House Hunting in Puglia: Galatina
As a foreigner, one of the joys of buying a property in Puglia, or anywhere in Italy for that matter, is the hunt for the dream house. Having flown from Australia, I was on a schedule and viewed around 35 properties in 18 days, in towns, villages and countryside all over Salento. I looked from the Adriatic across to the Ionian Coast, and from Nardo and Lecce down to Presicce and Gagliano del Capo. What’s funny is that in Salento - the ultimate Italian summer playground - I began my search in a freak, once-in-thirty-years snowstorm that virtually closed down Puglia in the early days of January 2019. Even funnier, after viewing the 35 properties, I ended up buying the very first one I’d seen.
I’ll never forget that first day getting from my friend’s house in Bagnolo del Salento, where I was staying, to Matino. It was not only my first time driving in Italy but doing so in a blizzard. I remember arriving relieved to be alive, exploring the house and then going up to see the roof terrace and only having around a metre of visibility in any direction. I viewed other great properties in different towns and villages over the following days but Matino kept sneaking back into my mind so I messaged Antonio, my lovely estate agent, to arrange a second inspection. It could not have been a more different day, with sunshine, warmth and infinite blue skies. I got to see Matino in all its glory: the air was so clear I could not only see the water of Baia Verde in the distance from the roof terrace, but also the snow-capped mountains of Calabria across the Ionian Sea. A third visit to view the property another week later more or less sealed the deal.
It was a tough choice, though, with a multitude of truly magical alternatives. (And I was gazumped on a gorgeous little village house in Minervino di Lecce before I submitted my offer on Matino but that’s another story!) One house, I think in Cutrofiano, had a beautiful procession of rooms over two floors and a roof terrace with views to die for, not to mention a massive sub-basement with a multi-vaulted ceiling and an enormous in ground water tank that would have made the most awesome indoor swimming pool.
And this was all in line with the idea I had in my mind in the build up to the trip. I envisaged buying a large and crumbling old house which I would restore slowly over years, as I grew tomatoes and drank local wine. But seeing these places I couldn’t imagine managing the project and enjoying the process (with my limited budget) while continuing to live and run a business in Australia, on the other side of the world. So I went for the slightly smaller but equally magical house with a section that had already been restored - and a miracle, by someone with great taste - with a whole other floor that can be restored down the track.
Still, there is the occasional “what if” moment, as there was when I look back over the photos of this sleeping beauty: the upper half of a beautiful old palazzo in Galatina. Always wanted an enfilade? This house had around four…
If you’re visiting Salento one day - and even better, staying with me - make sure to visit Galatina. The centro storico is really beautiful, like a miniature Lecce but without the hustle and bustle. There are great shops, including the bakery where the paticiotto was born in 1745, and delicious places to have lunch. (Let me know if you need recommendations.) But the jewel in Galatina’s crown is the 14th century Basilica de Santa Catarina with its murals so breathtakingly beautiful that upon entering the church for the first time, an English artist friend of mine was moved to tears. Galatina is around a 25 minute drive from Matino, through lovely countryside to the town’s position in the centre of the peninsula.