64 The Times Magazine
any qualities are required to
build a successful home. When
Laurence Pineau-Valencienne, 55,
acquired a plot of land in rural
Puglia, the most important
turned out to be patience. Due to
a local political imbroglio, it took
her 18 months to get the permits.
Then, after the construction work
was complete, she had to wait a
year and a half to get electricity. “It’s not like
in France where people initially tell you things
are impossible, but end up finding a solution,”
remarks the native Parisienne. “Here, they say,
‘Yes,’ straight away, then things take for ever.”
Still, she considers the fact the house was
even built a small miracle. When she first
visited the site in 2015, it was so remote and
on such a steep incline that she could hardly
imagine it possible. Located to the east
of Ostuni, it is accessed via a network of
M
Clockwise from this image:
the kitchen and dining
area, with Murano glass
chandelier; dining table
from Le Icone in Cisternino
on the terrace; the sitting
room, with 19th-century
leather armchair; Pineau-
Valencienne and interior
designer Roxane Rodriguez
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