Description
Casa Itria is easily the most unusual rental in all of Italy. Farmers built these cylindrical homes with conical roofs in this unique fashion two to three centuries ago. It became the style of the time in the Itria Valley of Puglia and maybe a 1000 or so were built. At least that\'s all that are left standing today, with just a handful renovated and only one for rent...this one.
The owner, a lovely French woman, has restored her home with excellent taste, and furnished it with comfort, antiques, and just the right amount of local flair.
A few interesting things of note; the casa is made from the local stone. The walls are more than a meter thick to protect against the elements and there are no doors inside, only columns of stone and curtains separating the rooms (with the exception to the bathrooms where there are doors for privacy). Also, a caution about water - it is very rare in this area. There is enough water for you and your vacation, but it is a commodity you cannot take for granted. This area has loads of blue sky and very little rain. The owner and us ask the following of you: Be very sparing of your use of water when staying here. Do not let faucets flow. Be smart and economic of your water use and think of this as your house. And finally, the alarm system - You are perfectly safe here, but if you leave the house unattended - even for 5 minutes - you must turn the alarm system on. At night when you sleep, all things must be brought inside.
The pool is open from the end of May to the end of September. However, please note, pool towels are not available. Included in the price: maid service for 3 hours on Tuesday (for stays of more than one week, an additional 3 hours on Saturday), gardener for 2 hours/3 days a week.
Casa Itria sleeps ten people. There is a living room, a dining room and kitchen in the conical house and in the \"lamia\" (the dammuso looking house beside it) there is a small kitchen / dining as well. Also included is a TV, (not satellite), VCR and CD player. The Home has a double bedroom and bathroom. The \"lamia\" has two twins and one bathroom shared as well as a bedroom with twin beds, and the adjoining \"lamia\" has a twin bedroom and bathroom. All bathrooms have a tub with handheld shower. There is a dishwasher, oven, espresso machine, and one of the \"lamia\" bathrooms also includes a laundry.
A/C units in the bedrooms.
Outside you will find a barbecue on the covered patio. The rental price includes a maid, and a grounds keeper that tends to the garden, pool, and (importantly) the cistern.
The beaches (both rock and sand) of the Adriatic are not far from here; there are hill towns to discover in the valley and nearby mountains. The Itria valley where this unique house sits is a surprisingly fertile area. The olive trees and vineyards yield an abundance of fruit, and the sun and rich red earth yield much fresh produce. There is a small grocery store 800 meters down the road and the charming white washed baroque village of Cisternino is 6 km away, where every weekend night the piazza has live jazz (a suprising sound to come across in this rural, southern region. But the jazz is supposed to be excellent). Perhaps the best reason to stay at Casa Itria is because tourism is not yet developed here (although more affluent Italians are making this area their vacation home); you feel like you are the first to discover this charming area of Italy.
