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The house restorationRestoring a house in Civita is an act of love first of all. The
difficulties of transporting materials to and from the town
make the challenges unique and, if anything, they taught us
the meaning of patience! It was a real treat and honor
however to be able to undertake such a noble task in such a
beautiful and unique Italian hill town. |
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The original roof |
The original living room |
The entrance to the caves & the cliff |
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The rules and sequence of the renovation had to be completely customized for the site and its
unique features. A hanging garden accessed only through underground caves and an
underground pool are only some examples of this home’s uniqueness.
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The original garden...a forest! |
The roof being redone |
The scaffolding |
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When we bought the home it was livable but dilapidated. The caves were humid, dirty and dark,
the garden had been abandoned and became an impenetrable forest of elm trees and blackberry
bushes + was partly occupied by a town dump and landslides; The electric and plumbing systems
were on their last leg; the roof was collapsing; two of the floors were not connected by a staircase,
and so on.
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Everything is dug by hand; New walls; The cliff gets cleaned; Yard work; new stairs; new roof
We wanted to make sure the house and all its unusual spaces felt connected, organic and restored
for maximum enjoyment of both ourselves and our guests... with comfort and beauty to rival the
best boutique hotels, but in a location such as Civita which is unique in the world!
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Restored fireplace; The pool; Garden in construction; Garden almost done; Found pots; Kitchen
We infused the old bones of the house with a sort of modernist romanticism that was respectful of
all things old and original to the structure yet allowed for the new to seamelessly complement the
site and enhanced its raw beauty.
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