The Pagliaro

Exploring the mountain landscapes of Puglia brings discoveries that redefine the classic image of the region. Far from the coastal plains, the hills of the Foggia Apennines hold the physical traces of a farming and pastoral civilisation that shaped stone to meet the hard demands of life at altitude. In the countryside around one of the highest villages in the region, the structure known as the Pagliaro of Faeto stands out as one of the most remarkable examples of vernacular building, belonging to the family of dry-stone huts of inland Puglia, structures that share the building technique of the trulli but are adapted here to the climate and terrain of the mountains.

These old shelters of stone and earth were not mere storehouses but the pillars of an economic and social organisation linked to transhumance and the growing of upland cereals. Their rediscovery now attracts thoughtful travellers, photographers and enthusiasts of ethno-anthropology keen to map the traces of a farming culture whose hallmark was its symbiosis with the natural environment.

The charm of the village and the culture of stone

The village welcomes visitors with a dense web of lanes and perched houses, where the heritage of the Franco-Provençal language enclave can be felt in every square. For those interested in rural architecture around Faeto, close to the village, the old upland settlements are an unmissable part of the trip.

The village is an ideal base for guided excursions and cultural walks, and a key stop on the circuits devoted to the historic villages of the Daunian Subapennines for slow travel. The well-preserved landscape shows how the stone structures do not alter the outline of the slopes but follow their natural lines, offering striking views to anyone who loves walking at a gentle pace.

Structure and building secrets of Lu Pagljare

Understanding this heritage requires a close look at its building techniques. To learn more about Lu Pagljare in Faeto and its history, you need to observe at close range the skill of the master builders of the past. 

The pagliaro is an old conical stone building, fully representative of the dwellings of a farming world that has now disappeared. It is built entirely of dry stone using the chianchètta, a flat, squared stone typical of the local subsoil. The plan is circular; in elevation, the building takes the shape of a truncated cone, closed at the top by a large limestone slab that served as a roof against the weather.

The interior is surprisingly well insulated: the walls could be plastered with clay or pale earth to make them waterproof and keep in the heat of the hearth. This type of building usually stood against a slope and was partly set into it, so that its overall shape could only be clearly seen from inside, while from outside it looked like little more than a convex stone wall with an entrance door. The space outside was just as carefully organised: each pagliaio had its own threshing floor for beating the wheat, as well as the custére or pannìzze, the shelters for animals.

These structures allowed shepherds to survive the long summer months of grazing. Placing these sites on a map of the rural settlements of the Monti Dauni reveals the dense network of seasonal settlements that once peopled the Apennines, defining the features of the farming and pastoral civilisation and traditions of the Alta Valle del Celone.

Slow itineraries between farmsteads and the table

Promoting this material heritage fits perfectly with the way people explore the territory today. The historic structures can be found along the trekking and slow travel itineraries of Faeto, footpaths linking the dense Faeto woods to the cultivated areas of the valley. For walkers on the upland trails, coming across the pagliari is a moment of discovery and connection with the agricultural past of Daunia.

Your visit to the world of peasant life could continue in Celle di San Vito, at the “Vincenzo Rubino” Museum of Franco-Provençal Rural Life, which holds farm tools and hundreds of objects from a world that, although gone, remains a fundamental and living part of the history of these communities.

Discover the Alta Valle del Celone

The historic chianchètte stones of Lu Pagljare bear witness to the ingenuity of a mountain civilisation that made the heights of Capitanata habitable.

Discover more places in Faeto and the Alta Valle del Celone: keep exploring to find the monuments, the Via Francigena and details of the historic villages of the Franco-Provençal enclave.