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Niche
Cold, probably below freezing, and overcast. The woods are still and silent.
In every room of our centuries-old house here in Carmine Superiore there is at least one niche. Each of the three walk-in fireplaces has two niches, one either side, which I assume were built in to provide a place for cooking equipment. Some, I believe, have been formed from windows and arrow-slits, as the house evolved; the presence of a three-storey arch in the middle of the house leads me to believe that at some point this building stood at the edge of the village rather than at its centre, so some of its walls would once have been outside walls and not interior walls as they are now.
The niche in the picture is in the main bathroom. At certain times of the year, the sun sends a magical beam through a gap between the houses, across the great bald rock in front of my door (the famous Sasso Carmine), and lights the niche up in a Stonehengian sort of a way. In such moments it's easy to believe that this house has a life of its own - a life that has more to do with the mountains, the lake, the turning of the seasons and the passing of the centuries, than it does with us.
Niche
Cold, probably below freezing, and overcast. The woods are still and silent.
In every room of our centuries-old house here in Carmine Superiore there is at least one niche. Each of the three walk-in fireplaces has two niches, one either side, which I assume were built in to provide a place for cooking equipment. Some, I believe, have been formed from windows and arrow-slits, as the house evolved; the presence of a three-storey arch in the middle of the house leads me to believe that at some point this building stood at the edge of the village rather than at its centre, so some of its walls would once have been outside walls and not interior walls as they are now.
The niche in the picture is in the main bathroom. At certain times of the year, the sun sends a magical beam through a gap between the houses, across the great bald rock in front of my door (the famous Sasso Carmine), and lights the niche up in a Stonehengian sort of a way. In such moments it's easy to believe that this house has a life of its own - a life that has more to do with the mountains, the lake, the turning of the seasons and the passing of the centuries, than it does with us.
10 comments:
Stonehenge? Difficult to heat if you ask me!
Wow - what an amazing house! More photos of it, pretty please!
It's fascinating to try and unveil the history of an old house from its walls and unusual construction! It does look like as if that niche was built where the sun could reach it.
PS can I ask you where you bought your crocus sativus bulbs? I'm considering a site called "zafferano di montefeltro" ...
How fascinating! And such an adventure! It sounds to me like you are living the dream!:) You have probably heard this a million times, but bear with me, after watching "Under the Tuscan Sun", it has been a dearly held dream of mine to live in a beautiful, historical house in Italy. :)
When it comes to beautiful homes that last over many generations I'm of the opinion that we as owners or tenants are merely gaurdians; caretakers to ensure the house is looked after well enough to pass it on to the next appreciative occupant, thereby preserving the craft and skill that was employed in creating it in the fist place.
Dominic
http://cocoonproperty.co.uk
Oooooo, beautiful catch of the sunbeam in a niche! Would love to see more pics of such an historic home!
beautiful!
I cannot imagine living where you do. It seems beautiful yet scary, probably because I'm not used to an old house with hidden places.
What a fantastic blog. I've been reading through your stories for the past few weeks. Such a fascinating and isolated village. A bit too rustic for me to call home, but then if it wasn't, it would loose so much of it's charm. Love seeing it all through your eyes.
I love these peeks into your beautiful home. Such a pretty picture.
♥ Joy
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