The renovation
“Ne pas se servir, ne pas s’asservir mais servir”
Years of abandonment had led the farm cottage to a situation of extreme degrade. The place had been abandoned by the owners since 1907 and the building had started to decay like a dead body. Vandals and burglars completed the work, ruining the rooms and stealing steps, pavements, statues, columns, fixtures and coats of arms. The family coat of arms, on one of the outside fronts, was stolen in the eighties and was casually found in an antique shop in Tuscany.
In 2011, encouraged by the funding obtained from the “G.A.L. Ponte Lama “, we began the restoration work, with the utmost respect for the structure:
We entered the Posta on bare foot trying to “not disturb”, choosing to leave the rooms as they were before and to use local materials.
A photo from 1913, found in a drawer, was our bible: we wanted to bring the building to its former life as a witness of the ancient history.
We shared this challenge with two French stonemasons, Luc Tamborero and Gregoire Delau, from the training school of the “Companons du Devir”, heir to the tradition of medieval arts and crafts guilds with a stone restorer, Claire Piffaut.
Three French boys who fell in love with the stones of Puglia, its historic centers, fortifications and Romanesque churches, built a thousand years ago by their Norman ancestors and decided to settle in Bisceglie and set up their business here (www.ateliers-romeo.com).
We chose the compagnon’s motto : “Ne pas se servir, ne pas s’asservir mais servir” to honour the ability of this School to preserve the tradition of the most noble craftsmanship.
Thanks to them, we have rediscovered ancient building techniques for plasters and floors so that we can proudly affirm that the renovation has respected all the canons of green building.
Moreover, all the renovation works (even the floor) are reversing.
In all those mad years, a lot of people helped us and we would like to thank them: the tireless grandparents Nunzia and Umberto; Diana and Ida; Bianca Consiglio who restored the frescos on the first floor ruined by vandals and damp;
Franco, who, among many things, painted the entrance gate on a 40-degree day in the shade; his wife Paola and little Sofia; Roberto, with his enthusiasm and his passion for photography;
Giacomo, who made this website, his wife Maria Teresa and their little Ginevra; Bruno, Giacinta e Mariagrazia who gave us their old family furniture; all the friends, from Bisceglie and Trani, who continuously gave us their affection and support.
Special thanks to the consulting firm Finagri and to Constantino who patiently calmed us down and to engineers Nicola and Giuseppe Ventura.
