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The modern armchairs, the 18th-century stove, and
the candelabras from the upstairs ballroom give this room the warmth
that Braccini loves. The ballroom walls are covered in religious art. Portraits of patron
saints, former cardinals, and the Blessed Virgin with Child line
the walls, and the walls themselves are ornately painted. The door
frames leading towars the bedrooms have trompe l’oeil moldings
that look three-dimensional. Braccini touched them to show that
they were smooth. The two small windows near the 20-foot ceiling and two large windows
near the floor catch the last few rays of sunlight. Before the house
had electricity, rows of copper oil lamps hung from the walls, lighting
the room to keep a party going. Today those candelabras decorate
the family room downstairs. The house has seen some renovations in that last several generations. In the 19th century, Braccini’s grandfather refurbished the dining room, in which his portrait now hangs. Braccini describes it as “a prototype of the Liberty style of the late 19th century.” |
Before the House Had Electricity, Rows of Copper |
Oil Lamps Hung From the Walls to Light the Ballroom. |
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The room is covered in wallpaper, drapes, and upholstery, all in blue floral patterns. The vaulted ceiling has four frescoes of area scenes. Braccini recalled that during World War II, the house
was an Allied General Headquarters. During that time, on the left
stairwell, the Allies painted a map of the surrounding land and
covered it in “mountains and crosses.” Large iron staples hold the building together where
cracks have formed, and the two windows near the roof appear to
have been boarded up for several lifetimes. A new door to the exterior
has been cur out of one of the old windows, making two homes from
one. All around the interior and exterior of the house,
there is evidence of construction. Plaster and stone cover the yard,
a cement mixer is in the back yard, and a steel ladder reaches the
higher windows. Almost seven years after the 1997 earthquake, this
house, as well as several other structures around Cagli, is finally
getting a much-needed facelift. The supplies for these repairs cannot
be picked up at an average hardware store. |
Typically, when the floors in a house are reinforced,
the original floor is removed, then reinforcements are put into
place, and a new floor is installed. However, the second floor of
this house is dominated by a 1000-square-foot-ballroom, the floor
of which is covered in 15th-century red ceramic tile. The solution is simple: don’t hurt the floor. As with several
buildings around Cagli, wrought iron bars protrude from the side
of the house, Braccini points out. /several of these bars from a
grid between floors in the house to take stress off the crumbling
rock, without harming the priceless tiles.
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