Description
Location
In the wonderful Galatina, a Baroque city of Salento situated between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, for sale the "Bersale" Castle overlooking the charming little square of the historic center. The town is located in the heart of Salento, in the province of Lecce, on a slight rise and is a treasure trove of Gothic and Baroque churches, palaces and historic courtyards. A town founded in the 12th century, with one of the most beautiful churches in Italy, the basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria, one of the most distinguished Gothic monuments in Apulia, Galatina also fascinates with the beauty of Baroque architecture combined with ancient traditions and the concept of slow-living.
Description
The mansion, which originated as an ancient flush mill for olive processing and has been active since the 1500s, is the result of a masterful renovation designed by French artists, resulting in a unique residence on three levels. The ground, first and second floors are connected by a spiral staircase made of Lecce stone that once led to the top of the tower that looms imposingly over the facade. The rarity of this building is the presence of as many as two panoramic terraces on the first and top floors and the high ceilings that enhance the interior volumes. The total covered area is about 360 square meters with 2 lounges, one of which is at the entrance of the ground floor and one with a fireplace, 4 bedrooms each with its own bathroom, a study, a large kitchen with windows separating it from the living area and the 2 beautiful terraces.
Outdoor spaces
The first terrace of this ancient Salento building is located on the second floor thus extending outward the living area adjacent to the kitchen, resulting in a charming space of about 50 sqm where to set wonderful candlelight tables surrounded by the stone architecture of the historic center and thus dominating the square in front. The largest terrace of over 100 square meters is located on the top floor and is accessed from a room used as a study with bathroom or double bedroom. The latter terrace, which has a small pool and solarium area, is furnished with a beautiful pergola and allows the view to sweep over typical Salento rooftops in a succession of volumes and ancient stones. It lends itself to hosting wonderful terracotta pots with native plants that would make this outdoor space a charming oasis over the rooftops of Galatina.
Condition and Finishes
The condition of this building is perfect both externally and internally having undergone a skillful and meticulous restoration that has enhanced its beauty and brought back to life ancient decorations and stones. Contemporary materials have been chosen to complement the ancient walls and wonderful vaulted ceilings. The two living rooms have barrel vaults made of exposed Lecce stone , flanked by white plastered walls with pops of color that give modernity to the structure thus hinting at the technological comfort that accompanies this ancient building. Kitchen and bathrooms follow contemporary designs that blend well with the evidence of the ancient. Resin floors for the interiors in continuity with the same color as the Lecce stone of the exteriors give a sense of linearity and cleanliness in the formal choices of the renovation. The exteriors facing the square have plastered surfaces that flank the exposed Lecce stone of the tower.
Potentiality
This is a wonderful piece of architecture from the past, a testimony to the region's olive oil traditions, which today lends itself, given its central yet strategic location, as a vacation home in Salento that can be used throughout the year given the region's mild climate or even as a first home to live in, alone, as a couple or with a family. A strategic starting point to discover the historical and natural wonders of the Puglia region.
