{"id":3169,"date":"2014-06-29T12:04:28","date_gmt":"2014-06-29T10:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3169"},"modified":"2020-02-12T15:58:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T14:58:37","slug":"what-is-a-masseria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/what-is-a-masseria\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Masseria?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhere are we staying again?\u201d I asked my wife, as we drove through a remote area of southeastern Sicily last month while on my blog tour.\u00a0 We were bumping down a dusty path, abandoned by reliable road signs long ago, hopelessly consulting a map that resembled someone\u2019s failed attempt at origami.\u00a0 Before leaving on this epic journey at the end of April, I had handled most of the communications with the hotels, B&Bs, and agriturismi.\u00a0 This one, however, she had taken care of without my intervention.\u00a0 I was starting to question that decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called a \u2018masseria,\u2019\u201d she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing, like a Howard Johnsons or Days Inn.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK then, what is a masseria, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused, then started to answer, using random hand gestures to aide in her description, \u201cUh, well, you know, it\u2019s one of those\u2026places. \u00a0Like\u2026like\u2026a masseria!\u201d<\/p>\n
I could see I wasn\u2019t going to get far with this.\u00a0 In fact, as it turns out, it\u2019s one of those words that doesn\u2019t have a perfect English translation.\u00a0 When I looked it up with Google translate, it simply said, \u201cfarmhouse.\u201d\u00a0 But that\u2019s not entirely accurate.\u00a0 For an accurate definition, I had to consult Italian websites.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Originally, these \u201cfarms,\u201d were actually closer to what we might call a \u201cplantation\u201d in the Southern U.S.\u00a0 They were a product of the Spanish colonization in the 14th<\/sup> and 15th<\/sup> centuries, when large swaths of uncultivated land in Southern Italy were given to wealthy barons who ran these agro-businesses\u2014raising animals and growing wheat\u2014while also living on the premises themselves.\u00a0 For this reason, a masseria is large and rustic, but also a bit elegant to satisfy the refined tastes of Spanish noblemen.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n These features make them ideal raw material for present day accommodations.\u00a0 You get the feel of a farm, with the comfort and luxury of a country estate.\u00a0 It\u2019s also been a great way to preserve these historic structures, and thereby preserving this period of history in Southern Italy.\u00a0 We could even compare the masserie<\/em> to the paradors<\/em> in Spain, or even the Relais & Ch\u00e2teauxs<\/em> in France.\u00a0 (The key difference, however, is that unlike their Spanish and French counterparts, the masserias in Italy are not managed by the State; they are all private enterprises\u2014which is a good thing, in my opinion.)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The place that we stayed at was Masseria Cianci\u00f2<\/a>, somewhere between Ispica and Pozzallo.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ask me where, exactly, because like many of the wonderful, unique spots we found along our route, it\u2019s not easy to locate on a map.\u00a0 Even the GPS on my iPhone was confounded by the challenge.\u00a0 Technically it\u2019s in the village of Graffetta, but I never caught sight of a village while staying there.\u00a0 And that\u2019s part of the charm: you\u2019re out in the open, clean air, lots of relaxing peace and quiet, and slow time to enjoy the atmosphere.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that there isn\u2019t anything to do on the property.\u00a0 They give cooking lessons, have a nice little library in the main house, and there\u2019s a beautiful swimming pool to cool off from the hot Sicilian sun.\u00a0 In the summer months, the pool area also becomes a venue for evening BBQs, parties, and musical events.<\/p>\n