We talked about how our holiday accommodation can let us know and better understand the historical centers of the place we visit, allowing us to turn even a short week end/week getaway  into a real “journey”.

But there’s much to discover also out of the crowded old towns: let’s think for instance about all the discreet and profound narration that is enclosed in the old farmhouses and renewed trulli or how much history and charm are concealed within the walls of the old industrial buildings.

Today we’ll focus on the beauty and charm of an old tobacco factory in the province of Lecce, which has now become a home that combines art, local and Western culture and Japanese philosophy.

We are talking about Masseria Iside, in Castro, a few kilometers away from one of the most appreciated coasts in Europe.

This complex, consisting of 6 suites and huge outdoor spaces, derived from the skilful renovation of a former tobacco factory, tells a lot of a story that goes up to the mid-1900s and seems to have been cut off by modernity and the manufacturing crisis.

Today, throughout the Salento sub region and also in the city of Lecce, once long abandoned tobacco factories  are being turned into cultural centers, coworking spaces, offices to be managed by young cooperatives, after being the subject of recovery and restoration works.

Masseria Iside was turned into a charming farmhouse without denying or hiding anything of its past, indeed, showing it with prode since the external facade, still in the original colors and where even the ancient sigh of the “Provincial Agricultural Consortium” is evident.

The external structure has deliberately preserved the characteristics of the former industrial structure, as a tribute to history but also as a first tribute to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which combines the beauty of simplicity with the unique charm given only by passing time. This design perspective is often celebrated in the interior too.

Elements of modern art and interior industrial meet in the voluminous and luminous corridors and passage areas, under the 36 cross vaults overlooking reading corners, a huge area dedicated to lunch, a huge kitchen and a “cinema and business room”.

Warmth and colors in the common areas and in the outdoor gazebos, among the most beautiful in Salento, to celebrate the (deeply Italian) importance given to common areas and places to meet,  talk or just telling hello with the eyes.

Minimal elegance (and luxury) is what we find in the suites, almost respecting what was once a place of effort but also of social aggregation and dignity of work.

The same insight is also found in the desire to incorporate art and design, warmth and sobriety in all the details of this place, both in the common areas and in the huge suites where frugality and luxury seem to be two sides of beauty.

Masseria Iside is today a place with strong vibes, where contradictions are not scary and the union of more styles becomes a wonderful added value.

See more picturesa nd discover all the details  of Masseria Iside –  https://bit.ly/2J9Jrhj