FRIENDLY-HOME.ORG Trulli in vendita, ville in campagna, castelli, masserie, casali, baite. Vendita, Affitti settimanali e mensili. Proprietà in Puglia, Basilicata, Emilia Romagna, Toscana, Umbria, Lazio, Veneto. Consulenza professionale su tutte le fasi della vendita, sulle ristrutturazioni.   SPECIALE AFFITTI SU WINEHOLIDAYS   PUGLIA GUIDE HOME | WINEHOLIDAYS.it |LEARN ITALIAN IN ITALY | Hotelsforsale.it |PUGLIA GUIDE | PROPERTIES SEARCH MENU • Contatta Italian Countryside • Proprietà in Vendita • Proprietà in Affitto • Pubblicità • Chi siamo (in inglese) • Italian Countryside Consultancy (in inglese) • Italian Countryside (in inglese)   • Amalfi   • Puglia   • Basilicata   • Toscana   • Lazio e Roma   • Umbria   • Emilia Romagna • Puglia Countryside (in inglese)   • What is a "trullo"   • What is a "Masseria"   • White sands and crystal water   • The "Salento art district"   • Land of oil and wine   • Discover the house of your dreams   • Considering your location   • Let us what you are looking for!   • Trulli and Masseria for rent   • Agricultural land   • Sight-seeing   • Special packages • Things to do when you decide to buy a property (in inglese) • Why do I need an agent if I can find a home by myself on the Internet? (in inglese) • Useful information for villa rentals (in inglese) • Frequently Asked Questions for Rentals (in inglese) • Buy-to-let (in inglese) • About Italian Countryside Villas (in inglese) • Restaurants, Cafès and Caterers (in inglese) • Galleria Fotografica • Mappe • Site Terms & Conditions (in inglese)   Puglia Countryside   What is a Masseria     The “masseria” is a traditional farmhouse to be found in the countryside of Puglia. It is generally built in “tufo”, a local sandstone, around a courtyard, and is surrounded by high walls designed to protect its residents since Turkish pirates occupied Otranto in 1480, and destroyed Castro and Marittima in 1537. Most masserias were built between the 16th and the 18th century (1500 to 1700). Although some masserias were real castles, hosting up to 300 people, most of these buildings were designed to host two or three families of peasants on the ground floor, and the landlord’s family on the first floor. In the past 500 years the masseria has been the center of production of apulian agricultural economy where most people lived and worked in the countryside producing wheat, almonds, wine, olive oil, milk and cheese. After world war II most people moved to towns leaving most masserias abandoned. In the past 5 or 6 years masserias have found new life as country hotels, museums and private residences..