Masseria Mangiamuso, Puglia
A centuries-old farmhouse ideally situated in Italy’s south has been lovingly restored to its former glory – but these days guests don’t need to brace themselves against invaders
Back in the 1600s, the proprietors at Masseria Mangiamuso in Puglia used to send smoke signals to the nearby town of Ostuni to let them know invaders were coming from the sea. These days the people who stay at Masseria Mangiamuso – masseria means fortified farmhouse – are not in such a precarious situation; they may instead be found lying by the beautiful pool, or enjoying drinks and dinner in the stunning walled courtyard or even a siesta in one of the nine bedrooms of the villa.
“We have olive groves that run out to the Adriatic and it’s also only an hour or so to the other side of the coast,” says Maureen Papas, who co-owns the coastal farmhouse with her husband Tony and friends Peter and Lily Lewis. “We really are in the heel of the boot here. On one side, you can go to Greece, on the other side, you start to go to Europe, and on the other side you have Nigeria and the beginning of Africa, so you have really interesting influences around.”
The Papas came to own this bit of history at the very bottom of Italy after moving to London in 2010 to bring decent coffee – in the shape of New Zealand coffee roaster Allpress – to the British capital. Before that the pair had been in the restaurant business in Sydney. Chef Tony was responsible for the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay and former Kings Cross landmark the Bayswater Brasserie.
“We quickly discovered that we needed to get out of London a couple of times a year, and we absolutely love London,” explains Tony of their move to the UK. “Italy became the obvious place and we made it down to Puglia in winter about 10 years ago and it was snowing and we just love it.”
“It is very different from the north,” adds Maureen. “The weather is fantastic and it’s also new for people to have quite a different experience here than in Tuscany.”
The couple decided to do something in the accommodation space with the Lewises – who founded Porter’s Paints in Australia – and spent five years looking for the perfect villa. The selling process in Puglia is notoriously difficult as there is usually more than one owner, often within a family. The process most definitely lived up to its prickly reputation, with Tony having to spend hours with fighting vendors to secure the villa.
“I had one interesting experience that involved a four-and-a-half-hour meeting with a notary and the owners,” he recalls. “There were 12 people and three lawyers and they’re all screaming and crying as they were suing each other and they had to get it sorted before they could sell it. I was there with 27 cheques and little wads of cash and eventually we got the keys.”
Then came the restoration. The couple and Peter spend two years rebuilding the villa, which now has nine bedrooms and sleeps 17, to its former glory. This meant lots of whitewashing of walls and keeping the décor simple and refined. “We wanted to return it to what it was,” says Tony. The original architecture has been maintained, as has the walled courtyard, which was originally built for security (there were also escape tunnels) and the house was constructed around this central courtyard.
“One of the most common comments we get from guests is that it is so like the real thing, and that is great for us because it means we have done our jobs correctly,” adds Tony. “There has been extensive work done but for the person who walks in, they can’t tell ,and that is why we are really pleased with the results,” Maureen remarks. “It is such a pleasure to be a part of the history of this building because if these walls could talk they would have such a lot of great stories to share.”
The villa is now available to rent via thethinkingtraveller.com, and after a few guests in between lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the couple are excited to see it booking up with people from Europe, the UK and Australia for the rest of the year. The property also has its own olive oil orchard and is surrounded by great restaurants and food up and down the coast, with seafood being a highlight.
“We also do have the most beautiful vegetables and we eat a lot out of the gardens,” explains Maureen.
The couple now spend more time in Puglia than in London and are renovating another masseria nearby in the mountains that will become their home. “The people are so warm and welcoming here and they are just enormously proud of their region,” says Maureen.