Easter and Easter Monday at the Masseria

There are places where nothing is ever the same, where nature manifests itself in perfect harmony between heaven and earth and where traditions bring alive the memory of a past history. At Easter and Easter Monday, give yourself some time to rediscover the flavors of times gone by. If you'll choose to stay in our Masseria we'll tell you an endless story about love and traditions. We will tell you about the past, taking you to the city of Matera and rediscovering peasant culinary traditions with our cooking class.

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Built in the 18th century, the mansion, originally owned by the aristocratic Gattini family, is surrounded by hundreds of acres of land which was once dedicated to the production of olive oil, wheat and other grains. The cat with a viper in his mouth, visible on the arch of the entrance of the now Masseria Fontana di Vite, is the Gattini crest.

The name, Fontana di Vite or 'Fountain of Lives', is inspired by an old tradition. The story tells of a spring located close to the Masseria, , which was so pure that the residents living in a village nearby would journey to that spot for its water. Before the building's 1806 expansion, the structure was comprised of the noble house residency, located on the first floor, and the warehouse with barrel vaults, on the ground floor, which was used to store the wheat. Other rooms around the courtyard were used as wine cellars and small storage depots.

In the early 1900s Fontana di Vite was significantly expanded with the addition of a chapel, an outdoor oven, two other large warehouses to store tobacco leaves and small houses for the farm workers called “Lamielle” due to the shape of the ceiling with small barrel vaults. At that time Masseria Fontana di Vite transformed into a rural village hosting almost 40 families.

 

 

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