Via Tavani Arquati is a typical Southern
Italian street and our house, at numbers 8-10, is the major
part of a larger house which belonged to the Greco family
who lived on the first and second floors and ran a wine
and olive-oil business on the ground floor. They had 8 children,
4 boys who slept on the first floor and 4 girls who slept
on the top floor!
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We bought the first and second floors in
April 2004 and by July that year we had finished converting
them into two separate apartments. These are called L’Alcova
because the bedroom is in an alcove, and La Terrazza
on the top floor because it has lovely terraces with a view
of the sea.
In February 2005 the ground floor came
up for sale and we bought it and converted it from a garage
and store room into a fourth flat which we live in ourselves.
This is called La Cantina because it was
the cantina where the Greco family made and sold their wine.
In May 2006 we bought another little house
in the next street, 13,Via Cesare L’Ombroso, which
had also been part of the original house, and by July 2007
we had converted it into an apartment, called Casa
Esmeralda after one of our daughters.
It is a 2 minute walk from our apartments
to the main Piazza, and a 3 minute walk to the Centro Storico
with its fascinating kasbah-like alleyways and lovely 15th
century cathedral.
A 10-minute walk in the other direction
brings you to the modern part of Ostuni, with its supermarkets,
boutiques and the vast Saturday market, one of the biggest
in southern Italy.
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Our house, like
all the others in the street, has characteristic first floor
balconies where everyone hangs out their washing and chats
with the neighbours across the street. They are all very friendly
and will welcome you, even if you try just a few words of
Italian. If you are studying Italian, every day will be a
free language lesson! You will in any case experience a slice
of genuine Italian street life.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a very ancient house
and we have tried to preserve its original character. This
means that the main staircases are quite steep and the old
stones can be slippery. Casa Esmeralda also has some steep
stairs and a low stone arch into the kitchen. This apartment
and La Terrazza have terraces high above the street which,
though there are railings, make them unsuitable for children
between 2 and 7. Please be aware of these features if you
choose to come and stay.
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