Although we didn’t know it at the time, it appears the traditional chestnut windows, shutters and doors of our house were in the company of royalty at the time they were made. Because our house in Malgrate dates back around 400 years, and probably wasn’t a house at all to start with but perhaps part of a watch tower on the town walls, the wooden fixtures had to be individually made to fit the irregular spaces. And it turns out they were made by the craftsman from Lunigiana, who was restoring the doors and windows of La Venaria Reale, the royal palace near Turin.
The Venaria Reale Project
Built in the middle of the 17th century, the vision of Duke Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy, La Venaria Reale near Turin was once one of the most significant royal residences in Italy. By the end of the 20th century, the baroque splendor of the 80,000 square-metre palace urgently needed renovation, and the 950,000 square metres of gardens and parklands had become a wasteland. The largest European restoration project of its kind, costing over €280 million, it was the unique skills of Roberto Albericci from Lunigiana that ensured that hundreds of windows and doors were either restored to their former glory or were replaced by new ones that resembled the centuries-old originals in meticulous detail and design. Much of the work had to be done by hand.
The Carpenter from Lunigiana
Albericci’s workshop is in the small village of Corlaga near Bagnone, hidden away behind some houses. When you approach it, you might see a van or some wood lying around, but it is not until you get closer that you realise there is a huge modern workshop hidden in what, at first sight, looks like a barn. Started by his grandfather with not much more than a box of tools, the company is still a family business that employes Albericci’s grown-up children and his brother. Albericci, who as a small child was to be found in the workshop rather than playing outdoors, joined his father in the business when he was fifteen.
All through the time he was involved in the restoration of the Venaria Reale, Albericci never neglected his customers in Lunigiana. Despite his commitments in Piemonte, he was always around to answer questions and make site visits to our property. In addition to our windows, shutters and doors, he made fitted cupboards, kitchen units and stairs for us. He came highly recommended to us, and did a fantastic job.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, La Venaria Reale reopened in 2007, not as a museum but as one of Italy’s major cultural centers and is home to concerts, live shows, cultural events and exhibitions.
Photos courtesy of B. Roveran
The carpenter from Lunigiana and the restoration of La Venaria Reale appeared on Ciao Lunigiana on 22 February 2012. All rights received.
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