Masseria Filippo de Raho
A Masseria with a Noble Heritage
The Masseria is closely tied to the history of Tenuta Calizzi, located in the territory of Lecce, in the hamlet of Villa Convento. The estate was inherited around 1850 by Filippo de Raho, father of Francesco Cavaliere de Raho, at a time when it lay in a state of complete neglect.
A distinguished civil lawyer, Filippo de Raho belonged to a family of Salento landowners. On his mother’s side, he was the sole descendant of the Barons de Raho of Cassineto, an ancient family of Norman origin, equally rooted in the land and rural heritage of Salento.
The great-grandfather of the present-day host, Filippo Cavaliere de Raho, was the family member who believed most firmly in the potential of the estate. In 1910, he chose to leave his medical profession, partly due to his independent spirit, to devote himself entirely to managing the countryside properties. Supported by skilled and qualified staff, he pursued excellence in agricultural production, quickly establishing the estate as a successful and exemplary model for other farms in the region.
Thanks to his remarkable entrepreneurial vision, former pastureland was first transformed into an intensive vineyard. The estate was equipped with a fully mechanical on-site winemaking facility, powered by steam generated by a machine known as a “locomobile.” To operate it, he even obtained the official certification required to serve as a licensed boiler operator.
1850
The Calizzi estate was inherited by Filippo de Raho.
1890
Construction of the main building, addition of the upper floor, and expansion of the ground floor.
1890
Accidental lightning strike on the building.
1903
Construction of the Church in honor of Saint Oronzo.
1913
Use of a steam-powered engine to operate the winemaking facility.
1964
Construction of the main building, expansion of the ground floor, and addition of the upper level.
1972
Construction of the barn and the stable.
2021
Following a meticulous restoration carried out by the Cavaliere de Raho family, the hospitality property was officially inaugurated.
The Little Church as a Sign of Devotion
Upon arrival, the small chapel immediately catches the eye, standing out against the whitewashed walls of the estate and the surrounding greenery with its Pompeian red façade, currently under restoration. The chapel was built in 1903 at the wish of Filippo de Raho as a sign of devotion to Sant’Oronzo. In October 1890, he believed he had been miraculously spared by the patron saint of Lecce after narrowly escaping a lightning strike. Each morning, before leaving his room, Baron de Raho would make the sign of the cross before a large hand-embroidered portrait of the saint, displayed in his bedroom, a daily gesture of gratitude and faith.
That morning, he had forgotten to greet the saint and therefore turned back. At that very moment, a bolt of lightning struck, one that would likely have left him no chance of survival. He regarded his narrow escape as a clear sign of the saint’s protection.
The façade features a classical pediment, highlighted by a projecting cornice supported by two pilasters, and an elegant marble cartouche inscribed with Ave Oronti. Above the chapel rises a finely decorated flowering cross crowning the apex. The liturgical space within is covered by a double star-vaulted ceiling with intersecting ribs, a distinctive architectural element of the region.
Inside, the chapel once housed a papier-mâché statue of Sant’Oronzo, created by the renowned Lecce master craftsman Raffaele Caretta, who was first a pupil of Antonio Maccagnani and later of Giuseppe Manzo. The saint is depicted among the clouds, suspended above the city of Lecce as seen from Porta Rudiae, surrounded by dancing angels who accompany and escort him.
The artwork was stolen, but due to its considerable size, it was presumably abandoned in the countryside. It was later recovered and returned by the Carabinieri of Santa Rosa, and subsequently restored under the supervision of the local Heritage Authority. Only after its recovery and restoration did the family’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren realize that the piece was in fact a full statue set against the wall, rather than a bas-relief as previously believed. Today, the statue is kept in a secure location, awaiting the installation of a sophisticated security system before being returned to its original place within the chapel.
Francesco de Raho’s Studies in De Martino’s Book
In 1903, Francesco de Raho, son of Filippo, graduated in Medicine in Rome with a thesis entitled “Il Tarantolismo nella superstizione e nella scienza” (“Tarantism in Superstition and Science”).
After its publication, a copy was deposited at the Museo Sigismondo Castromediano in Lecce, where it was rediscovered in 1959 by the renowned ethnologist Ernesto De Martino. De Martino greatly valued Francesco de Raho’s research, dedicating half of the preface of his seminal book La Terra del Rimorso to him — a work now translated into several languages and internationally recognized.
De Martino acknowledged his remarkable merit in having anticipated, by nearly fifty years, a modern understanding of the phenomenon of Tarantism.
Agri Bio Relais
A Historic Estate Surrounded by the Greenery of the Salento Countryside
Via N. Rizzo, 15 – Villa Convento (LE)
Contacts
P.IVA: 02245680752
CIS LE07503551000024295
CIN IT075035B500068839
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