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La Famiglia
Why would somebody want to renovate the remains of ancient ruins from the 15th century in order to make it into a home? … For the family!
In the heart of Naples lies an oasis of green. More specifically in what is known as the “upper city”: Vomero, the 13th district of the southern Italian port city. From here, fantastic vistas open out over the ancient city of Napoli, or the “lower city”, and to the Gulf of Naples, the port and the sea. Perched high above the sea on Vomero hill, towering over everything around it, is Castel Sant’Elmo, with the Certosa di San Martino monastery complex just below it. And somewhere between the two sit the remains of a 15th century building.
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Beide Stadtregionen, Vomero und Napoli, sind seit dem 19. Jahrhundert mit einer Seilzugbahn verbunden, der „Funicolare“. Zuvor war die alte Vomero nur über Treppenwege erreichbar. Bis heute sind das die einzigen Wege zu den Anwesen des Vomero-Hügels. So auch zum Haus von Umberto, das er vor 25 Jahren gekauft hat. Heute lebt er dort immer noch, mit allen Kindern und Enkelkindern, einer Familie von drei Generationen. Links neben ihm in einem kleinen Haus zur Miete: sein Sohn Giovanni mit dessen Frau Janine und dem zweijährigen Umberto Rio. Rechts daneben: eine ehemalige Ruine, von der niemand gedacht hat, dass sie jemals wieder bewohnt werden würde.
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But why would somebody want to buy and restore a completely rundown ancient ruin? Giovanni has been asked this question numerous times. “La famiglia” is his reply, but it goes deeper than that.
How it all began: since he was a child, Giovanni had been fascinated by plants. Aged four, he already had his own little plot in “mamma’s” vegetable garden, where he could sow pumpkin seeds and watch them grow before harvesting them. Having a vegetable garden and being somewhat self-sufficient was part of everyday life for the family.
Giovanni was 15 years old when his father bought the house in the Vigna di San Martino, a vineyard found below the Certosa di San Martino on Vomero hill. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by seven hectares of vineyards as well as olive groves, citrus trees and also farmers, whom he helped and was able to learn from. His route home always took him past the ruin. Even back then, he would say to himself: “I’d like to live here when I have a family.”
Giovanni went on to pursue his passion by studying botany. He then joined his parent’s company and travelled the world on business. In South America, the Italian met his now wife Janine, a German with Portuguese roots. Back in Italy, the search for the right house, or an apartment with a garden, proved unsuccessful for two years. “Finding a house with a garden that you can make your own is almost impossible in Naples,” explains Janine. Giovanni then made a decision: “Time to make dreams come true.”
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Finding a house with a garden that you can make your own is almost impossible in Naples.
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During the restoration of the ruin, the restrictions that came with monument protection had to be considered.
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We helped the building owners put together a system that reflected their needs and wishes. Ensuring energy efficiency and low operating costs are always priorities.
Giovanni set out on a renovation project like no other. After speaking to architects, engineers, even historians and, just to be on the safe side, also lawyers to make sure that the remnants of the building could be restored in spite of the many restraints imposed by monument protection, he bought the ruin next to his parent’s house. Then came a nasty surprise: “We were allowed to restore the building as long as we complied with very strict rules. But we could only live there if we were able to prove that it had already served as living quarters in the past,” says Janine. After six months spent going through old documents, the couple finally found what they were looking for: monks from the monastery had used the ruin as their lodgings, and a certain Mandara family had also once lived there.
The couple had managed to get Antonio Gravagnuolo on board as their architect, an expert with vast experience of working on listed buildings. One of his biggest projects saw him help reconstruct the medieval village of Castello di Postignano in Umbria, which had been completely destroyed in an earthquake.
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There were a couple of things that posed a particular challenge during the restoration of the ruin: the restrictions that came with monument protection and the location in the poorly accessible vineyard. The ruin had to be rebuilt in precisely the same way using the exact same materials. That meant that any stones removed from the round arches of windows and passages or from the walls had to be numbered so they could later be reassembled in exactly the same way as before. And this despite the fact that the stones were then rendered (using a completely natural lime-sand mix due to the building’s protected status). It was at this stage at the latest when one thing became very clear: the project needed a dedicated manager. Building owner Giovanni handed in his notice at work and took one year of “construction leave”.
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Transporting the building materials and products was a daily challenge on the building site. “There are no roads leading right to our door,” explains Giovanni. The funicular wasn’t an option. And carrying all of the necessary materials up 150 steps was also not going to work. The builders rented a special climbing truck that can move up a flight of stairs. “During the entire construction period, there was always one person in charge of getting supplies up and down the stairs,” reports Giovanni.
As it turns out, a few kilos were able to be cut from these supplies as a number of historical, original floor tiles were unearthed during the digging and able to be salvaged in one piece. The bright tiles with their typical Neapolitan patterns now form part of today’s interior design. When doing the groundwork, hundreds of little medicine bottles made of brown, green and white glass were also dug up – an indication that the ruin had, at some point, also been used by the monks as a pharmacy. After a good clean, the little bottles serve not only as a historical memento, but also as a vibrant connection to the ruin’s former past, adorning kitchen shelves or being used as little vases.
Energy self-sufficient where possible
In keeping with their attitude to life and the importance they place on nature, Janine and Giovanni always knew that they wanted their new home to be energy-efficient and sustainable, drawing on eco-friendly technologies to generate heating, cooling, hot water and electricity. They wanted to combine monument protection and innovative home technology in the best way possible. Both the architect and the interior designer offered suggestions. This was around the time that contact was made with Vaillant in Italy.
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An additional solar thermal system supplies hot water.
The building owners received plenty of advice from Vaillant. Fabio Gallucci, Product Marketing Manager at the Italian sales company, recalls: “We helped the building owners put together a system that reflected their needs and wishes. There are always a number of ways in which technology can be used. It all depends on the individual requirements of the project in question. Ensuring energy efficiency and low operating costs, however, is always high up on the list of priorities.”
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In the end, a hybrid system was chosen that combines an air-water heat pump, free of CO₂ emissions, with a gas-fired condensing boiler. In addition, a thermal solar system with a solar collector subtly integrated into the garden provides hot water. “For us, it is important that we always have plenty of hot water to be able to take showers.” Building owner Janine knows that they use more hot water than the average household. This is largely due to the fact that she often has guests to stay from her large, international circle of friends and relatives.
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“The Vaillant solution won us over thanks to its environmental and economic benefits,” explains Giovanni. “The heat pump keeps the rooms warm most of the year. If there’s not quite enough environmental heat in winter, heat pumps usually also need electricity. But not our system. Ours then automatically triggers the gas-fired condensing boiler, which is really cost-efficient as gas is quite cheap. And our carbon footprint is still reduced, despite using the fossil fuel, especially considering how much CO₂ is produced in Italy for generating electricity.”
The building owners were also impressed with how easy it is to manage the entire heating and cooling system. “We can programme and adjust everything from home as and when we like. All we need is a Wi-Fi connection.”
An eye to the future
“Unfortunately, the current regulations for monument protection do not permit the use of solar cells for producing electricity,” says Janine. “But that might change at some point. Our system is set up to be able to incorporate photovoltaics in the future.”
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Underfloor heating distributes the heat in the rooms. As modern heat pumps not only heat but can also cool, corresponding fan coil units were installed in the ceiling. Only the ventilation grills are visible. “This meant we didn’t have to install an extra, more expensive air-conditioning system to keep the rooms cool on hot summer days.”
The building owners were creative in their positioning of the gas-fired condensing boiler. It was installed outside, under the steps to the terrace, then walled in and fitted with a door to protect it against wind and weather. “This gives us more living space.”
In Southern Italy, the use of alternative energies is still very much in its infancy. Giovanni: “Vaillant provided us with a wealth of advice relevant to our specific needs. However, Vaillant doesn’t employ any technicians to install the systems, and heat pumps are not commonplace in Southern Italy. We first had to find an installer who was able to fit this kind of system.” His determination paid off. In the end, after speaking to Vaillant, a competent installer was found in the local region.
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Tradition meets modernity
At least in terms of interior design, the building owners were relatively unobstructed by the building’s listed status. Despite this, they still wanted to combine old structures with new, modern elements also inside their new home. They chose colours that fit in with the nature of the vineyard. The nooks and crannies formed by the old walls have been turned into practical seating or custom-made shelves. Throughout the project, it was important to the owners that regional and traditional materials and suppliers were used.
After a year and a half of construction, the time had come. The young family could finally move into their listed, restored ruin, complete with a garden perfect for planting tomatoes and conducting horticultural experiments. Someday, they hope to become even more self-sufficient by integrating solar power without being hindered by monument protection. After all, the conditions in sunny Southern Italy are ideal.
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