In the arid and luminous landscape of Puglia, amidst dry stone walls, olive groves, and the iconic geometry of masserie, Locatelli Partners designs an essential and monumental residence that challenges the vernacular codes of the local tradition.
The Anti-masseria building, originally conceived as an annex to a quarry, has been completely reinterpreted by architects Massimiliano Locatelli and Giovanna Cornelio with a radical language inspired by formal simplicity and management sustainability.
The strength of the building is determined by its primary material: Lecce stone, used to impart unity and monumentality to the complex. The language is intentionally austere, bare, and silent. No decoration, no concessions to vernacular aesthetics—only the rhythm of openings, the southern light, and a strong architectural composition.
Outside, the space is conceived as a large domestic square—a welcoming living room overlooking eight identical rooms, numbered sequentially, each with a private bathroom. The repetition of the rooms is not only functional but becomes a formal gesture, almost monastic, elevating simplicity to a compositional principle. A single architectural body for guests and residents, where order becomes aesthetics and repetition creates rhythm.
The outdoor area is the heartbeat of the living experience: a fluid zone designed for shared moments, the slow passing of summer hours, and free, non-hierarchical social interaction. On the roof, a long, slender linear pool marks the horizon and offers panoramic views of the sea, completing the concept of the house as an observation point.
The furnishings are an integral part of the narrative: sculpted objects, designed and produced by Massimiliano Locatelli Editions, selected to continue the architectural dialogue into interior design. The Anti-masseria project embodies two souls: on one hand, the desire to reduce everything to its essence—lines, materials, furnishings—and on the other, the ambition to produce a monumental architecture capable of imprinting itself on the landscape and memory.
Locatelli Partners is an international architecture and design studio founded in 1994 and led by Massimiliano Locatelli and Giovanna Cornelio, with offices in Milan and New York. The team comprises over sixty professionals working globally on residential, commercial, and cultural projects. Material research, attention to sustainability, and a bespoke approach to design are the hallmarks of their work.
For more information: www.locatellipartners.com
CREDITS
Project: Anti-masseria
Architect: Locatelli Partners
Location: Puglia, Italy
Year: 2021
Photographs: James Mollison
