Puglia – Trullo Genista

August 16, 2023August 17, 2023

Welcome to Our First Guests

At last, at the beginning of July, we were able to welcome our first guests. We returned home from Puglia at the end of June having prepared the trullo as best we could for the impending visitors. There were two difficult aspects to this. Over the course of four years, we’ve seen the gradual transformation of the house from slightly neglected second home to, hopefully, stunning holiday location – all designed in our own image. It’s tough to suspend your own preferences and try and put your thinking into the heads of families and friends on holiday. But we did. No doubt, as well as getting plenty right, we probably got some things wrong so we’ll rely on feedback from departing guests to get it better in the future.

The other really tricky part of the process was, after all the trials and tribulations of the last four years, we had to sit back and realise we were leaving the spoils to other people having never properly experienced the finished article ourselves. And it looked fantastic when we handed over. But that’s a short term issue. We will of course be back at some point in the future.

That was June. Fast forward and we’re in the middle of August and a number of sets of guests have now arrived and left. Generally the feedback has been good and we thank them for that. We have also learnt a number of lessons about what people do and don’t need that perhaps we had neglected to think of. But that’s good because we will never know if people don’t feed back to us. If you are one of our guests and you are reading this, do leave a comment in the guest book on this site.

Time passes quickly and it’s incredible to think as September approaches that we are heading towards the end of our first season and looking forward to the next. We already have bookings for 2024 which is (to us at any rate) remarkable – and very encouraging. If the idea of a newly converted trullo in Puglia’s ‘Golden Triangle’ appeals, the contact details are all on this website. For us it remains only to say it’s been a long time coming but well worth it when you get there.

Ciao for now!

October 12, 2022

Starting to Look the Part

Looking at these pictures it’s hard to imagine that it was nearly two months ago when we last posted on this blog. Maybe things might have progressed further but there was little point rushing anything as important as allowing the concrete to go off properly when the holiday season was coming to an end anyway.

We’re confident though that come April 2023, Genista will be ready for visitors to come, stay and enjoy Puglia throughout the spring, summer and autumn. So what are we looking at here? The picture at the top of this blog is the swimming pool after fitting the lining. You may ask why does it look a sort of sandy beige colour when traditionally pools are coloured light blue. Three to four years ago, the regulations for building swimming pools in the Valle D’Itria were made more strict in order to preserve the authenticity of the region while allowing the tourist industry to continue to continue to grow. Consequently pools are not allowed to be plain azzure blue anymore in order that they blend in better with the landscape.

We think you’ll agree from the sample photograph above of this lining actually in situ that the end effect is a very calming and pleasing one. We are extremely happy we chose the one we did. By the time this post goes live the process of back filling will have been completed and we can then start the paving around the edges.

When we visit in a week’s time we hope to be able to report that that particular process will have begun. Maybe we’ll be finished by Christmas but December and January are notoriously slow months in Italy but we can hope.

August 16, 2022

Pouring Cement

OK, we’re not exactly on the completion timeline that we intended but after the last couple of years we’ll take any progress we can get. We were hoping that this late Summer/Autumn we’d have been welcoming our first guests through the door at Trullo Genista but sadly it looks like we’ve missed the boat again.

But on the positive side, that gives us the entire winter to get the house ready to open the doors to the first holidaymakers next Spring – likely early May but no doubt if people wish to book for April, or even Easter, we could likely accommodate.

What then is happening here? Last time we visited the house in May, there was a big hole in the ground (see previous posts). Since then the hole has been lined with brickwork in readiness for cement to be poured. Why the time lag between the two processes took so long we have no idea. Now it’s done, we have to wait a month (maybe less as the weather is very warm) before back-filling can take place and then the liner can be fitted.

In order that the pool can be used for as many months of the year as possible, or at least well into October, it is also going to be solar heated. The solar panels therefore have to be installed as part of the project alongside everything else. Maybe then by end of September we could be all finished. This project has taught us never to take anything for granted so we will just keep the positivity levels up and carry on.

May 10, 2022November 25, 2022

Permission at Last. Time to get Going

I know! A scene we thought we may never see. This is an actual excavator digging the hole for our actual swimming pool.

In a bid to accelerate construction work in Italy post-lockdown the government passed legislation that basically said if you have had a construction permit request outstanding for more than 18 months, you can give 60 days notice that you are going to begin the work unless you hear from the comuné with any objections. We did all that but nothing seemed to happen. When the 60 days were up our geometra went to sign the letter that said we were due to start and sure enough it all went through.

Hole for pool filter and pump — The pump and filter space for the pool. Solar panels will sit above this area so the pool can be used right up to and including October

On the 4th May, as pictures bear witness here, digging began which means we hope to start having paying visitors in Genista in July/August. And being solar heated visitors can come right through October and enjoy a heated pool.

The Imhoff septic tank — A new septic tank. Least said the better but actually far more environmentally friendly.

On a slightly les savoury note, law dictates that a new environmentally friendly septic tank has to be installed as a result of the swimming pool work. Consequently, as you can see from the picture here, another big hole has been dug at a safe distance from the pool and a new tank installed. We haven’t inspected the work yet but we are desperately hoping that we don’t have to move any of the olive trees to accommodate this new installation. There’s a long way to go but having waited two and a half years for this when it should have been ready to start in October 2019, we were seriously bemused as to what was going on at the Comune. Was there something they weren’t telling us? Is there a problem that hadn’t been identified when the previous owner got his permit? All this stuff goes through your head and you begin to wonder if you’ll ever come out the other side. We will probably never know but right now it is onwards and upwards.

March 2, 2022November 25, 2022

Puglian Snow. That Wasn’t in the Plan!

Last week of February and I landed in Bari for another meeting with Martina Franca planning department as we are so close to final sign off and I wanted to get an update on progress. For the record Chiara at the Comune assured us she had stamped the permit and sent it for final sign off on February 10th. Meaning by 9th March we should be ready to start work. Generally then, very positive. We await with anticipation.

We once read that February is the coldest month of the year in the Itrian Valley which surprised me as I’ve known some warm days in March and assumed that February would mark the beginning of a warming up process. After a useful week of administrative tasks and some work around the house, I prepared myself to close up the house in advance of a trip back to the UK.

The images you see here are what greeted me when I opened the shutters. I knew that it does snow in Puglia, and it had been a cold week, but it still took me somewhat by surprise. My mind jumped immediately to the fact that I was supposed to be flying that day and that a trip to Bari airport was on the cards for me that day. Thankfully, the gritters had been out and the snow was very rapidly turning to slush by the time I left for Bari later that day. But some great photos for the scrap book nonetheless.

Returning briefly to the building project, we are now working on the assumption that we can finish sometime in June in time for guests to begin to visit Trullo Genista in July, August, September and October. We’ll keep you posted.

February 7, 2022November 25, 2022

Christmas Comes and Goes in Puglia

As I write this on February 7th 2022, I can’t believe it is over a month since we spent our first Puglian Christmas. The picture above shows Alberobello on Christmas Day.

Rather than the subdued, pre-eating and drinking atmosphere in England, Christmas morning is bustling over there and all are out in the town. People come out to go to Mass, eat cakes and pastries and meet friends – or all three. We were pleased to see the ladies who ran the cafe we were in open up a bottle of Prosecco just before 1pm when they were due to close. All together a really enjoyable atmosphere.

Add to that the sun came out around lunchtime and were were treated to a glorious day. In fact the weather treated us well for the whole ten days we were there. This was the view from Trullo Genista on our return from Alberobello that morning. All makes for a very different and very enjoyable Christmas.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, for us it’s interesting to spend Christmas in a different country and secondly it makes for better reading than the ongoing building permit saga. If you have followed this blog you now likely have your head in your hands and are thinking you wish you hadn’t bothered.

The good news is that on 28th December I had a meeting in the planning department at the Comune with a lady called Chiara who not only gave me her contact details she said there was no need to make an appointment but to just drop in and ask for her any time I needed an update. The not so good news is that she checked progress and said that the permit was with the department in Taranto and would be with her and approved by 31st January. That, of course, was a week ago. You’ve guessed it. It didn’t happen.

Our friends at Puglia Pools are going back for a further update this week but my guess is the news will not have changed any. This is the way of the world there just now and so we must just get learn to live with it. The frustrating thing is that the other Comunes nearby, Locorotondo and Cisternino are pulling out all the stops to get things moving post-pandemic. The luck of the draw is that ours is Martina Franca who appear to be the most slow.

I think the really sad thing from our point of view is that another summer may go by without us being able to rent out the trullo and that’s what we really want to do. There’s still plenty to buy and to finish but with no guaranteed date, we can’t move to do anything. But there we are. Things could be far worse let’s be honest. Next update will be….who knows?…hopefully next week when we have an approved permit back from the planning department.

October 7, 2021

Have we been here before?

The post below this one was written on October 1st 2020. This one comes to you on 7th October 2021 and it is staggering to think that a whole year has gone by with precious little progress. We could certainly claim Covid was a factor in this and I’ve no doubt it played its part.

But, as stated up front, it has been a year for someone to literally read a permit application…previously approved permit application even….and stamp it approved again. The previous owner of the property has already paid for this permit to be reactivated so the Comune were sitting on the money but doing nothing. They have had disruption due to the pandemic but not so much that this couldn’t be done.

Let’s take a bit more of an optimistic view for a second. As a result of the pandemic and the need for Italy to reboot its economy, a new law was passed. If you had a planning application that was outstanding for 18 months or more you can now write to the Comune stating that, if you hadn’t heard from them with any objections in 14 days, you could carry on with the work. Consequently, our Geometra, Giuseppe, staked out the swimming pool area and sent pictures with the letter signed by us to say that we would begin work on 6th September unless we heard otherwise. Hence the picture you see at the top of this post. That isn’t a police crime scene, it is the beginning of swimming pool construction. We hope.

OK, that’s the good part. We eagerly awaited the arrival of a JCB but technicalities delayed proceedings for a week. Which were delayed again due to Giuseppe having to take some measurements from the new building and submit them to the Comune. It is at these moments that you start to wonder really who to believe. You get a different story depending on who you talk to. And you start to invent all kinds of possibilities about what is actually going on. I might add we are not the only people going through this nightmare.

Anyhow, we were then informed that we would have the official go-ahead from the Comune by October 4th. At this point we really didn’t know what to say. We thought we had been waiting the last two years for the official go-ahead from the Comune and it hasn’t happened. What happened to the ’14 days or we are going ahead’ law? We still don’t have the answer to that question.

At last count, we have received the go-ahead and work will begin on 14th October. We are assured by Christmas we will have a fully-functioning, solar-heated swimming pool. I know….watch this space.

October 1, 2020October 7, 2021

Weeks not months…hopefully!

Writing once again from Puglia where we are not experiencing quite the same weather that we had this time last year. It’s been incredibly windy with the Sirocco blowing most days and some fairly spectacular rain and thunder to boot. But as can be seen from the header picture here we have new doors on the cupboards which means we can start to install appliances and store certain items down there to get them out of the house. The washing machine for example is now resident behind one of those white doors you see there. It’s difficult to get too excited by cupboard doors but given what this build has had to endure, every step forward feels like a significant one so forgive us if we get emotional about the smallest of things.

The new ensuite bathroom is now really starting to look nice. The towel rail, shower and sink are all in and it looks very slick. A few little snagging items in particular with the floor tiles have to be resolved but we’re pleased with how this looks.

The marble surround for the sink looks really nice and we’re glad we took that decision. But we still live and learn on the assumptions front. We just kind of assumed that they wouldn’t build a nice surround for the sink and leave all the pipework underneath completely exposed. That, perhaps, they might put some doors on the front? What we realise increasingly is that nothing should be taken for granted and that extras like doors have to be factored in. We have an ongoing joke at the moment that every time we meet the builder at the house he leaves a good few hundred Euros better off. But it’s all worth it to make the place look as good as it can be.

We’ve also ticked off another box with the gate posts. These are now clad in the same stone as the rest of the house which finishes them off nicely. All that remains here is for us to purchase a new house sign. Being in quite a rural and remote location it will help guests know that they have actually turned up at the right place. We know from experience that some of the later flights that tend to bring you in to Bari Airport result in your arrival at the house being in the dark. It can get a bit fractious if you are in a strange place and not sure where you are. GPS and Google Maps have improved this massively of course but a welcoming sign adds that little touch to round off a journey in the right way.

Pomegranate fruits in the garden in Puglia

As we speak, we have been assured the permit to build the pool should be finally signed off by end of October which is a blessing. Why it has sat on someone’s desk at the town hall since this time last year we can only guess but with lockdown and restructuring of departments at the Comune in Martina Franca to contend with, we are only too pleased that someone is still aware that we exist. We can gaze on this year’s crop of pomegranates and hope that by December we will have sunk a spade into the earth and begun the process. But we know from the past that until we have that piece of paper signed and in our hands we will not be opening the bubbly just yet.

But the next post on here should be one that shows the current building work just about complete. And we’re talking weeks not months.

August 8, 2020October 7, 2021

Taking a Break

Given that we have missed this summer from a rental point of view, deadlines are not now so critical. Consequently, the builder has decided to leave us alone for the two weeks that we are at the house. We have gone around and done a tour with him just to finalise the final requirements so he knows what is to be done when we go back. We have also visited the tile shop with him to finally resolve the issue of the curved shower. Somehow, despite this really being a builder’s oversight and not our own, it has still left us having to dip in to our pockets to pay for mosaic tiles that are fixed on to backing paper so they can easily bend around the curve.

We are convinced that many moons ago we dismissed this idea as being too expensive unless the builder was prepared to put it right – it being his original mistake. But hey ho, these are extraordinary times and it seems we have ended up back there but with us footing the bill. But we’re happy with the end solution.

With all that done, and with the weather mostly set fair, we decided to embark on some sightseeing coupled with some nice food and drink stops.

First stop the home of the trulli, Alberobello which was glorious in 30 degree plus heat and under clear blue skies. We quite like this route into the town centre that takes you up through the less popular side of the town away from all the tourist shops. Although like everywhere at the moment it is a lot quieter than it would usually be at this time of year.

But there here was plenty of time to stop on Largo Martellotta for a quick beer and mix with the other visitors who are mostly Italians right now.

Fidelios Alberobello — The garden at Fidelios

Next stop Fidelios on the edge of town for lunch. This place is a favourite location of ours that can sometimes be a bit quiet. We’re never really sure why because generally we have had good food here and when the weather’s good you can sit in the garden to eat. The staff are really friendly too so if you are ever in Alberobello we would recommend it. And, especially if the weather is nice and you can sit in the garden. The view you see here was taken from our table.

Matera in the rain — Sheltering from torrential rain in Matera

One of our absolute favourite places is Matera. In 2019 it was the European City of Culture which has given it a real boost from an artistic perspective but frankly, it really didn’t need it to attract visitors. Following a familiar theme now, the narrow streets are usually packed with American and Japanese tourists that were not here on this occasion. We also chose to visit on a day when there was rain and thunder in the air which is why you see these good people sheltering under an arch. If you’re going to shelter from the rain somewhere, why not here? We should also add, fair play to the guy selling umbrellas who found his captive audience under here a few minutes later and totally cleaned up!

Once the rain cleared we did what most people do best in Matera. Just wander around the streets and take it all in. Every turn seems to open up yet another staggering view, or amazing piece of architecture. There are plenty of great places to eat and drink here but if you are travelling on a budget, there is enough in Matera to keep you occupied simply walking around. At just one hour 20 minutes drive from Trullo Genista, it’s well worth a visit.

Last but not least home for dinner at the trullo. At this time of year the evenings are so lovely and warm, most of our time is spent outside. Some of the most enjoyable times are spent in the open air cooking and eating some of the amazing ingredients that ‘Italy’s Bread Basket’ has to offer.

August 1, 2020October 7, 2021

Nearly There.

Our first post-lockdown visit to Puglia. Thankfully the builders have been putting in the hours and made some good progress. In particular we now have some doors from the main house into the bedroom and french doors from the new bedroom to the outside. These really bring it all together and start to make it look more like a new build that just requires a few finishing touches rather than a half finished project.

At the top of this post we can now see what looks like a proper building that just needs a good paint job. We are having a little debate as to whether we remove the sills from above the windows or build a new one above the new door. The former might make it look a little plain and blocky. The latter might look a bit odd if they don’t quite match up. The decision is still to be made.

The picture on the right here shows the view from the new bedroom and it’s really stunning. This part of the build has come together really well. Fingers crossed when we eventually get permission through to begin work on the pool, it will be just a short walk across the paving from this room which will make a really nice feature.

We also now have a functioning barbecue. There are a few bathroom fittings to be added in this area and a door or two missing but it just remains to put the bamboo roof on. But we have road tested the barbecue while we’ve been here and it works a treat.

The great news is that Puglia got through the first wave of Covid 19 with a relatively low infection rate so restaurants, cafes and bars all seem to be open again. Naturally, the climate here really helps because you can sit outside most of the time. There is noticeable shortage of American, Chinese and Japanese visitors who would normally help to swell the numbers in Alberobello in particular. That will no doubt have hurt the tourism industry this summer but, like the UK, there are Italian nationals enjoying staycations in their own country which is nice to see.

We hope and pray that the passage of travel is upward from here on.