When we delve into talking about noble and ancient villas in Salento, first of all it is necessary to specify the reasons why these beautiful buildings were built. The Masserie are initially the places where the farmer lives to never move away from the countryside; the Casini, the Villas and the Casine are successive architectures that originate following the need of the landowner to temporarily move to live in the countryside.
Salento’s economic delay and consequences on architecture
It is appropriate to say first of all that Salento has always been a relatively poor land and that the obstacles to development are and have been numerous: among these the presence of land used exclusively for grazing, the presence of vast areas of scrub, the presence of swamps and marshes, the spread of extensive cultivation, the invasions of the Turks, the persistence of backward cultivation techniques, the short-sighted attitude of landowners.
In the southern areas, during the eighteenth century, the olive growing crisis and the growing demand for wine on the European market led to a profound rural transformation.
The architecture begins to change following the spread of vineyards
The spread of the vineyard was to the detriment of olive groves and cereal cultivation and had a significant impact on new forms of rural construction. In fact, in the areas where this new culture spread most, there was a transformation of the landscape and the architecture of the homes. The vineyards, managed more complexly, required the constant presence of the farmer and, alongside the traditional farmhouse, the homes of the farmer, the sharecropper or the small owner were added.
In fact, the farms, although architecture aimed at the defense of the territory, are often enriched with elegant decorative elements such as monumental wells, sumptuous rooms and enormous fireplaces, coats of arms placed in plain sight, all elements borrowed from city architecture and which attribute to the fortified rural construction an aristocratic sign.
The farms were still far from real villas, typical of Northern Italy, or from the typology of the rustic villa of the Roman era. These are very often buildings of a monumental nature which, with their decorative features, mark the difference with the simple and poor homes of the farmers.
Baroque in the countryside
Starting from the second half of the eighteenth century, a compromise was reached between city and countryside. Thus it was that on the outskirts of the most important inhabited centers, such as Nardò and Lecce, and where there was the most fertile land, elegant residences arose which still today bear witness to the spread of the Baroque even in rural environments.
Therefore in this phase there were two parallel and contemporary processes of architectural development in the countryside: in many cases the old farms were revived, providing new decorations, various embellishments and often they built on top of the original structure, so much so as to deliberately mask the structural physiognomy of the ancient building; at the same time, villas, casinos, cottages and gardens were built from scratch.
The spread of the country casino is the confirmation of a new mentality, arising from the fact that the new bourgeoisie was aware of the fact that agriculture was the pillar of the economy.
Refuge in the countryside becomes a necessity
But beyond the purely economic interest, the fact remains that starting from the second half of the 1700s the need to move to the countryside only for a healthy retreat began to be felt. This exodus was then encouraged by the scarcity of food products and the continuous spread of epidemics due to the heavy rains that raged in the Lecce area.
The Villa and the Casina
The villa is usually an imposing building, belonging to noble families or in any case to the upper middle class, which features architectural friezes, is treated in detail and is surrounded by a park made up of ornamental plants, in order to make the stay more pleasant. It is almost always at the center of an agricultural activity, so, apart from rarer cases of purely holiday residences, in addition to the manor house, it contains rural blocks of flats such as the settlers’ homes, stables, garages and factories. The villa, like the little house (very often the two terms are interchangeable) shows a detachment from the rural environment and the activities connected to it, as they are often richer buildings, surrounded by a park and preceded by shady avenues with ornamental plants. Here some architectural details are highlighted such as the columns at the entrance, the arches, the terraces and the staircases.
The Valley of Cupa
From a geographical point of view, the Valle della Cupa is made up of a large karst depression and has well-defined borders: in the center of the area is the city of Lecce and around a series of towns. Among others, the following are part of the Valle della Cupa area: Campi Salentina, Novoli, Carmiano, Arnesano, Monteroni, San Pietro in Lama, Lequile, San Cesario, Cavallino, Lizzanello. The fertility of the soil, the ease of access to water and the proximity to Lecce have already in ancient times made the Valle della Cupa one of the favorite destinations of the aristocracy of the capital. Due to their historical-artistic interest, many of the buildings within the area are under the protection of the Superintendence. Many noble families of the capital chose this landscape to build hunting or holiday residences. In the first outskirts of Lecce, near the road that leads to San Pietro in Lama, you can start the journey by visiting Villa Mellone, an enchanting noble residence dating back to 1784. The door and balustrades on the first and last floors ask you to look up to fully enjoy it. The private chapel and the garden call for a broader vision to appreciate its beauty, also pushing the gaze into the surrounding countryside. In the same area you can visit Villa Franchini. In Monteroni then the splendid Villa Cerulli and Villa Romano. The latter was chosen as a film set.
The Casino
The country casino represents the new relationship that was established between landowners and farmers. Less sumptuous than the villa, the casino is in fact a type of home that combines the settler’s house with the owner’s seasonal home. Stylistically sober, and without ornamental parks, this residence often has two floors: the ground floor occupied by the farmer or gardener with the tobacco processing rooms, the warehouses and the wine cellar, while the upper floor saw the real residence landowner’s home.
It turns out that the terms casina and casino, even if used interchangeably, express different housing typologies and at the same time represent a different conception of the relationship with the countryside and with the farmer’s family.
The garden
The so-called Garden is different in both form and function and is simpler in construction. More commonly we can say that the garden is the settler’s home where the crops are grown, usually greens and greens, then sold on the markets of the inhabited centers or on site.
In most cases the garden is a very simple building system, with one or two bedrooms and a large living room with some rooms for storing work tools. There was also a stable where a few animals were raised with herbs from the garden. This dwelling was widespread especially in the outskirts of the city with modest land areas.
The rural architecture of Salento, which has survived to the present day in fair conditions, reflects the economic and social history of the region, with its peculiarities and the external influences that have shaped its evolution over the centuries. A magical journey, which allows us to discover a more recent phase of the history of Salento, but not without its charm.