Since the 1970s, some people have bought homes in Old Cagli because
they missed the piazza life, Cagli historian Lucia Braccini said.
More recently, landlords are restoring homes to rent to tourists
and students, Cagli landlord Mario Fraternale said. “Tourists
come to the country during the winter and students come to learn
language at the Atrium and music at the Academia Lyrica,”
Councilmen of Pesaro and Urbino Ing. Italo Grilli said, he doesn’t
know how many homes have been restored since he inventoried Cagli’s
home ownership in the 1970s.
That has since changed. Instead, more and more people are restoring
homes in Old Cagli.
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The construction is visible
around Cagli. The cobblestorne streets are currently a maze
of scaffolding, construction trucks, and workers. Most home
exteriors are getting their first face lift since World War
II. One catalyst for this reconstruction was the recent earthquake
of 1997. However long before this damage, homes had been abandoned
by their Cagliese, British, and French owners. Not only did
vacation homes become homes for dust, moths, and the like,
but permanent Cagliese owners abandoned their lives in Old
Cagli to build a new community next door, forming New Cagli. |
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After Worl d War II, there was very little reconstruction done
in Cagli. In the 1960s, Cagli had an economic boom which promoted
any sort of permanent change in housing exterior or interiors.
There was also very limited reconstruction of damaged or old homes.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the government gave Cagliese citizens
affected by the war grants to build small, economical homes.. At
this point, many families in Old Cagli abandoned their homes and
relocated to New Cagli. Homes there were not architectural beauties
but remained “just a place to sleep,” said Lucia.
In the 1970s, Caligese returned to Old Cagli for the “stability
of stores, rent, and community,” said Ing. Italo Grillo. But
in the 1990s, restoration of homes was done to attract tourists
to the historical appeal of Old Cagli. Mario
and Eriberta Fraternale (Video) have restored two properties
to rent to tourists and students. In 1994, they opened their first
restored rural house, the Torre di Sasso.
In 2002, they opened Casa Lapis, a newly restored apartment in
Old Cagli. Construction on Casa Lapis was begun by their daughter
Carlota. They expanded the upstairs apartments from three larger
to five smaller apartments and converted the two garages to apartments.
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They said they are the first people to have done reconstruction
of this kind on a a private home. Their goal is to market
Cagli not as a tourist city but as a vacation destination
of historical antiquity.
They currently use word-of-mouth advertisment, brochures,
and an internet site to attract renters. Since opening in
1994, they have had heavy occupancy days of occupied rental
days in their two locations. They have housed families from
all around the world, including England, Belgium, Denmark,
United States, New Zealand, and Austria.
Mario Fraternale said, “It is important to continuethis
type of restoration because it is a value to the city. Everything
in Cagli is connected because it will eventually increase
the wealth of the city. It also improves the stability and
the community of Cagli. When people come, everything changes…the
piazza is filled with the young…brings life to Cagli.” |
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Photo by:
Victoria Woods |
Video by:
Alexis Turro |
Web Design by:
Melissa Lane |
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