The southern Salento countryside, a few kilometres from Otranto and the finisterre of Santa Maria di Leuca, is home to Masseria Alti Pareti. Set in one hundred hectares of land in a precious park of secular and millenary olive trees, it also includes a vineyard, fig orchard and a large greenhouse.
Alti Pareti is an integrated structure that fuses together culture, art, training, hospitality, agriculture and food. The husband and wife team of Raffaele Cazzetta and Giorgia Marrocco have owned the Masseria since 1990. They decided to fuse their family and entrepreneurial experience to bring to life an ambitious dream. The meeting between the traditional excellence of the olive growing company Cazzetta and of Pimar, owned by Giorgia Marrocco, leader in manufacturing Lecce limestone (another pillar of the Salento economy), has resulted in a new project to create and promote culture, in all its forms.
The jewel in the crown of the Alti Pareti project is the rehabilitation and promotion of the millenary olive tree and the values it symbolises. Works of art in Lecce limestone by internationally renowned artists such as Álvaro Siza, Hidetoshi Nagasawa and Michelangelo Pistoletto will be installed in the park, to create a unique location that blends the local with the global. The park will be the heart of an extremely rich cultural journey, which begins with the fortuitous meeting between the olive tree and the tradition inherited from the Lecce baroque style. This location will bear witness to and be a fulcrum for the cultural synergies that will have the Mediterranean as their common thread.
Culture is also a synonym for agricultural and food excellence. Alti Pareti’s activities range from the production of oil from secular olive trees, to the wine made from the best local grape varieties, preserves, pickles, jams and many other products made with local seasonal produce.
The splendid eighteenth century farmhouse has been completely renovated into a welcoming and hospitable accommodation. Guests can relax by strolling in the typical courtyards of the Arabic and Salento Masserias or in the large olive grove or by the pool with solarium.
Alti Pareti will also host training courses. The large laboratory of the structure will host cookery courses for both tourists and professionals, from chefs to national and international buyers as well as students and specialist journalists. The extension of the Masseria will include a wing dedicated to conferences, not just linked to the agricultural and food sector, but also for high profile cultural events.
Alti Pareti is the ideal destination for all bon viveurs and lovers of food, wine, nature and art, in the shade of secular olive trees.