Treasures Found

La Chitarra – Traditional Pasta Making Utensil from Abruzzo

The Guitar - La Chitarra

La Chitarra or ‘the guitar’ is used to form a traditional Abruzzese pasta which is probably best described to you as a ‘square’ spaghetti. Pasta dough is rolled through the strings of the Chitarra to produce the unique shaped pasta.  Traditionally this pasta is served with a ragu usually with a meat base.

An Old Washstand & Basin - Un lavabo Vecchio e del bacino

Washstand Excavated from the Bathroom

On my last visit to Abruzzo my neighbour informed me that during strong winds the unsecured window shutters on my house would bang loudly keeping her awake at night or during her siesta.  In order to rectify the situation with what little means I had I went around the house securing the window shutters as best I could.  This included going into my ‘bathroom’ which has been filled with rubble from the terrace which fell in on it due to water damage and 40 years of neglect.  I used the old terracotta bricks to stack behind the shutters on the window ledge to keep then closed as I had no other means of securing them.  In the process I noticed some ironwork underneath my feet and decided to investigate further.  The result was that I excavated the wrought iron washstand and enamel basin.  A few days later I was introduced to some more neighbours and they have a very similar washstand but one that is more ornate and has a jug with it that sits in the bottom ring.  I was impressed with theirs and my neighbour has offered to restore mine as a housewarming gift!

Old Bottles: Different Shapes & Colours  - Vecchie Bottiglie – Forme e Colori Diversi

Old Bottles – Different Shapes & Colours

I found quite a collection of old bottles – not on my last visit but I thought I would share these with you.  I found traditional wine casks in wicker (bottom shelf), old soft drink bottles, glasses a jug and storage bottles with stoppers on them.  Some are clear, some blue, some green and some brown.  I am not so sure of what I might do with these – maybe I will clean them up and display them somewhere as they are really quite pretty and they were part of my home before I arrived.

Old Keys – Vecchie Chiavi

Old Keys From A Hidden Past

I found some old keys around the house also – but what they unlocked no longer appears to be held within the house at all.

An Old Quilt - Una Vecchia Coperta

You will have to wait for a picture of this I am afraid.  I was looking at the mess on top of the iron bed in the room that will be my master bedroom and I had previously thought the old bedding was completely ruined.  At one stage there had been a small fire on the mattress, however I was surprised to find a hand made quilt in a very pretty red colour and as I pulled it out from underneath the other covers I realized that perhaps it would be possible to have it cleaned and given life once more.  I will keep you wondering about this one as I need a few days to be able to give the quilt the attention it needs and to take photos.

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