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 The
House
Domus Laeta has a touch of antiquity evident in
every part of it. The building, one of the most ancient in the
village, is next to the main square and the Church.
It is three floors high and sits atop a terraced
garden with an orchard and vineyard overlooking the valley; a
typical Italian country mansion, well equipped to run autonomously.
From the outside it appears like a small citadel
fortified as past centuries necessitated. The loop-holes built
along all sides and the lookout turret at the top show how the
inhabitants in the past protected themselves from their enemies.
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Inside, before entering into the
heart of the house is a series of small courts and courtyards
where the servants attended to their various jobs, such as:
looking after horses and donkeys (the mangers can still be seen,
and the big iron rings where they were tied up), making wine and
oil with the grapes and olives harvested on the nearby land owned
by the family.
A large stone oil-mill is kept in a separate hall,
ready to the restored, together with an old cistern, the tank for
the olive-harvesting, and a wash-basin.
Still working are the the huge wood-burning ovens for
cooking bread and figs which abounded on the estate.
A series of well preserved kitchen utensils is still
kept. The great halls have remained unaltered, and an ancient
chest of drawers placed in the main hall is mentioned in a
document of the 1700s.
There is a room attached to the spring-water well
which was used for water storage.
The bridge was built in order to facilitate the
drawing of water; in fact during the last century the landlord
allowed the people of Giungano to draw water from his well at a
fixed time, as it was considered the best in the village.
The bedrooms have always been located where they are
now, and the bathrooms generally outside on the verandas.
The Archdeacon Ignazio, whose portrait is above the
fire-place, slept in the last room, which led onto the veranda
where he loved to walk up and down praying, when free from his
numerous duties.
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