In one of the most beautiful centers of all Apulia, in Gallipoli, Stefania Tornesello, an architect with a studio in Rome, has created her Corte Manta holiday house in a mansion overlooking the crescent beach of Purità.
A secret place to know you in an old quiet
A place for its nature, welcoming and seductive, an oasis where you are happy to meditate, read or spend some time devoting yourself to the sweetness of doing nothing while waiting for the spectacle that the sun reserves every day when at sunset dives into the sea.
Where, among terraces shaded by “cannizzi“, seated on pillow-toped carved stone seats, glance over the rooftops, admiring the sunsets in the sea and starry skies.
Developed on two floors, it has only three rooms, spacious and furnished with light furniture, with books and newspapers here and there. Like home. With the small kitchen and living room overlooking a balcony on the highest level and direct access to a lovely two-story terrace framing one of the most beautiful beaches of the entire Ionian, that of the Purità in front of the island of Sant ‘Andrea.
Below the three rooms, Galatea, the largest which was ours during our stay at Corte Manta, Aretusa and Calipso. Between the two floors the link is a narrow spiral staircase on which in large letters is written “non est ad astra mollis e terris via”, ie it is not easy the road that leads you to the stars from the ground.
The decor, ça va sans dire, expresses the taste of Stefania for light colors and a certain I do not know of French but in Mediterranean sauce in the use of the picked furniture and in the care of the details.
Same care and taste are found in the spaces of the Blanc Cafe & Living Store (Via XXIV Maggio 19, +39 0833 263499 – blanc.gallipoli@gmail.com), in the historical center of Gallipoli housed in an ancient oil depot of ‘700 (https://www.cittameridiane.it/en/blanc-style-and-taste-in-gallipoli/).
Here is also the obvious touch of Stefania who guides those who from the white court on the street look out over the bar or on the hanging garden of vaguely eastern air, through a sort of journey between ceramics, traditional textures, vintage furniture, accessories Chic and exclusive clothing exposed in wide and fascinating spaces in a contamination of different styles and influences.
Everything can be object of desire, packed and carried with you, before or after having enjoyed a coffee, a drink or an aperitif, or having stopped dinning, immersed in a soft atmosphere and delighted by a background of lounge music.
And after dinner, leaving the Gallipoli’s movida, back to Corte Manta that is located in the meanders of the old town wrapped around itself behind the church of Purità and was wanted by the owner as a secret place, a magical dimension to dedicate to silence, to rest, to an ancient quiet. At the same time, its central location, a few steps from the baroque cathedral, in the maze of streets between churches, ancient palaces, wonderful embroidered balconies, makes it the ideal place for those who want to fully enjoy the city’s atmosphere, with the colors and tastes of the many restaurants, bars and craft shops.
Those who come here appreciate the tranquility, Stefania’s warm but discreet welcome and the centrality of the other structures of the village that does not go to the detriment of the quiet secured by the thick walls. They guarantee dreams of gold, all night, but also for the afternoon naps to escape the hottest hours of dreary and wet summer days. And a bit falls in love. Just as Stefania had fallen in love with that little court in front of the house, Corte Manta, name which she then gave to her charming home.
Corte Manta
Via Corte Manta 9, Gallipoli – Lecce
Info: +39 347 4509216 – info@cortemanta.com
