Description
A large and ancient dwelling built in the first half of the '800, which is in fact "invisible" to the eyes of Bari. We talk about "Villa Lucae", historical residence completely immersed in a lush park of about 15,000 meters, bound, as well as the villa, by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
The central building, whose rooms preserve the original cross vaults, consists of two floors, communicating with each other through a monumental three-ramped staircase at the entrance of the villa. The first large central ramp leads to the large hallway, where all the rooms of the first floor, including the large double living room, with fireplace, which leads to the terrace of about 60 square meters, connected to the private park by two side ramps, two double bedrooms, a kitchenette and a large dining room with access to a terrace, ideal for lunches and dinners overlooking the park, and a bathroom. The two side ramps of the staircase, instead, access to the ground floor where there is a living room, a large kitchen, three bedrooms, a dining room that leads to a large glass patio overlooking the park, two bathrooms and two large and comfortable cellars located in the basement of the villa. Below the building are the two tanks, side by side, which collected rainwater through a system of internal gutters, thus ensuring a large reserve of water for domestic use. The main building is completed by a large panoramic terrace on the second floor where there is a large glass room, used as a gym, overlooking the park and the city.
About 100 meters from the main building there is an outbuilding on two levels connected by a side staircase. The ground floor consists of living room, kitchen with dining room, two bedrooms and bathroom. On the first floor there are two other rooms, storage room, bathroom and a large terrace facing south. The dependence could also be divided into five mini-apartments, all independent.
The park is rich in various botanical species: ancient carob trees, Australian and maritime pines, philadelphi, schini and holm oaks. The current owners have partially modified the architectural structure of the garden, planting non-autochthonous essences (eucalyptus, arizonic cypress, pseudoplane and robinia) attempting new additions to vary and strengthen the green lung that surrounds the villa. The whole park is crossed by a series of cisterns and rainwater ducts, reusable for irrigation. There is also a tennis court and a paved and equipped area with kitchen and barbecue.
On the basis of research, it has been possible to determine that the construction was commissioned by the Mastaller family, of Swiss-German origin, presumably around the beginning of the 19th century; since, by deed signed in 1901, the property was sold by the sons of Federico Mastaller to Mr. Vito Di Cagno, whose descendants then gave it to the current owners. The Mastaller family had arrived in Puglia attracted by the development prospects of the local agro-food and commercial markets, little exploited. It first started a wine factory, later, in partnership with the Zublin, a large manufacture of wool and cotton fabrics, based in Piazza Moro and a branch in Via Sparano. The economic comfort of the family allowed her to start the construction of the elegant and large country villa. Although it is not known with certainty the name of the designer, in view of the elegance, symmetry, balance of the lines it is permissible to think of a professional of remarkable qualities, updated on the cultural components of the beginning of the last century, as well as denounce some neoclassical style quotes, adopted with great composure and measure, not to weigh down the overall effect of airiness of the villa, conceived as an architectural structure perfectly integrated into the surrounding natural environment. It can, however, be assumed that the work is the result of the work of the architect Luigi Castellucci, of Bitontine origin, trained in Naples and Rome, very active in Bari and province between the years 1830 and 1870.
