The Trullo and the Lamia are located in the Marcello district, in the heart of the agricultural landscape surrounding the city of Carovigno. The architecture consists of a two-room rural structure built prior to 1942, characterized by stone cone vaults and semicircular barrel vaults. This building represents a typical example of spontaneous dry-stone architecture, originally intended for storing agricultural products and sheltering tools.

The construction was realized using simple peasant self-building techniques, based on the direct use of locally available resources: small stone elements, extracted from the ground and roughly shaped, were laid without the use of binders. Beyond being the primary building material, the local stone was also used for the agricultural arrangement of the land, such as boundary walls.

The area is characterized by typical Mediterranean vegetation, with olive trees, almond trees, and other fruit-bearing species that define the landscape's agricultural identity. The property, which sits on a gentle slope, includes approximately 150 almond trees, 20 high-value olive trees, and various other fruit species.

The restoration stems from meticulous historical research and architectural design curated by Architect Pietro Carlo Pellegrini. It serves as a contemporary reinterpretation of the union between the pre-existing lamia and the Saracen trullo, both representative building typologies of the Alto Salento region.

The project aimed to preserve and enhance the typological characteristics of local rural architecture, establishing a balanced dialogue between the heritage structure and contemporary intervention. The intent was to preserve the agricultural purpose of the context over time while ensuring a new usability of the spaces, positioning the intervention as a benchmark model for the protection and enhancement of the rural landscape. 

Particular attention was paid to the principles of environmental sustainability. The project prioritizes building reuse, reducing environmental impact through the use of local materials and traditional construction techniques. Following a logic of "minimum impact," materials and finishes from local tradition were integrated with technological solutions aimed at energy and water saving.

A central role is played by the recovery of existing dry-stone walls, which were restored using traditional techniques without binders and without the aid of mechanical machinery.

Overall, the intervention stands as an integrated recovery of both building and landscape heritage, capable of combining conservation, sustainability, and innovation while respecting the historical and cultural identity of Upper Salento.

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