A pretty stone house in vernacular Apulian style, the cream-hued Villa Arco brings together the best of traditional architecture and new build comfort

Rich cream against Apulia’s brilliant blue sky, a stone house dominates a verdant land peppered with silvery olive trees. The perfect Mediterranean geometry of its façade, where three arches add movement to a rectangular body topped by a large roof terrace, conjures up ancient memories of rustic Apulia. But Villa Arco, in San Vito dei Normanni, near Brindisi, is brand new, painstakingly built in vernacular style using local stone by Italian craftsmen.
The interiors, which have vaulted ceilings and exposed stone walls, also bring together the best of new builds and traditional architecture. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. An outdoor staircase leads to the rooftop terrace, which affords panoramic views of the land, while the arches just outside the front door form a shady verandah. At the back, a pergola links the main house to an annexe, which has one bedroom and a living room with fireplace—perfect to host guests.
While Villa Arco is situated in a rural valley off a good white road, it is close to the small city of San Vito dei Normanni, the Adriatic Sea and the airport at Brindisi, which has direct flights into London with Ryanair.
It is on the market for a reasonable €260,000 through Italian Property Sales & Restorations (+44 (0)845 603 6651, +39 0575 605 191).