Another flying visit to Trullo Azzurro (http://www.trulli-puglia.com/) to open up for the season. We are perhaps more conscientious than strictly necessary but we are scarred by our early experiences a couple of years back when the building works were half done.
Basically we moved in too soon and bought furniture and bedding while the plaster was still oozing moisture into the atmosphere. The following spring everything was covered in mould and anything organic was green and hairy. The rush seat bottoms were fungoid in the extreme, the wooden spoons went in the bin and the mattresses are still speckled with grey markings.
Since then we have been zealous about bagging up linens every autumn into "Vacu-sacs" and installing dehydration tablets. Last November we bought an electric dehumidifier and set it going on low over the winter.
Then we go out in spring to unbag the linens, air the property and wipe off any mould. The last couple of years it has got easier with less and less to do. Still it is good to reassure ourselves in person that the place has survived the winter. This year a little weeding, sorting out a couple of welcome packs for our paying guests and a meal out with Neighbours Chris and John more or or less did the trick.
We arrived Friday at one o'clock Saturday morning had a glass of red wine and went to bed. Saturday did stuff then in the evening John kindly drove us to Ostuni for a meal at "Porta Nova". It was out of the Michelin guide and was classy and expensive.
The antipasti came not as a whole slew of communal plates but three separate courses all small but perfectly formed. The main dishes were hot on presentation but thermally could have been literally hotter. Room for a dessert and coffee. There was an extensive wine list at sensible prices, of which we consumed three, even so we still managed to run up a bill of 60 Euro per head. Good but VFM? I am not so sure.
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2 comments:
I stumbled across your blog while researching trulli construction techniques for I just returned from my first visit to Puglia and am "trulli" in love!
Congratulations on your perseverence in buying and renovating your property - I hope you feel the outcome was worth all the $, time & effort!!
Could you elaborate in some future blog about the dampness issues? Why is it such a constant issue in the homes, not just trulli, in that area? Here in Virginia, I just met a stone mason who deals with it by making his own lime; his recipe, he says, keeps the stone from absorbing moisture. Have the Italians not figured out a solution or are all buildings with "basements" which may well be cisterns or oil or wine storage prone to such problems? Sorry, I keep guessing at the reason rather than waiting for an answer....
A wonderful British couple whose place I rented in Ostuni, said they had a "course of damp-proofing" done to stop the water creeping into their town-house. I don't understand that technique either.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your comments and keep bloggin' cause I'm "trulli" lovin' it!!!
Likewise, we stumbled across this blog in our Trulli quest. Now Trulli owners, we could write the proverbial book about damp - far too much info for an entry here - go to one of the Puglia forums and type in 'Damp' - that will give you enough reading for a couple of days!
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