In one of the most evocative areas of the Upper Salento, in the countryside of San Pietro Vernotico, stands the Masseria Maìme, one of the two splendid buildings of the Tormaresca estate, a place where the history of rural tradition meets the technological and eco-sustainable modernity of wine production.
Spread over an area of five hundred hectares of olive groves and vineyards, the building of the ancient Masseria dates back to the 17th century, and its ancient appearance can still be seen in the large courtyard, the scene of traditional seasonal agricultural activities, from grain storage in the summer to wine making in the autumn. At the end of a tree-lined avenue, the rough, sunlit façade, with its large archway leading into the courtyard and the window set in a simple profile frame, welcomes the visitor and takes him back to a bygone era, whose aromas and flavours are still present in the wines, including the much-loved Negroamaro, the result of the careful recovery of ancient indigenous vines.
But before you let yourself be carried away by the world of wine, take a minute to visit the little church of San Pasquale a Maìme, just outside the walls of the Masseria, which, with its 17th-century façade, adds to the Mediterranean landscape a portrait of an era that still lingers in the air around it.
