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

Local firm Valari transforms a rustic masseria into an expansive holiday getaway overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

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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.

Masseria Belvedere is a restored 1600s farmstead located in Carovigno, a small town in Italy’s Puglia region near the Adriatic Coast. Architects Nicolò Lewanski and Federica Russo, cofounders of local firm Valari, took great care to preserve the existing ruins, cleaning every individual stone.

"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.

The eight-bedroom, eight-bath vacation rental comprises two wings, with the main living area in a converted stable and the sleeping spaces in the original masseria. Together, the wings form an L-shape around a central garden with terraces and an infinity pool.

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.

Lewanski and Russo say the decision to leave the exterior stone exposed caused them "to lose sleep," as most traditional masserias are coated with white plaster. "Then, we looked at the facade and saw how you can read all of the additions," say the architects. "Every 50 years or so, they added one room toward the valley. It was too much of a good story to cover up." — Lewanski and Russo say the decision to leave the exterior stone exposed caused them "to lose sleep," as most traditional masserias are coated with white plaster. "Then, we looked at the facade and saw how you can read all of the additions," say the architects. "Every 50 years or so, they added one room toward the valley. It was too much of a good story to cover up."

"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.

The long, multilevel living space includes a kitchen, dining room, and sitting area that look out onto the terrace and pool, all of which run parallel to the Adriatic coastline.

The interior materials—such as Apricena marble and plaster-bleached oak wood—mimic the warm shades of the exposed natural stone, while softening the roughness with smooth finishes.

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 architects used slender metal accents like dark steel window frames and brass indoor lighting and bathroom fixtures to create a contrast with the new and pre-existing features.

Colorful metal outdoor furniture provides seating around the firepit.

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.

The guest rooms are located in the original masseria, perpendicular to the main living wing. The sleeping wing is spread across two levels, with six bedrooms on the ground floor and two above.

All of the spaces throughout the stone structure feature barrel-vaulted ceilings. The architects took inspiration from the original use of each area to design the eight guest bedrooms.

One of the bathrooms features original stone floors, as well as a series of arches and niches.

On the upper level, one of the two bedrooms is adorned with blue-toned cement wall tiles.

"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.

A soaking tub with a sea view is built into the floor of one of the guest rooms.

The ground level also offers a yoga and recreation room with a cocktail bar.

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.

Valari collaborated with landscape architect Simona Serafino to design the rocky garden, vegetable patch, and citrus orchard around the terraces and infinity pool area. The rental property also includes a beach volleyball court, a hammock area, and a centuries-old olive grove.

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."