The Vegetable Garden

The layout of the vegetable plots was inspired by the old Salento agricultural measurements, outlining a total surface area of one patch (a quarter of a tomolo and measuring 567 square metres), subdivided by stone paths into different cultivable areas with sides of about one cane (corresponding to ten palms, or 2.64 metres). In the centre of the garden, above the rainwater storage cistern, a traditional circular threshing floor has been built in local stone.

Capturing water from the air and recovering water from the rain

The land on the plots is about twenty centimetres below ground level and is enclosed by small dry-stone walls, which allow access to the gardens and the harvesting of their produce without having to tread on the vegetables or the soil. With these measures, the little rainwater available tends to collect inside these sunken parcels and the dry stone walls, as well as moderately shading the land, manage to capture the humid air and mists and release the condensed water.