Let’s start with the name, Trullo Ai Cento Sassi, which reminded us of what has always characterized the land of our Murge, as suggested by the Latin origin murex, which means murice, sharp rock, and in whose territory falls the countryside of Castellana Grotte where this lovely and cozy cottage available for short holiday periods. And then we also thought about the number of stones used to build these typical buildings of a part of Puglia. But we were way off!
Relax in the green countryside
The name chosen for this trullo has a strictly family origin that is told to us by the owners Angelo and Raffaella in front of trays of tasty and hot fritters.
Talk like old friends leads us to discover how the idea of calling this family property came about with the curious name of Ai Cento Sassi.
But first we need to tell the story of the farm, a nineteenth-century structure made up of five trulli of various sizes, including the largest and double-height that – as explained by Angelo and Raffaella – is called mother or sovereign. The entire building belonged to Angelo’s grandfather and was then divided between brothers and cousins. So now it looks like a large but harmonious set of more units just 800 meters from the center of Castellana Grotte which is easily accessible on foot.
The part dedicated to the guests had then passed into extraneous hands, but when the opportunity to be purchased was presented, Raffaella and Angelo did not withdraw: they have two sons and the desire to leave them a trullo for one has enticed them to purchase.
The construction had been tampered with over the years, but it was not difficult to restore it to its origins, renovating the trullo and the adjoining citrus grove, mixing elements of tradition and modernity and equipping it with everything, including a large and comfortable bathroom and a kitchen complete with appliances. dishwasher, oven and fridge.
The trullo has been converted into a bedroom, cozy as a mother’s womb and with a corner used as a Book Crossing with books available to guests: and if someone is struck by one of them, he can take it away with him, as well as the guest can decide to leave the following guests the book he has finished reading.
The kitchen, which has taken the place of the citrus grove, is at the center of the house as usual: not only the fires, but also two armchairs for chatting and reading, which are transformed into two other beds, a table for lunch , spacious closets and a fireplace, which is nice to enjoy when the weather does not allow you to stay outside.
The trullo has a soul of its own, inspired by the simplicity of the place, and overlooks the fenced garden with an independent driveway gate, an open-air living room where you can share moments of the day even with your four-legged friends and where you can leave them in peace and security when you decide to go out without them, for a walk or to go to the beach.
“We wanted to create a natural atmosphere, not too artificially ancient or too contemporary and we put our passion to go to markets to good use: many of the furniture and objects that decorate the trullo are purchases made over time traveling around Puglia” – Raffaella and Angelo say to us, during the dinner in the garden of their house next to the independent house that they grant to their guests with a tourist lease.
As for the interior, even in outdoor spaces we find traces of the past, from the zinc basin to the large demijohns recovered from hidden corners of cellars and farmhouses, but also abandoned near bins and brought back to life as cheerful decorations at the foot of the trees of olive tree in the garden. That together with our Otto we fully enjoyed even in the morning during breakfast consumed under the patio which ensures shade and coolness even in the hottest hours.
Slow down the pace and take one’s time, this has always been the desire of Raffaella and Angelo when they decided to hole up here on weekends and during the holidays. And this is what their guests also want to do in the trullo available from April to October to let them learn the art of living slowly, immersed in the green of the Apulian countryside. And many people seem to succeed!
But we cannot conclude without going back to the name revealing its origin: it is taken from the Madonna del Sassolino, a sacred figure invented by Carlo, the eldest son of Angelo and Raffaella, when he was a child and in honor of which a party was organized with lots of of procession along a path bordered by hundreds of pebbles. The return to the origins is thus completed by a tribute to the recent past of the family.
Trullo Ai Cento Sassi
S. c. Rosatella, 20A – Castellana Grotte (BA)
Info: +39 368 7142707 – raffaellamigailo@gmail.com
