0 KM RECOVERY: THE CONSERVATIVE RESTORATION OF TRULLI

What we are about to tell you is the restoration of a complex of Trulli in the heart of Valle d'Itria, a few kilometers from the beautiful baroque town of Martina Franca: a private house brought back to its original splendor thanks to a long and accurate work, which included the recovery of the structure and furnishings.

The work had as its starting point a series of elements essential to our restoration work:

- Absolute respect for natural and architectural elements

- Rigorous choices.

"In close collaboration and harmony with the client - says Francesco Serra - we decided to work on a conservative recovery that, while ensuring the re-functionalization of the Trulli, would respect the rural character of these buildings, continuing the path of our people who, with simplicity have destined the genius loci of the Itria Valley. We believe, for over 40 years, that everything that is the essence of the ancient structure must remain so".

And so the state of the places has been re-evaluated, bringing the house back to its origin: all the materials have been recovered, integrating them - where it was not possible - with other valuable ones, giving priority to stone, wood, and iron.

On the outside, we intervened with small maintenance works and the realization of a cavity to isolate the building and reduce the rising damp.

Inside, a spartan house, where the recovery reveals for each place in the house - from the kitchen to the living area, from the bathroom to the two bedrooms - its original vocation, gently bringing together new things, finding the way of harmonious coexistence. As in the alcoves or in the different levels connected by stairs that create a surprise effect in the passage between the rooms.

The systems have been realized following the same path: the heating is ensured by recovering the old cast iron radiators, while for the electrical system we opted for an exposed system, entirely made with twisted electrical cables, in pure vintage style.

For the floor, we preferred to keep the old terracotta, as if to break, with a touch of energy, the light tones of the stone. In the living room, there is a large fireplace with simple shapes, accompanied by seats made of stone, to fully enjoy the warmth of the fire. The bathroom is furnished in an austere way but with all the comforts (the washbasin has been recovered from an ancient stone), while furniture, doors, and fixtures, which had found a home in the trullo for several decades, have been wisely recovered, for an overall effect that does not disturb the quietness of the countryside entering the house.

Both exteriors and interiors have thus brought to light an architecture that was born in the cradle of the Mediterranean and wants to bring in the smells, colors, and splendor of millennia of civilization.