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No one here has experience buying or living in a small trulli in Puglia? :confused:

[QUOTE=Marke]Hi, I’m newly registered to the forum and first of all would like to thank everyone for the insights I’ve gained here whilst lurking over the past month. What a great resource! I’d be grateful for some insight and shared experience concerning buying / living in a trulli in Puglia.

I’m thinking of making an offer on a property near Alberobello, a five cone trulli (3 large, 2 small) with lamia to restore and a project to add an additional lamia. While I really like the property (especially the land and the views), I can’t yet get over how small the interior is. Once restored and including the new lamia, there will only be about 75 sqm of livable space (despite 115 sqm of building – wow these walls must be thick!). My initial thought is whether this is realistically livable (as a holiday home/rental for now)? The plan is for two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an entry, dining room, kitchen and living room. It just seems so small. Does anyone living in a similar space have any comments or shared experience? Cheers![/QUOTE]

Hi Marke,
We bought our trullo (nr. Martina Franca almost 3 years ago) and have been living in it full time for just over a year. There are 4 of us (2 children 11 & 12). Whilst it`s great for holidays - for living in all year round I would say that you definitely need central heating and a wood fire. They do get very chilly in winter. We were lucky to have bought a trullo that has been restored to a very high standard. If you haven`t got a very large budget, you`re possibly not going to be able to make it liveable in all year round. I think we`ve probably got more space than you will have but we certainly feel quite cramped! Another issue is light - trullo windows tend to be small. Try to build as much light into it as poss. Also, be realistic with how much it`s going to cost to restore. I don`t have any experience with doing the cones, as ours are in v good condition. But I`m told you`re looking at 10-12,000 euros per cone - there are v few people who do the specialised work. I have stayed in a trullo with badly-repaired cones and it`s miserable being dripped on!! Having said all that, it`s a great area to live in. I hope it all goes really well for you.

i find it interesting that those permanent residents of puglia who post on the forum seem to have chosen villas rather than trulli,do they know something we do not?many italians have a trullo as their holiday home but the ones i have seen which are permanent homes seem to be very large and sophisticated-effective heating and air-con systems,large archways and lots of windows.something like that is out of my reach financially.

The Smiths,

Many thanks for your insights. I'm actually thinking of the property mostly for rental, plus four or five weeks of vacation for family and friends. I've heard wildly different estimates for restoring a trullo cone - yours seem to be the highest, but I don't doubt that this process is not simple. In any case, I agree that central heating plus a fireplace is a must. As for budget, the best advice I've read on this forum is that for a trulli property, expect to pay the same again as the property price for restoration. I'm okay with this (for now!) Since my original post, I'm feeling a little more comfortable with the small space, especially given the outstanding views and potential for very pleasant outdoor living space.

[QUOTE=red tulip]i find it interesting that those permanent residents of puglia who post on the forum seem to have chosen villas rather than trulli,do they know something we do not?many italians have a trullo as their holiday home but the ones i have seen which are permanent homes seem to be very large and sophisticated-effective heating and air-con systems,large archways and lots of windows.something like that is out of my reach financially.[/QUOTE]

We bought our trullo as a holiday home originally. I don`t think they make very good permanent accomodation unless they are well well heated and very light etc. It does get very cold in the winter here. The locals here just use them during the summer but they do live quite differently to us. Because they have their nice, comfy, modern appartment in town, they are happy to live much more simply when they are doing their `villeggiatura` in the summer. I would definitely go for a villa if you want to move permanently.

Hi

We've been in our trulli for the last year and experienced one very cold winter and one relatively warm summer. The actual floor space having taken into consideration the wall thickness is about 90 to 100 square metres. We are going to have the cones restored but in the meantime are making modifications inside the house to be wind, rain, cold and heat resistant. Not an easy task. My husband's a joiner by trade so he's a pretty good idea of what needs to be done to reduce the affects of the elements. Window/door replacement, wind lobby, covered terrace south and north facing to shield us against the extremities etc.
Granted there are only two of us but we have many four legged residents, cats and dogs, who take up a lot of living space but it's ample, cosy in winter with a log fire, additional heating and cool in the summer compared to outside. In summer you live outside and the winter sunshine can even draw us onto the terrace for lunch.
But what you definately need is storage space and this is not easy in a trullo so we are building an outside building in timber, 9 x 5, to house garden furniture, gym equipment, joinery tools and to serve as a workshop too! If you have a property with outbuildings, you are indeed lucky!
If you need any help with joinery or maintenance we may be able to help.
Whatever you decide on villa or trulli, I hope all goes well with the purchase.
Macy