Masseria Petrarolo
A farmhouse turned luxury vacation rental, Masseria Petrarolo in Puglia combines rustic warmth with elegance. Nine bedrooms in the villa and pool house are set in olive and citrus groves.
How would you describe Casa Scultura in a nutshell?
Designed by Venetian architect Gabriele Pimpini who had already realized Pesce Trullo together with the legendary designer Gaetano Pesce, Casa Scultura is a sculptural work of art surrounded by olive trees in the idyllic countryside of Carovigno. It fuses Apulian traditions with modern architecture and site-specific artworks, all just a few kilometres from the sea.
What is the story behind Casa Scultura?
It all started during Covid when we were living in Munich and the lockdowns were giving us the feeling of being in jail. We decided we had to get away. As the hotels were closed, we started looking for a house and found one on Welcome Beyond. We stayed for a week and loved it. There was nobody around, we could go out and swim in the pool, there was the silence and the cicadas. It was really something special.
While being in Puglia we saw a lot of “For sale” signs and thought maybe it was a good time to buy. Originally, we had planned to build our own house. But after the building prices exploded in 2023, it became impossible.
It took us some time to find the right property and last September, we discovered the house by accident. It was love at first sight. After viewing Casa Scultura, we flew back that evening and said: “We need to get that house!” We moved everything to make it happen — we even sold our old Porsche.
Casa Scultura isn’t just a simple, white villa with big windows. If you have stayed in a trullo, you know it has no windows. While our house is traditionally designed, it has windows that you can open to allow sunlight in but also close to keep the extreme heat out in the summertime. It gets very hot in Puglia during the summer, but when you’re inside Casa Scultura, it’s cool.
There’s a simple functionality to the house. For example, there is no sink — it’s a bucket, just one of many extraordinary ideas by Gabriele Pimpini. From the glass-made shower you can see the surrounding garden. I would describe it as industrial chic. That being said, it has all the modern luxurious, like air-conditioning.
How would you describe the atmosphere and the interior design of Casa Scultura?
Guests who have rented the property have said they are obsessed with the darkness inside, which contrasts with the white exterior. We love the colour concept. Additionally, the red around the pool is the same colour as the soil. With dark interiors, everything you put within the space — the artworks, photographs and light installations — becomes even more special than it already is. It opens your mind a little.
We love to collect art and want to put some of our pieces into the trullo. We might also invite some artists we know to live there for a week or two and see what their vision of the place is. We want to create a personal approach to the house through art.
Our long-term vision is to collaborate with brands and make the house a showroom, so people go to the house and think: “We need to have that cutlery or those plates as they remind us of Puglia”. “Do you remember the fragrance in the rooms?” We want to enable people to live the Puglian summer in all its luxurious simplicity, but at the same time, be able to take it home with them.
While the inside feels cosy and protected, living really starts outside. It’s living within nature — a nest and personal hideaway. To live in the South means eating outside and relaxing outside in the shade. Having a pool to cool down in the summertime is essential. It’s for this reason that it’s the perfect summer house.
To you personally, what is so special about Casa Scultura?
We think it’s the concept of the house — it’s the perfect summer house. When you get there, you feel like summer is embracing you. It’s the sun, the breeze, the sound of silence. You might hear a nearby farmer tending to his animals. But it’s the simplicity and the atmosphere of summer.
A quintessential experience while staying in Puglia is having a peaceful setting in the middle of an olive grove, with citrus and figs hanging from the trees. You can go and pick your fruit — it’s like a Garden of Eden. It’s a place where you can really come down as the days are long and calm. If you want action, you can go to the cities and the beach clubs. But at the property, it’s very laid-back. While it’s not a luxurious house, the concept is and it offers everything you need in the summertime.
Some properties in Puglia are very luxurious and have great style but Casa Scultura is something more personal. It’s a hideaway filled with art and with a special character. Because of this, not everyone will like it. But I adore it and admire Gabriele for creating what he did and Luca Bombassei, the former owner, for being brave enough to make the rooms dark inside. It has a cosy feeling but everything’s really practical, with big wardrobes to store your clothes. There are also so many outdoor living spaces, such as the rooftop, the cushioned platforms around the pool and the chairs beneath the trees.
