PILAPALUCCI
Countryhouse
In the heart of the Apulian Romanesque
LA MASSERIA
The ancient courtyard, the keep, the carrier pigeons tower, the high stone walls make one think of tough knights but also of a noblewoman like Maria Amalia D’Urso, the charitable and rich lady of the “maritaggi”, who three centuries ago secured the dowry to hundreds of poor girls.
Today this farm, which has been renovated according to rigorous conservation criteria, has become a charming residence that did not affect the essence of the place.
OVER 500 YEARS OF FAMILY HISTORY
The current owner is Avv. Emilia D'Urso, coordinator of the Slow Food "Mandorla di Toritto" Presidium.
A large organic farm, dedicated to ecological management practices that respect the strict Slow Food regulations, surrounds the ancient stone structure. The interiors of the farm are characterized by stone arches and barrel vaults, apotropaic sculptures, arcane passages and cult symbols passed down through generations. Crossing the threshold means getting immersed in an atmosphere characterized by ancient, austere and refined taste but, at the same time, full of warmth, taste and personality.
Emilia D'Urso
THE OWNER
Passionate about the territory, lawyer with a specialization in planning at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Bari and a specialization course in Ecology at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Uniba. She found her vocation in the recovery of the family tradition by managing the ancient countryhouse and cultivating almond and olive groves.
Founder and contact person of the Slow Food “Mandorla di Toritto” Presidia, she is inspired by the agricultural philosophy of Carlin Petrini by applying sustainable production processes to her lands. She promotes as well international relations, in particular with some central Asian countries, within the Terra Madre project where Prunus dulcis finds its origins.
She followed her passion for the genius loci, a particular emotion for the pre-Murgia area, an transition zone of cultures and civilizations. The Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, the Spaniards have shaped over the centuries an unique agricultural landscape where the limestone of the Murgia meets the humus of the ancient Toritto wood, one of the lost botanical wonders of Southern Italy, the ideal terroir for almond trees.