I have always wanted to time travel, to go back in history and see what things were really like. Today I realised that I had actually time travelled this morning!
How Did I Time Travel?
In my work of offering "facility services" to hundreds of private homes (Ok, OK, I know, I know, its just a fancy title for cleaning) I get to visit a lot of spectacularly interesting properties!
The house where we washed the windows today was built over 600 years ago from the remnants of a castle that was first constructed in about 1100 AD and that by 1500 AD had been abandoned and left in ruins. Pretty cool right! I viewed it as a type of lived in museum!
This old grape press has been restored and still sits in what is now the dining area of the kitchen in one of the apartments that has been created. This area of the estate was once used for wine production using the grapes from the surrounding hills!
Notice that the press sits on a gigantic slab of granite into which a trough and spout have been carved out!
Being on This Property Was Like Going Back in Time!
My customers explained to me that the original castle was not of military origin but that it was used as a summer residence by some of the Papal family and clergy class! It was abandoned a short time after a bloody feud between two families left many people salughtered!
The couple that live in this colossal compound purchased it in the early 1990's and spent about 11 years restoring it! The amazing thing is that they left a lot of the original features in place and the house is filled with old treasures that were found on the property. Being there really was like going back in time!
Would You Like to See a Few More Photos of This Amazing Place?
I thought so! Great! Actually I didn't take a lot of photos because my phone ran out of memory and I was working after all! There were literally hundreds of items that would have warranted photos and a bit of admiring!
The home actually lies in the middle of the old town. We drove in through the door that you see above but we had little idea as to what awaited us inside.
It was a tight squeeze getting our trucks through this entrance but once inside there was a spacious courtyard filled with treasures that were old and older!
I took this picture from a bedroom of one of the apartments. You can see a vineyard in the background on the left.
This is a view looking in both directions within another room of the villa that is used for music and entertaining. On the left in the background is a colossal fire place and opposite it is a grand piano!
The property could double as a museum because there are many tools and artefacts both inside and outside. This contraption was once used to cut hay! The base of the granite "picnic table" that you see in the background was, at one time, a piece of the castle!
Not quite as old but still a really cool solid copper backpack sprayer.
There were old wagons, wagon wheels and farming implements all around me. Yes that's my mop leaning against the wall! Looking back as far as you can see it is still part of the same property!
In this little angle of the compound you can see a horse drawn plough and a few old cooking pots hanging from the beams.
This old copper heater was in the master bathroom!
This contraption was sitting in front of one of the many fireplaces and was used for roasting chestnuts. Notice that the height of the roasting pot (it has holes in the bottom) can be set at different heights depending on the flame.
Here is an exterior view of one section of this 600 year old farm/home.
This is a dining area on one of the floors. The table fits 16 comfortably!
I have really come to appreciate the fact that there are many people who value older things enough to restore and maintain them. All too often these old buildings are torn down and with them a little bit of history disappears along with the chance to time travel!
What Do You Think?
- Do you enjoy learning about the history of an area or even a house?
- Do you enjoy seeing old objects restored?
- Have you been in homes that can be considered living museums?
I hope that you enjoyed time travelling with me today!
Until next time,
Remember, I reward the best comment(s) on each of my posts with my "The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone" program! So please re-steem and follow so that we can spread the wealth!