Architects Nicolò Lewanski and Federica Russo, cofounders of the Italian firm Valari, had been working with a client who wanted to build a home overlooking the Adriatic Sea in Puglia, but they couldn’t find an adequate plot of land. The client was about to walk away from the project when Lewanski and Russo came across a rustic masseria (farmstead) dating back to the 1600s. It was in ruins, but the unmatched view sold them.

“It might be a cliché, but when we went up on the first-floor terrace, the spatial perception just exploded,” explain the architects. “We told each other, ‘We have to do this one.’”

Still, the client was hesitant, as it would be a much more complicated project than a new build. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, the duo proposed a partnership: Lewanski went in as one of the owners, giving the client reassurance in the investment and allowing the architects complete creative freedom over the restoration.

Rather than turn the centuries-old property into a private residence, the team opted to create a holiday rental—a venture that the owners would still be able to enjoy, but would offer a better return on investment.

For the restoration, the architects wanted to preserve as much as possible of the existing masseria, which had been built over rock and partially nestled into the mountainside. Much of the original facade was intact, and the structural outline was visible, but little else remained.

“Its character was, in a sense, stronger than ever in that roughness,” say the architects. “There were priceless features, like the external stair dug into the rock, or the floor of one of the rooms entirely built from rock.”

Lewanski and Russo let the landscape and horizontal nature of the structure guide the new design. “We decided to work mainly on horizontal elements, identifying connecting geometries oriented towards the sea,” explain the architects.

In the original footprint, the main living spaces were oriented perpendicular to the coastline, disavowing those areas of Adriatic views. The architects reworked what had formerly been the farm’s stables to become a long, multilevel kitchen, dining, and living area, removing interior walls and digging into the mountainside to enlarge the space.

The primary living areas now run parallel to the sea-view horizon, with each looking onto the connected outdoor terrace, in keeping with the local culture. Outside, there’s an infinity pool, firepit, and multiple gathering spaces, including an outdoor kitchen and dining area.

At the other end of the L-shaped structure is the sleeping wing, with eight double bedrooms and baths spread across two levels. Each room is different from the next.

“We tried really hard to listen to the character—as well as the characteristics—of each space and see how to enhance it while disturbing as little as possible,” explain the architects.

One bedroom that occupies an area formerly used to make olive oil, for instance, is decorated with olive-green furniture. Meanwhile, the two guest rooms on the upper level feature colorful tile accents and offer access to a panoramic terrace with an outdoor bar and Jacuzzi.

The architects chose interior finishes such as plaster-bleached oak wood, Apricena marble, and microcement to bring a more “domestic feel” to the rustic structure with smooth, homogeneous surfaces that contrast the rough stone. The palette is neutral, with pops of color—cerulean cement tiles, coral upholstery on the sofa—to reflect the surrounding landscape.

The result is a two-level, 5,382-square-foot holiday rental that itself offers much to explore. “We like to roam around and look at the dialogue between the landscape, the existing masseria, and our contemporary additions,” the architects say. “As you walk, you always find different angles; some are what you designed, but others are unintended, because in an existing structure where every stone is different from the other, there are always more details than the ones you can design.”

Masseria Belvedere is available for weekly rentals through The Thinking Traveller.

Related Reading:

10 Dreamy Italian Villas You Can Rent for an Idyllic Getaway

A Restored Stable in the Italian Alps Embraces Its Unparalleled Landscape

Project Credits:

Architecture: Valari / @valari.eu

Builder/General Contractor: GDO Srl

Landscape Design: Simona Serafino

Interior Design: Valari / @valari.eu

Cabinetry: Valari / @valari.eu

Photography: Lorenzo Zandri / @lorenzozandri

Communications: BasedArchitecture / @based.architecture

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A 17th-Century Italian Farmstead Is Restored as an Idyllic Vacation Rental