Giardino dei Fani is located in an elevated and consistently well-ventilated position, uniquely favored by the site’s natural characteristics. During the night, the house benefits from a cool breeze rising from the adjacent valley, a feature that has made air conditioning unnecessary. The setting is panoramic and commanding, positioned at the center of a natural amphitheater that offers open views of the surrounding countryside and the sea from every point on the property.
The estate lies in an area of ancient historical significance, just a short distance from the Grotta delle Fate, within a landscape marked by prehistoric settlements and places of worship, as suggested by the Latin word “fanum,” meaning sacred place. The surrounding area contains numerous caves with Byzantine frescoes, once inhabited by Eastern monks from Costantinopoli. A walking path leads directly to the sea through the Mediterranean scrub in approximately twenty minutes, while a comfortable paved country road allows access by car in just five minutes to the beach of Pescoluse, widely known as the “Maldives of Salento.”
Access to the property is via a private unpaved road bordered by typical Mediterranean trees and shrubs, secured by an iron gate installed in 2022. The building has been recently renovated using natural materials and lime plaster finishes. It is surrounded by a paved courtyard of approximately 200 square meters, which includes a well and an underground cistern for water storage that supplies the house. On the western side, there is an ancient stone fireplace, an outdoor shower, and a garden planted with Mediterranean species.
The property is equipped with a fully integrated underground phytodepuration system for the treatment of black and grey water, entirely covered with vegetation suitable for natural filtration. This system ensures independence in both water supply and wastewater management. The agricultural land consists of a flat terrace gently sloping southward toward the sea, characterized by white soil historically used for vineyard cultivation. On the western side of the land, there is an ancient stone drainage channel designed to carry away excess rainwater; beyond it are a garden area and a cave carved into the tuff rock. The entire western boundary is defined by a perfectly preserved dry-stone wall, within which a stone staircase provides access to a secondary entrance to the property. The land is also served by a recently installed drip irrigation system.
The estate includes three majestic olive trees in excellent health and highly productive, of the Cellina di Nardò variety, along with ten younger olive trees approximately eight years old, cultivated from shoots of the ancient trees and already producing. There are also twenty younger shoots of the same variety, about four years old and at the beginning of production, as well as one hundred young premium oil olive trees also entering production.
The biodiversity of the property is further enhanced by numerous rare trees planted approximately five years ago, including specimens of Argania spinosa (Argan tree), Azadirachta indica (Neem tree), and Schinus molle (Pink pepper tree), in addition to Medina date palms, citrus trees such as lemons, bergamot, and oranges, as well as almond trees, figs, persimmons, pear trees, white mulberries, Aleppo pines, holm oaks, Vallonea oaks, kermes oaks, mastic shrubs, wild olive trees, and myrtle bushes. The property also features rare botanical varieties and a stable flowering meadow for most of the year, except during July and August. Impressive prickly pear cacti, at least fifty years old and highly productive, are present alongside many younger plants. The soil and climatic conditions make the land particularly suitable for preserving and expanding this Mediterranean biodiversity, with the potential to become a large botanical garden overlooking the house.
