Building Our Home in Puglia: The Story Behind Masseria Le Camere
If you’ve spent any time on my site, you probably know that I split my year between Melbourne and Puglia, shooting weddings across Australia and Southern Italy.
When international couples get in touch about planning a wedding in Italy, one of the first things they often ask is how I ended up based here. It’s a fair question! The answer comes down to a special family property, a dream that’s been 25 years in the making, and a big decision my wife and I made to step up and build our home here.
A Family Dream, 25 Years in the Making
My wife is a solicitor in Australia. She’s Italian, grew up in London, and has been coming to Puglia every summer with her family for the last 25 years.
About twenty-five years ago, her mum bought an old 19th-century house surrounded by olive trees just outside Ostuni. It was always her dream to restore it and give it a new lease on life. But as the years went by and her health started to decline, taking on a big project like that just became too much, and the family eventually decided it was time to put the property up for sale.
It was a tough moment for everyone. That was when my wife and I had the slightly crazy idea to step in and buy out the property so we could keep it in the family and take on the renovation ourselves.
The Reality on the Ground: Thick Stone, Olive Trees & Deep Dust
I’ve been coming to Puglia with my wife for 7 years now, but taking on a historic renovation is completely new territory for us. We’re definitely not builders, and we’ve never done anything like this before!
Right now, the place is abandoned and pretty overgrown. It’s a tall, imposing old building built back in the 1800s, complete with a original family crest carved into the stone out front. Upstairs features high ceilings and classic thick stone walls, while down below lie three old underground water cisterns. Downstairs, in what will one day be our living room, you can still see the original stone watering troughs where horses and cattle used to drink.
If you look closely at the faded exterior, you can peel back years of neglect and see a lovely peach-yellow stone hiding underneath. It’s easy to see how charming the building once was and how much life it still has in it.
Because things move at a much slower pace in Italy, we know this is going to be a long process. The amount of work needed and the costs involved can definitely feel terrifying at times, but watching this old house slowly come back to life is easily the most exciting thing we’ve ever done.
What This Means for Couples Getting Married in Puglia
Having a base here means Southern Italy is where we genuinely live throughout the European summer, rather than just somewhere I pass through.
Having grown up in London and splitting my time between Melbourne and Puglia, I understand what it’s like planning things across borders. Being settled in the region during the season means I know the area, I’m familiar with local vendor teams, and communication in English is completely straightforward. It just gives you one less thing to manage when planning a wedding from overseas.
Follow Along with the Journey
We are right at the very beginning of this project, and while we’re both nervous and excited, we’re so happy to be keeping this family dream alive.
If you’d like to see how the house develops or follow along with life in the Puglian countryside, you can check out our renovation updates over at Masseria Le Camere.
And if you’re currently planning a wedding in Puglia or anywhere across Italy, feel free to reach out and say hello, I’d love to hear about your plans.
READ OTHER PUGLIA WEDDING & ELOPEMENT GUIDES
- WHERE TO GET MARRIED IN ITALY: THE TOP 6 WEDDING REGIONS
- WHY PUGLIA? RESTORING A 19TH-CENTURY FAMILY HOUSE IN SOUTHERN ITALY
- HOW MUCH DOES A MELBOURNE WEDDING COST? (2027 & 2028 BUDGET BREAKDOWN)
- 6 OF THE BEST MASSERIAS AND WEDDING VENUES NEAR OSTUNI & CISTERNINO
- THE COMPLETE 12-MONTH PUGLIA DESTINATION WEDDING TIMELINE
- PUGLIA WEDDING PLANNER COST & VENDOR PRICING GUIDE (2027/2028)
- WHAT TO WEAR FOR A PUGLIA DESTINATION WEDDING: A STYLE & PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE
- HOW MUCH DOES A MASSERIA WEDDING IN PUGLIA COST? (2027/2028 BUDGET GUIDE)
