Project description

Ddò Relais di Puglia was born from the careful renovation of an early twentieth-century Lamia and preserves all the charm of the old Apulian rural buildings: the harmony of shapes and volumes, the thick walls made of light-colored stone, the arches and cross vaults, and the ingenuity and poetry of the dry-stone walls. The renovation preserved the integrity of the places and gave a new look to the spaces originally used as agricultural warehouses and animal shelter. The front elevation-after the cleaning carried out-has not undergone any changes and the side elevations have undergone minimal changes only in the existing openings (lights and doors)without altering the historical architectural value of the property. Locally sourced materials with the same aesthetic and functional characteristics as the existing ones were used. A structure was created that addresses a quality tourism through: the realization of an excellent, exclusive and comfortable location; a welcome and hospitality in refined environments, characterized by creativity and elegance; a high level of comfort and well-being; a strong attention to safety as well as privacy, which is essential in order to guarantee the clientele the right confidentiality from other guests of the structure. In particular, on the lamia a targeted demolition and reconstruction of dilapidated parts was carried out, restoring the original architectural typology.The SPA was built by excavating under part of the original structure while stone walkways immersed in the meadows and among the olive trees allow full enjoyment of the surrounding nature. An artesian well was built for water supply by recovering the existing cistern. Remarkable is the recovery of all the existing floors: all the original cement tiles (handcrafted artistic tiles typical of the area) were reused for large and original inserts in the new floors, for inserts in the furniture in the rooms, and an entire floor disassembled and transferred to an outdoor veranda. More than 90 percent of the finishes-frames, glass, furniture, and upholstery-were made by local artisans.