Lelou Creative Trulli

Subtly Sophisticated

Stone arches create a curvaceous retreat inside this immaculately restored trulli and lamia estate in Puglia. The beautifully restored exposed stone of the property sets it apart from the region’s typical trulli, homes usually brightly whitewashed and transformed into vivid conical standouts on their rugged rural plots.

This home’s stacked limestone structure has been left natural, allowed to shine in all its rustic-chic glory, the slight hint of gold in its pale stones imbuing the space with added warmth. A haven of simple sophistication, the home reserves its bright whitewash for its spacious outdoor kitchen and dining pergola by the pool (with a woodfired pizza oven and barbecue), and for the massive ceiling beams that shade its outdoor breakfast bar. Inside, the mood is clean-lined and peaceful, with perfectly-sized furnishings including loveseats, a stylish wood farm table, and four-poster beds tucked artfully into the tight vaulted volumes.

Around

The trulli/lamia complex sits approximately five kilometers outside of Castellana Grotte, a town and karst cave system that extends over 120 meters below ground. The caves are a major attraction in the area, though far less visited than the famed white village of Alberobello, a classified UNESCO World Heritage site home to thousands of trulli structures, that’s a quick 10-kilometer drive. When it comes to touring, the region is rich and varied.

This is Puglia, land of trulli homes and whitewashed villas, labyrinthine villages, crystalline waters and fragrant herbs, not to mention olive oil, fresh seafood and stellar garden-to-table gastronomy, The region offers a world of possibilities, from the culinary to the cultural, with towns like Monopoli with the Roman ruins of Egnazia only 20 kilometers away, the picturesque villages of Cisternino, Locorotondo, and the white town of Ostuni also nearby. The pretty port of Polignano a Mare is also easily accessible, as are the region’s Adriatic beaches, offering crystalline waters, deep, rock-backed coves, and relatively empty sands.