In the countryside you usually find small lamias, which are stone sheds for the local landowners to store equipment;   or very large masserias, where the affluent landowners would have once lived.   It was quite unusual to come across a building that had the style of a masseria, but the size of a small villa.   We found out that the building was originally a school for girls, and had quite a history with the locals.   It was abandoned in the early 1960’s, and we lovingly brought it back to life.   This one was a gem.

Regarding the renovation process, Andrew Trotter tried as hard as possible to leave the exterior patina where we could. Together with Ian and Maree, they spent days scraping off years of flaky paint, to reveal the beautiful stone of the portico. The inside needed to be fully plastered, so the studio brought in an artisan who makes his own lime plaster and lime paints. Andrew Trotter also added two new blocks to the back of the house which became two en-suites for the two downstairs bedrooms, while the two rooms on the upper floor were made into the master suite with its own bathroom.   The living room has beautiful star vaulted ceilings and a large fireplace.