La Torre Bianca

A Family Retreat Created by Lorenzo Grifantini

Designed by Lorenzo Grifantini, a founder of London-based DOS Architects, this holiday home in Puglia was built as a family retreat, away from the "hustle and bustle" of life in the city. Created as "a place of conviviality and play, where the central courtyard is the real heart of the house, the swimming pool and gardens reproduce the presence of natural elements, each contributing to its cohesive architectural synthesis," says Grifantini.

Located directly in line with the nearby church of San Rocco, in the small southern Italian town of Gagliano del Capo, the home's central tower recreates the ancient fortified styles of the past with a spare aesthetic of glass, timber, metal and stone. 

Collaborating with his wife and interiors designer Allegra Figus, the home weaves a modern tapestry of traditional artisan elements from Salento featuring woodwork, textiles and crafts with contemporary Italian fixtures and designs by Viabizzuno and Campesato.

Surrounded by a low boundary wall, the stone paving of the courtyard extends into the interiors, blurring the lines between the spaces, creating an indoor/outdoor habitat, with the tower punctuated with square openings offering private views of the town and out to the sea.

Located in the center of the historic village of Gagliano del Capo, this holiday home for rent in Puglia is a unique, urban escape designed by Lorenzo Grifantini. Assembled in a cluster of cubist volumes, the interiors include light filled living, kitchen and dining spaces on the ground floor that open out to the interior courtyard and pool through large sliding glass doors.

The tower houses a stack of five en-suite bedrooms overlooking the courtyard which is the serene unifying heart of the property. Its small square windows are set deep into the walls, illuminating each room with sunlight and uniquely crafted views.

At the rear of the tower a stairway leads up to a rooftop terrace, while the outdoor living spaces are designed to emphasize the natural elements, with barrier walls lined with low planters and lounge areas, and cutouts in the walls that play on light and shadow while providing privacy and shelter.

There is a new garden with orange and lemon trees and Mediterranean vegetation that is ideal for outdoor dinners and barbecues.

La Torre Bianca was recently recognized as one of the National In/Architecture Award Winners for 2020. The prize was launched by INARCH, the Italian architectural board, who said of La Torre Bianca, it "expresses an extraordinary ability to insert into a historical context strongly characterized by the small town of Gagliano del Capo... While affirming the contemporaneity of language and typological solutions, the architecture... does not yield to easy camouflage and banal contextualisms but expresses its contemporaneity with quality."

AROUND

The small village of Gagliano del Capo sits at the southernmost part of Italy’s heel on the Salento Peninsula. Initially settled in the 4th century by Greeks and then medieval noblemen, its strategic position atop a hill kept it safe from invaders. The central Corso Umberto with its tree lined plaza is the town's hub with good cafes, shops and pizzerias.

Just a few minutes' drive away is the lively village of Santa Maria di Leuca, known as the “end of the lands” it's the last bit of land where the Ionian and Adriatic seas meet at the very tip of the country where the shoreline alternates between sandy beaches, picturesque grottos and cliffs and flat rocky bays.  

To the north, the village of Torre Vado (Posto Vecchio) has long sandy beaches, a little harbor, and a scattering of markets, cafes and a nice pedestrian promenade to explore. Along the cape is one of the most beautiful areas of Puglia, characterized by a high rocky coast with impressive panoramas, hidden bays and small caves to explore. The stunning Baroque city of Lecce, known as the Florence of the South, lies an hour north, and the lovely UNESCO port town of Otranto on the Adriatic side of the peninsula is a 45-minute drive.

The Adriatic coast features some of Salento’s best beaches including Torre Del Orso Santa Andrea and Alimini as well as those of the Ionian coast. The luxurious seaside resorts of Leuca and Santa Cesarea Terme are 15 minutes south.

The port town of Brindisi is just over 90 minutes away.

LOCATION

Gagliano del Capo, Puglia, Italy. Nearest airport: Brindisi (90 mins)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring through fall