or new which have land attached: meditteranean gardens, olive groves, vineyards, citrus fruit trees etc.

This category contains properties where high ranking public figures or the local aristocracy would have lived. They are often very elegant and of grand proportions. The word palazzo is hard to translate but these properties are similar to mansions. Their style, however, in Salento is unique and is called 'Barocco Leccese' or Lecce Baroque. Some palaces date back as far as the Renaissance. The majority of palaces in this style are either 17th or 18th Century. They have sculpted facades and ornate balconies. Interiors are often beautifully decorated with frescoes and other works of art.

Recently-built properties

The trullo is a traditional and rural apulian stone dwelling,originally used as a deposit or as a place to rest for the farmer after a long day working the land. Nowadays they are renovated and used as homes or holidays houses. They have the particularity of preserving warmth in the winter and keeping cool in the summer. Trulli have a circular base and a conical roof . Today trulli are protected by UNESCO.

Rural stone dwellings similar to trulli, the pajare date back to ancient times. They are typical of the lower Salento region. They are charcaterized by a square base, stone staircase leading to a roof terrace. They are built in dry stones collected from the surrounding fields. Just like trulli, they are converted into homes and holiday properties.

Building or agricultural plots of land.

Buildings of at least 50 years old. In fact, this category also includes small palaces (palazzi).

In a place where the sun shines over 300 days of the year and where it is often too hot to sit on the terrace and read a book or sip a glass of wine, it's nice to have a small piece of garden to sit under an orange or lemon tree, to have a small space to grow some aubergines and tomatoes and a spot of basil, to be able to sit out and eat in the evenings. Effectively these spaces are very sought after and increase a houses's living space. Come to our houses with gardens section....