The original nucleus of the building subject of this intervention, called “Casina Corallo”, is the classic building already described in the land registry as evidence of a form of rural settlement already well established around the mid-1700s. During this period, as a natural consequence of the spread of the vineyard to the detriment of more traditional arable crops and olive groves, the classic type of “masseria” is flanked by a type of rural dwelling (“casina” or “casino”) linked to the new needs of seasonal permanence of the owner, to supplement the permanent residence of the settler.
The building falls in the heart of the Valle della Cupa, where between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries numerous residences were built, summer vacation spots for families belonging to the Lecce nobility and still retains the architectural aspects of the original eighteenth-century complex.
On the ground floor there are large rooms covered by star vaults where the millstone, the stable, some rooms related to the daily life of the residents and / or probably the settler’s home are located; on the first floor, originally partially covered by roof tiles supported by canopy, is accessed via a comfortable two-flight staircase with the entrance to a large square, while a long balustrade balcony serves as a hallway for the rooms on the upper floor.
The main façade, whose original design develops on lines of absolute symmetry, stands out on the upper floor for the elegance of the long balustrade supported by molded columns and pillars, as well as for the elegant design of the windows above the doors, on the earth for the might of the access arches in front of the rooms and for the arched cornices that frame the access door to the stairwell and a niche inside which traces of a religious fresco are preserved; Furthermore, inside the rooms on the ground floor, all the pillars of the vaults are embellished with molded cornices, including those of the service compartments such as millstone and stable.
Around the middle of the 19th century, a new extension was added to the original eighteenth-century nucleus already developed on two levels, consisting of some rooms and a small chapel where Sunday functions were carried out also serving the rural houses of the district. It is likely that during this construction phase the access door was redone, now framed by four mighty columns, the avenue and the rearrangement of the exedra in front the building, as well as the large enclosed garden behind it was designed and harmoniously realized, inside which, among varieties of citrus fruits and ornamental plants, a flower bed develops along the entire perimeter embellished with finely original elegance of the complex.
The building thus developed preserved its original productive and residential destination until the 1950s, the latter however seasonal and limited to the summer period only; for a short period, during the 1960s, didactic activities also took place, welcoming in a part of the structure the students of the so-called ‘subsidized primary school’ which guaranteed a minimum of education even for children residing in the surrounding countryside.
Only later, divided for a short period even among several owners, was the structure gradually abandoned as regards residential uses and was used only as a deposit or, in the case of the millstone, for agricultural activities mainly linked to the cultivation of the vine.
As a result, its non-use for residential purposes and the lack of regular maintenance have resulted in its slow degradation until it reaches its current storage conditions. property consisting of 26 total rooms on two levels with about 22000 square meters of land.
