Interesting things you find in a vacant house in Italy

When we bought our house in Italy this year, we hadn’t fully realised that we would be buying not
only an ancient building but also many of the possessions of the previous owners. We arrived to find the house fully furnished, right down to the contents of the kitchen cupboards.

When we started cleaning out the bedroom of the house that had not been lived in for at least 50 years, we were pleased to have found some old light bulbs which we thought we could use to provide some light (once we finally got power). We could not figure out why the light bulb in the dingy room would glow brightly for a day or so, then … “BANG”, it would explode. After some time, our Italian tradesmen pointed out the stash of unused bulbs I had found were ‘molto vecchi’ (very old) and should be thrown out. It seemed such a shame. Then we found out that these old bulbs were rated at 115 volts - relics from just after the Second World War, we think!

So with a single new 220 volt bulb dangling from the ceiling we gingerly prepared to clean out 50 years of dust and spider webs. As Alan swept under the old double bed, he struck something solid with the broom head. Thud. There seemed to be an old plastic bucket under there. It was heavy. He dragged it across the floor and the top was covered in plastic. Rather than fossick in this with bare hands in the semi-darkness, he chose to lug it down stairs and open it in broad day light. We were amazed – it was FULL of pre-war Italian coins – centesimi, all with the Emperor of the time, Vittorio Emmanuelle III and the Fascist symbol of the then Dictator Mussolini. There were literally thousands of coins of varying denominations. One of our workmen made the comment that at the time, due to the rampant inflation and currency devaluation, it would probably have only bought a packet of cigarettes. Amazing what you keep under the bed!

Speaking of the Second World War, we were also to discover many family photos, including this one, once proudly showing one of the sons in his military uniform. These people had lived through the war years.


As we went through more drawers of beautiful linen and crocheted tablecloths, we came across a perfectly preserved calico flour bag imprinted with the following inscription on one side:

“Donated by the people of the United States of America……”

This was a reminder of how this terrible time for the people of Europe had ended. In poverty. The people of our little village must have been very hungry and so appreciative of this aid coming from the American occupying forces. It must have been so, as the occupants of this house had carefully preserved this calico bag and even stitched up a hole in it. It was perfectly clean and well preserved. Perhaps it was a symbol of a new start for them.

There were also many reminders of the simple rural life that these people enjoyed that had been abruptly interrupted by this war. There were olive-sorting frames, wine presses, old poles in the kitchen and wine cellar still in place for hanging meat and herbs for drying inside, pasta presses, hand-made canvas umbrellas, chestnut roasting wheels and much more.

Perhaps most poignant was a collection of bottles of preserved tomatoes, olive oil and wine that had been sitting in place through all these years of turmoil, untouched. We were reluctant to dispose of the preserved food that had lasted 50 years or more through earthquakes, wars, famine and years of plenty. Here they still were – tangible evidence of a simple rural life, now virtually consigned to the memory of a few elderly villagers. It felt strange touching back into time to this world from the modern world of technology.

As we disposed of some of the farm clothing and old shoes that belonged to this old couple, we reflected that perhaps the most valuable thing you find in an old Italian house is the respect for people who lived through all those turbulent years.....