Whoa, it's a big job alright.....

During the past month, the little ping sound made by WhatsApp has reminded me of Pavlov's theories on the creation of habit and the link between stimulus and response.

For me, a relative newcomer to Whatsapp, that ping has become the sound of a trullo update, when Mimmo Collucci, the constructor in charge of our crazy pile of rocks project sends me an update - a picture, a question, a new find...occasionally, a problem (but so far, thankfully, touch wood - facciamo le corna - not so many of those).

Often, they look like this - and I LOVE them!

Luckily, Mimmo and his workers have not had to contend with a tough winter and rainfall in Puglia since we started work in November has been manageable. In fact, most of the pictures he has sent me have given my heart a little lift as they generally show those wide blue skies and soft blue clouds while here in London, it has been 102 shades of grey, never mind 50. And it has been so wet. So, so damn wet.

But before I share some of Mimmo's better little treasures in some upcoming posts I thought it might be fun to show you the context of the building and some of the architectural ideas we are working with.

As I think I've mentioned before, we are severely restricted by the Locorotondo Municipality (indeed the Puglia region's rules) for the restoration of these funny, eccentric, teeny weeny structures. I'm so glad of this and that Italy's southern regions are starting to value and encourage sensitive restoration of local architecture. Keeping things honest and paying respect to these structures' humble origins is important as nobody wants the area to become a Disneyland of manicured trulli surrounded by English style gardens. Rather the aim is careful restoration of stone huts - and sensitive additions to add a little space - always immersed in the so-called 'macchia Mediterranea' - the rough, tough, heat insensitive vegetation that is unique to the area. (The region allows swimming pools but commensurate in size with the properties to mitigate or encourage visitors from colder climes).

We have learned pretty quickly too in the past couple of months that while architects can detail on paper what they can see at the time of design, things can change pretty dramatically on site, particularly as workers themselves understand exactly what is going on behind the stone as it is taken apart and readied for reconstruction (hopefully this will unfold in a manner that keeps them upright for another couple of centuries, keep us cool in summer and the rain off us in winter!)

Anyway, just for a feel of things, here is an aerial shot which shows the plot and that white splodge in the middle is the pile....

Below is the interior of the right hand 'cone'...with tree roots growing through the hole in the stones above! Actually, this is quite an old shot from the previous owner, it looked a shedload worse when we snapped it and it was simply too dark to show you.

Close your eyes and imagine this next one, below, turned into a little lounge cum spare bedroom..... can you? Try hard because this is the main trullo, the prettiest, biggest cone of them all....

And here, below, the "door" into our bedroom....and you wouldn't believe what Mimmo found just outside at right of the arch..but that's for another post.

There are a gazillion pages of documentation, topography, study of land records to show what it was all used for and who owned/owns it, boundaries, other ruins, footprints of built structures and collapsed structures, water cisterns bla bla bla. I won't bore you with those but here are a few sketches of how and what we hope it will be - to help if your imagination is failing you.

Trust me, I've referred back to these many times myself when mine disappeared (or my courage threatened to leave me altogether!) Mind you, the photo that makes my heart sing most is still the final one....that is the olive just outside our bedroom to be...and I just LOVE it!

This has to be my favourite image of what is outside our bedroom-to-be's door......