Masseria Scaledda

The masseria and its history

Masseria Scaledda is a fortified masseria with a view of the sea, in the countryside of Manduria. Its history, as the masseria itself tells it, begins with the name: Scaledda appears in a privilege of 1172 by the Norman king William the Good, which set the boundaries of the grange of San Pietro. To that year the masseria also dates the defence tower built by the Benedictines of Aversa.

In 1856 Raffaele Schiavoni restored and enlarged the complex, giving it the appearance it keeps today. On its website the masseria also shows a topographic map of Scaledda dated 8 May 1855 and some pages of history books that mention it.

Rooms and spaces

The masseria presents eight units between suites and rooms, for couples, families and small groups. According to what it writes, the suites have tuff vaults, original period stone floors, walls up to one metre thick and outdoor spaces with independent access.

Il Casone is a suite in the Mediterranean scrub, about one minute on foot from the main building, with a living room and kitchenette, two double bedrooms, a bathroom with shower and a private panoramic veranda.

La Stalla is a suite made from the old stable, keeping original features such as the mangers, with a living room and kitchenette, a double bedroom, a sofa bed, a bathroom with shower and a private garden with a small pool.

La Vista is a first-floor suite, also presented with a small private pool, with a large panoramic terrace over the sea, a living room, a kitchen with fireplace, two bedrooms, one double and one with a French bed, and two bathrooms with shower.

La Ginestra is a first-floor suite with a living room and fireplace, a kitchenette, a double bedroom with the option of a third bed, a private bathroom and a panoramic terrace over the sea and the scrub.

La Macchia is a large room with a fireplace, a private bathroom, a panoramic terrace over the sea, a double bed and the option of a third bed.

Il Camino, once the servants' quarters, has two double bedrooms, a bathroom and a period fireplace.

Il Mirto is a double room with a patio on the ground floor of the main building, furnished in traditional style with natural materials.

Il Timo, on the ground floor, has a living room with a TV area, a double bedroom, a single bedroom, a full bathroom and a patio with a view of the sea.

In its presentation the masseria lists as included bed and bath linen, toiletries, reserved parking, daily and final cleaning, air conditioning, a Wi-Fi area, electricity and water, complimentary water and a typical breakfast with local products and traditional sweets.

Life at the masseria

The masseria states that it grows olives, wheat, vegetables and fruit organically. In the farmyard live hens, goats, dogs and other animals, with Luna the donkey. On paths inside and outside the property it suggests walking and running, trekking and Nordic walking, and it describes its position as suited to setting off by bicycle.

Dogs are welcome on prior request. The masseria speaks of small or medium-sized animals, not dangerous to other guests or animals, and asks for breed and weight: it answers whether they can be accepted and with which supplement for final cleaning and sanitising.

The place and what surrounds it

Around the buildings lie 125 hectares of Mediterranean scrub and centuries-old olive trees, with strawberry trees, myrtle, thyme, rosemary, wild olives, carobs, oaks and holm oaks. On the property the masseria points out stretches of the old road to the sea, the Monte della Cilona or della Signora, 68 metres high, the San Nicola canal and an old water cistern with the tuff quarries nearby. The sea is about 2 kilometres away and the property, it writes, lies within the nature reserve of the eastern Taranto coast.

Nearby it mentions holm oak woods, archaeological areas, the Chidro river and the Salina dei Monaci, and on the coast San Pietro in Bevagna, less than 6 kilometres away, Punta Prosciutto, about 10, Torre Colimena, Torre Lapillo and Porto Cesareo. It also offers a day at a beach establishment in Punta Prosciutto, with an umbrella and two reserved sunbeds.