Maggie surveying the
landscape below her cottageY
orkshire-based Maggie Harraby bought a two-bedroom cottage
in central Puglia three years ago. She now spends every summer
at the house, as well as Christmas and Easter holidays, with
various friends and family in tow.
What drew her to Italy, and to Puglia in particular? “I was a latecomer to
Italy,” Maggie confesses. “I’m a keen hiker and I always used to go on holiday
in France, Spain, Austria or Switzerland. Then one year a friend persuaded
me to walk some of the Via Francigena pilgrimage route to Rome, and I fell
spectacularly in love with Italy. I could kick myself for not having visited the
country earlier! Anyway, when I came into some money a few years ago, my
first thought was to invest in a house in my new favourite country. I did some
research and I soon realised that central Italy was beyond my budget, but
southern Italy seemed not to be. I read a lot about different parts of the south,
and Puglia kept coming out as the most appealing place to me. I made a few
visits, and was wowed every time. The wonderful light, the cute buildings, the
sea, the incredible food. I had clearly found the right place for me.
“My house is a little white cube sitting in a field a few miles from the
sea. It was habitable when I bought it, and just needed a bit of modernising
inside. It’s solidly-built, with thick stone walls that keep it cool in the
summer and warm in the winter. I had toyed with the idea of buying a
trullo, because they just looked so fantastical, like something from a fairytale
or a Tolkien story, but I was concerned about how practical it might be to
live in such a place and look after it. My house came with a plot of land,
which really sold me on it. I’ve put in a beautiful patio and a small pool.
A couple of my friends and I are really into yoga, and we love to do our
exercises out there by the pool with views of the sea in the distance.
“I’m a university lecturer, so I’m very lucky to have long periods in the
summer when I’m free to come out here. It’s a great place to write and catch
up on reading, as well as to relax and do nothing. I find I’m doing much
more swimming than hiking since getting the house in Puglia. Most of my
walking now is about joining in with the evening passeggiata in the local
town! The neighbourliness and sense of community is wonderful down here
in Puglia. It’s a very warm, welcoming and safe part of the world. I would
recommend it to anyone.”MY LIFE IN PUGLIA
Photograph courtesy of Maggie HarrabyNovember 2016 ITALIA! 27types to consider, too. Visitors are
still much intrigued by homes with
conical trulli roofs, and by the solid
elegance of masserie farmhouses,
and these will always attract rental
clientele. But Puglia abounds with
beautifully-constructed old homes of
many shapes and sizes. Flag up the
historical appeal of such properties in
your advertising and you’ll capture
the imagination of would-be visitors.
Francesco Lamberta of Secret
Puglia advises that, “The rental
yields for holiday properties in
Puglia have been going up in
recent years. Proximity to the sea or
access to a swimming pool are key
advantages.” Meanwhile, Francesco
Distante of Puglia Dream has some
ideas to further enhance a property’s
rentability. He says, “The amount
of rental properties is increasing,
so whoever decides to get into
this market would benefit from
putting in more effort and running
it almost like a business, with more
and different services to offer to the
guests – such as wine tours, cuisine
classes, cycling and so on.”READY OR NOT
Whether to buy a property that’s
fully ready to move into or one which
needs some restoration work first is a
question that faces every would-be-
buyer in Italy at some point. Only
you can know whether you long to
bring an old building back to life
and imprint your own taste on itsIT144.HomesInPuglia.sg4.indd 27 29/09/2016 09:33am