La Bolla is an original stone lamia farmhouse sitting on 4 acres (1.6 hectares/16,000m2) of land populated with 120 established olive trees and different fruit trees. It was purchased in 2005 and was initially used as a holiday home, with a local farmer tending the land and harvesting the olives in return. Following a separation in 2009 and then a family bereavement in 2011, the arrangement with the land continued but the property lay abandoned until we had the funds and motivation to do something with it. Covid-19 restrictions made it challenging to start on the renovation, but we finally made a start in October 2021 and moved from the UK exactly a year later, despite the unfinished state of the building. This is what we are trying to achieve:

 

• having as low a footprint on the environment as possible (e.g. solar energy, rainwater harvesting for domestic and irrigation use, 'clean' heating rather than woodburning, shredding instead of burning tree branches)

• introducing a genuine bio-diversity to the region, which is dominated by olive and almond trees, by creating a dry garden and 'zones' to the land, using drought-tolerant plants and practices

• looking after, feeding, nurturing and trying to protect the olive trees from the devastating Xylella disease which has ripped through Southern Italy

• harvesting our own olives and selling our delicious extra virgin olive oil directly to customers

• letting others sample this rural corner of Puglia by offering accommodation in the 'Lavanderia' and overnight space for a campervan

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Contact Us if you would like to know more, or email