A trip to the Paese is a must when family travel to Calabria. Located in the mountains, this is where my grandparents grew up before they came to Australia.
My sister and I had the most amazing day walking through the narrow streets and stumbling across amazing sites at every turn. We were fascinated to see that almost everything remained true to the time of it's construction - right down to the colours of the doors and textiles hanging from the windows.
Unfortunately my Nonna's childhood home has been renovated since the family moved out but we were pleased to discover that Nonno's was still in it's original state.
My only expectation that day was to see the exterior of the house. So, when my cousin shook the door and it opened you can only image how shocked I was! What lay before me took my breath away...
The house had been vacant since 1974 after a fire in the village caused my grandfather's family to move to the sea. Most of their possessions were taken at the time but we were trilled to find that there were some items left behind.
In a briefcase positioned on an old mantel we found images of my mother and uncle as a child, accompanied with a letter from my Nonno to his parents. The letter spoke of how my mother just had her first Holy Communion, that my uncle Nick had started walking and Nonna was expecting her third child.
Another highlight for me was finding a cabinet in the house still intact - filled with miss-matched cups and plates that look as though they were all from the 60s and 70s. Most of the items we left behind but I couldn't resist taking a little teacup to house on my mantel back home.
I was so overwhelmed about what I found that day that I have contemplated buying the house...don't you think it would make a good Summer studio?
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