Masseria Strazzati
Masseria STRAZZATI or of the Pious Schools
About 2 km north of Avetrana, 70 m. above sea level, about 500 meters SW of Masseria Bosco, next to the ancient road that led to Oria stands the 'Li Strazzati' farm, an area of particular archeological interest, in that a rich deposit of bronze axes was found there.
In the land registry drawn up in 1752 it is listed among the properties that belonged to the 'Venerable Colleggio delle Scuolepie della Terra di Casalnovo' and consists of: pens, huts, houses above and below, water vessels, a chapel, and other areas.
The toponym is perhaps attributable to the fact that the Piarist Fathers (padri scolopi) who once kept it, took particular care of the outcasts and therefore 'beggars', who wore tattered or, in the local dialect 'strazzati' clothing.
Regarding the presence of the Scolopi Fathers in our area, it is necessary to keep in mind how closely they are tied to the noble branch of the Carrozzo family. This family, who appeared in Manduria in the second half of the 15th century, gave rise to D. Giacomo Antonio founder of the college of the Scolopi Fathers in Manduria. Breaking hereditary ties, he donated the ancestral possessions in Avetrana (Masseria Bosco, Masseria Mascolo and Pantaleo) to the Piarist Fathers on 10 November 1681.
Of course, the farm was not inhabited only by the Piarists but also by lay people who took care of the farm's affairs, among them: Maria Rizzo born around 1755, daughter of Leonardo and Anna Lucia Parisi who, as noted by the parish priest of the time, lived in the farm 'owned by the Padri Scolopi'. Subsequently, we there were the ancestors of the Ciminos, now living in Avetrana, represented by Pietro and his wife Maria Addolorata Erario, originally from Manduria, who move from the farm to baptize their daughter Maria Grazia born on 12/28/1840.
What the Onciario Cadastre reports is the state that had been consolidated for about seventy years and we believe that this situation remained so until the advent of Napoleon. Through the reforms, it sanctions the abolition of the 'dead hand', that is, the suppression of religious orders and the consequent confiscation of most of those assets belonging to religious orders and to the Church itself. The end of the Napoleonic adventure (1815), while restoring the previous state, the Li Strazzati farm, in particular, remained in the possession of the Duke of Otranto (belonging to the great lineage of the Bourbons-Naples) and administered in his name by D. Michele Pasanisi who, in 1832, became its owner (incidentally until 1837 there is no news about the presence of livestock). His son Pietro Oronzo followed in 1872 and then, in 1884, the Pietro's son: Michelino. The data provided by the Onciario cadastre allow us to know the patrimonial state of said farm: it covered about 263 Ha of which 255 were left for arable land and 8 for vineyards, 568 olive trees, various fruit trees, including pear trees, and 6 wells (from which to draw water). Just as a matter of curiosity, the districts included, to name a few, Galluzzo, Sponnati, Padula di Falco, Tatamoro, La Mendola, Sciavilli, Pozzelle, Barbiero, Maramonte, La Geggiola (shared with Masseria Bosco), La Foggia (also shared with Masseria Bosco) and Banniti.
The data available does not allow us to infer until, at least 1837 (when Michele Pasanisi is already the owner of the farm), the presence of livestock since until that year, the said farm is not registered for the purposes of the 'trust' (tax on pastures).
The Structure
Located about 3 km from the inhabited center on the old Avetrana - Oria road, as previously stated, we can imagine that the name was given to it to indicate the place where beggars and vagabonds could find refuge and be welcomed as guests at the time of the Scolopi Fathers.
The period of construction of the farmhouse is to be placed around the beginning of the seventeenth century and it is assumed that the evolution of the structures added in subsequent periods to the original one completely changed the plan of the original farmhouse. Therefore, the original development based on a north-south axis, was subsequently developed, instead, along the east-west one. This modification may have occurred during the period when the property belonged to the Piarists.
On the top of the main entrance door to the farm you can clearly see the coat of arms of the Piarists, who became owners of the farm towards the end of the seventeenth century (1681). Different types of masonry can be seen, however, none of which are dateable earlier than 1600.
The complex consists of two floors: on the upper floor there is a manor house; on the lower floor, in addition to the relative farmhouse rooms, there are some rooms adjacent to the small chapel, perhaps intended to house the nucleus of the Scolopi Fathers. Taking a look outside the main Masseria farmhouse, we also find a large number of rooms, for many of which it is not possible to establish their intended use because they lack elements that would make them distinguishable. Finally, some clearly visible renovations have been carried out on the roof of some rooms.
The chapel
In the Masseria there is also a small chapel, inside which you can see a cartouche from the seventeenth century probably built by the Piarist Fathers themselves, that perhaps housed a fresco, of which unfortunately no trace remains. Outside the chapel, on the top of the door, there is a carved cross, of which there is an identical one, inside one of the rooms on the ground floor. In the report of Mons. Scaja and Mons. Celaja, respectively in 1754 and 1777, between the rural chapels present in the territory of Avetrana there is a chapel located in the Masseria of the Scolopi Fathers, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
It is certain that in 1752, in the chapel adjacent to the farm itself, masses were celebrated. In fact, so we can confirm this based on the Onciario cadastre on the ‘burdens’ on said farm: the celebration of 1456 Low Masses, and 4 Anniversaries, for the aforementioned annual assets.
