Before Oltrella, a hunting lodge 

Before the House became officially our property we visited it a few times with the estate agent. During the visits we noticed how well preserved it was: unlike other ruins in the neighborhood it was not abandoned and was called “Hunting Lodge Guardamonte“, headquarters to the homonymous team of hunters who gathered here during the season.

The interiors of the hunting lodge appeared in fact as a house of parties and banquets. In two of the rooms on the ground floor, the newer ones, long L-shaped tables were arranged, covered with plastic tablecloths decorated with fruity patterns. The older rooms were filled with piles of wood to fuel the stoves. Hanging on the walls here and there, you could see group photos of the Guardamonte team and the inevitable boar head trophies. In the air the strong scent of wood burned and game meals.

As we finalized our purchase in October 2015, we agreed to let the hunters use the ground floor of the house until the end of the year, to give them time to find a new gathering site. A few times during this period we would visit the house to check that everything was in order. Around December, in one of such visits, we met a few of the hunters that were packing up their colorful tables, stoves, pictures and trophies to move them to the new premises they had established in a village nearby. Of course we introduced ourselves and the introduction soon became a brief conversation.

One of the hunters told us: “The land of this area is unique and is famous for building stone: all the stones that are found here always have a smooth side and are perfect to build.”

And then: “In this house I spent many Sundays in the company of relatives and friends, as a boy, in summer as in winter. I have many fond memories of this place, you know, I grew up here. The view enjoyed by this house is nowhere to be found. I will really miss it. ”

How to blame him? The secluded place and breadth of views we enjoy here, convey feelings that are difficult to express in a photograph. You have to come in person to understand.