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Alezio
the mansions and the cheerful gardens
From the beginning of the eighteenth century the reorganization of the rural environment led to the construction of country mansions where the noble families from Gallipoli used to spend their holidays . They are now a few scattered houses and cottages in the country with their main doors often made of carparo, with close gardens, a poetic interpretation of the Italianate Gardens, where both natural and artistic elements contribute to create extraordinary scenarios : precious wells and fanciful pavilions covered by a pergola, elegant stone seats, welcoming coffeehouses, geometrical intersections of paths.
Let's experience a guided tour to the country mansions.
Villa Renna
The De Tommasi family is now the owner of Villa Renna which stand on the road that from Alezio leads to Sannicola.
Along the road other country houses worth a visit are: Rodogallo and Cartenase cottages and Villa Costa and Villa Spirito.
Villa Renna has been badly damaged since, about ten years ago, the splendid balcony in Lecce stone of the façade was stolen by unidentified thieves who also stole some tiles from the kitchen walls, some pieces of furniture and some "pile" (washtubs) in Lecce stone. In the Villa, now abandoned there is a cellar with a millstone; there were also vineyards and orange and lemon groves.
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along Alezio-Tuglie provincial road
After visiting Villa Renna drive towards Alezio and then turn left and head towards Tuglie. About one kilometer farther where the road bends Starace Convent can be seen on the right and on the opposite side of the road Astuto Cottage with its imposing front door and its gardens stands.
Soon after turning left into the so called Prandico private road with right of way are Palmentola and Consiglio cottages and, after the double line of pine trees of Villa Renna, villa Prandico.
The Villa belongs to the Teseo family who has restored it to its former splendour.
Now go back to the provincial road and head towards Tuglie, some meters farther turn to the right near Motta cottage.
It is famous because the three Pignatelli brothers used to relax in the cheerful gardens of this cottage. They were appointed Bishops of Lecce and succeeded the one to the other as spiritual leaders of the diocese between 1671 and 1734,.
The three Bishops' names are: Antonio, who was elected Pope Innocenzo III, Michele and Fabrizio. The latter is famous for excommunicating the citizens of Lecce from November 1711 to April 1719 and also because he commissioned to the architect G.Cino the construction of the Seminary, a masterpiece in Baroque style, in Cathedral Square in Lecce.
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Villa Prandico [Pràndico]
The present access to the Villa is not the original one which opened on the Alezio- Sannicola road and that led to the Villa through a tree-lined lane longer than 500 meters.
As soon as you enter you can admire the façade of the Villa and the two close side gardens that frame it. The late eighteenth century stuccoed building recalls the Rococo style of Palazzo D'Ospina in Gallipoli.
Both the front elevation enriched by an elegant balcony inserted between two wide side balconies and the rear elevation with two windows on either side of the door above which is an elegant oval window with an overhanging little balcony recall Zimbalo's architectural style.
The staircase is also exquisite.
Beyond the building are the farmers' lodges and the Chapel amid flourishing orchards.
Worth mentioning is a big ugly stone mask on the belvedere of the terrace and other ugly masks that were put on the lintels as a protection against evil spirits.
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Doxi- Stracca Cottage
Go back to the Alezio-Tuglie road, turn left at the crossing and the monumental entrance
to Doxi-Stracca Cottage is in front of you, and at its right are the remains of a hypogeal olive press. Go downstairs and you can see what remains of the olive and oil depositories and the huge stone used to squeeze oil out of the olives.
A part of the roof collapsed and a restoration work should be made to save this pre-industrial monument.
Doxi- Stracca Cottage, built by Pasquale Doxi-Stracca in 1700, in the nineteenth century became one of the most important hideouts of the Carbonari in the region.
In 1848, Epaminonda Valentini , Stanislao and Antonietta De Pace's brother in law was arrested in this house after the failure of the Carbonari insurrection. They all were politically active and together with Francesco Patitari fought against the Borbone oppressive regime.
The house is in a state of dilapidation but there are still some refined decorations in the eighteenth century Chapel and in the close garden.
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Senàpe- De Pace Cottage
Go back again to the Alezio-Tuglie road and turn left at the crossing. Drive along the asphalted road ahead lined with vineyards and ancient olive trees that, with their hollow trunks are natural monuments, to reach Senàpe-de Pace Cottage now a rural tourist resort.
The elegant country house built by the De Pace family to whom the Senàpe became related, has often been under repair during the last two centuries.
The main body of the building was built in the half of the eighteenth century as testified by the decorations of the Chapel and the carparo structure which separates the mangers of the horses. The front elevation, reconstructed in 1805 is embellished by the solid arched columns which form a kind of balcony on the upper floor.
Worth mentioning are also the columns along the path and the stone seats in the rear garden.
Camerelle Cottage
Leaving Senàpe Cottage, turn left on the road heading towards Parabita, and on the left is Camerelle Cottage which stands on the border between Alezio and Parabita territories.
Giovanni Presta, the well known agronomist, to whom the Technical School of Agronomy in Lecce is dedicated, was the owner of this nice house.
Particularly important is the balcony of the façade, the abandoned Chapel and the well with the columns that hold up the old pergola in front of the house.
Rocci Cottage
Behind Camerelle Cottage is Rocci Cottage or Villa Rocci- Cerasoli, also abandoned.
In the Chapel some frescoes with the Rocci-Cerasoli's coat of arms and in the front square are traces of the elegant flowerbeds and stone benches.
more cottages
Worth a visit are also Passaby and Garzìa.
author: <Raimondo Rodia>
translation: <Marinella Olivieri>
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