Losciale between Masserias, Coast and History

Masserias and Rural Architecture

Masseria Losciale is a complex that today appears partly as a masseria and partly as a bourgeois villa. Its imposing surrounding wall has two simple yet richly detailed portals as well as a patrol walkway. Within the walls are an oil mill carved into the rock, a citrus grove and an intact system of small channels that collect rainwater in cisterns.

Since the 17th century, the estates belonged to the patrician Martinelli family, originally from Salerno and based in Monopoli. The activities of Masseria Losciale in the contrada of the same name focused on olive cultivation and livestock farming. Here, therefore, you encounter not only individual architectural forms but also traces of a rural way of life.

Towers, Chapels and Historic Details

Masseria Pittore developed from a compact, rectangular 18th-century tower house into a complex of several white-plastered buildings. It includes a rural chapel with a small bell gable. Masseria Pittore in the Località Losciale dates from the 18th century and is considered well preserved.

Masseria Garrappa also brings together several noteworthy elements. Its chapel has a 17th-century portal; the architrave features a dentil frame and a frieze decorated with rosettes. Next to the chapel are a citrus grove, a pergola and preserved stone water channels. Today, the complex is partly enclosed by a dry-stone wall and consists of an original stone-built tower structure that may date from the late 16th century.

Landscape between Plateau and Cave

Lama Capitolo is a short stream course that has deeply cut into the plateau near the coast. From a height of about 30 metres, it descends almost to sea level into a broad plain below. Given its location, the isolated Grotta del Capitolo is thought possibly to have served as a hermitage or for a cultural use that cannot be determined more precisely.

Masseria Il Capitolo also points to a long history. Ceramic finds from the Metal Age and the late Roman period suggest that during the imperial era it may have been a possible stopping point on the coastal road. The cautious wording is important here: this is a possible, not a confirmed, function.

Beaches and Coastal Experiences

The nearby public beach of Duna is characterised by high coastal dunes and a long sandy beach and is frequently used for surfing and other water sports. In nearby Capitolo, there are long sandy beaches suitable for coastal walks and water sports. At the nearby public beach of Torre Cintola, sandy coves lie amid a high limestone landscape beside a 16th-century coastal watchtower. Depending on your interests, you can therefore choose between dunes, long stretches of sand, coves and a rocky coastal setting.

Getting There and Accommodation

From the Capitolo exit of the SS 16 Adriatica, the route heads towards Monopoli via the SP 212 and then turns right onto the SP 163 towards Contrada Losciale and Contrada Coccaro. As a specific accommodation reference, the fortified Masseria Donnaloia is part of the local landscape: it is a hotel 250 metres from the sea.

More Places for Your Plans

If you would like to compare Losciale with other places, you can then explore Locorotondo, Andria, Quasano, Turi, Monopoli, Palo del Colle, San Giorgio and Minervino Murge.

For the higher-level travel overview: Bari.