Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – In recent years, Italy has been selling hundreds of house scraps almost for free, in implementation of schemes aimed at attracting new residents, resulting in a wave of renewal within rural communities.
But one man did not just buy one house.. he bought an entire village.
Scottish businessman Chisidio de Ciacca has just finished renovating the small 16th-century rural village of Borgo I Ciacca, named following his family.
It is located in the rugged, wild Cucaria region, between the Italian cities of Rome and Naples, at the foot of Pechenescu.
“My grandparents, Chisidio and Marietta, left the village at the beginning of the twentieth century in search of a better future,” de Chaca told CNN, adding that they “emigrated to Scotland, leaving behind their village that had been forgotten for half a century.”
He added, “It has become a place inhabited by ghosts. I started to restore it over 10 years ago. It was a very difficult task, but it is finally coming to life once more.”
And the longing pushed him to return to the land of his ancestors. Having accumulated his financial resources as a lawyer and advisor, de Chaca decided to revitalize the village that his family had abandoned and revitalize its local economy.
Previously, the village was a collection of ramshackle stone dwellings for farmers, barns and windowless storerooms with cracked doors and shaky staircases. Today, however, it features subtle pastel-coloured buildings that have been meticulously redesigned, with a panoramic circular path overlooking the green hills.
The village contains a winery, a conference hall, a library, and two pavilions to welcome guests eager to experience rural life cut off from the world. The Matorano vineyards grow in this village, a rare variety that has been restored.
De Chaca was born in the fishing village of Cockkenzie, just outside Edinburgh, but his deep love for his native land was overwhelming.
He told CNN that “my family did not lose touch with their roots,” noting that “every summer, during my childhood, my parents would bring me here to visit our relatives. Connect to my entire roots and dust off the Borgo family’s village.”
140 previous owners
The first step was to track down all the owners of the 140 properties of the village, spread over an area of 30 hectares, and this is a long and complicated procedure, made more difficult by the reality of migration that dispersed the villagers to all corners of the earth.
“The village was fragmented and divided among many heirs who often owned a corner of a house, or part of a pasture, or wooded or agricultural land, or just an olive tree,” de Chaca said.
According to Italian law dating back to the era of Napoleon, property does not pass to the eldest heir, but to each member of the family. Over the course of several generations, ownership was distributed among many families.
The last inhabitant of the village, de Chaca said, was his great-aunt, who died in 1969. For the next fifty years, the already ruined hamlet swept over nature, and plants invaded the walls and doors.
Remnants of former village life can still be seen everywhere, including wine bottles, and nails in the ceilings that were used to hang sausages to dry. When the excavation began for restoration, ancient spoons, coins, and religious amulets were found.
De Chaca explained that he needed to acquire the entire village in order to begin the restoration work, due to the complex ownership puzzle.
“I was able to get my family’s sub-house unit,” he added, noting that “it took me years to buy all the shares, and every small owner was offered the market value of the land, even if it wasn’t worth it, so everyone got one offer.”
The local land registry and church helped him to identify many of the owners, but a genealogical tracing of Chakka was possible, because they remained in the area within walking distance of families and neighbours.
De Chaca had to work hard to persuade several relatives to give up parts of their village, especially among those who were emotionally reluctant despite not using the property.
Although he did not disclose the cost of the investment, de Chaca admits that he spent a large sum to revive the village, with most of the money going to rebuilding.
“Oh! I don’t even want to think regarding it,” he commented, adding that “it was definitely a pretty crazy initiative. The sub-modules weren’t very expensive, it was the cost of renovation.”
second life
Before its disappearance, the village of Borgo de Chaca was like a thriving microcosm, in which 60 people lived in small houses of barely 50 square meters, or regarding six families.
As part of the remodeling, the old residences’ ovens and fireplaces, now used for pizza parties and summer get-togethers, were renovated. Each room is fitted with antique furniture.
The village of Borgo de Chaca celebrates local culinary traditions. During seminars and events, dinners and appetizers, guests are served homemade delicacies such as Pecorino sheep cheese, black lard, ricotta goat cheese, and spiced pork dishes.
“It all started as a hobby, then I realized I needed to turn this dream into a sustainable business,” De Chaca told CNN. “When my daughter Sophia decided to quit her job at the company and take care of the vineyards, she turned the village of Borgo into a rural farm that produces honey and nannies,” De Chaca told CNN. wine, extra virgin olive oil, and started organizing eco-friendly activities.”
In the village of 2,500 square metres, you now find a small cultural center and a conference room for academic meetings, food and agricultural studies. There is also a restaurant for wine tasting, and a kitchen to give cooking lessons. The village has underfloor heating and a strong internet connection.
Since the first harvest in 2017, its wine has won three international silver awards, and it is also exported abroad.
Pocolek marathons are held in the spring, where people run up and down the vineyards, then relax in the small square where villagers once met to chat in the evening, following working in the fields.
De Chaca explained that he did not change the interior of the rooms, maintaining the original design and rustic atmosphere, with relief stone walls and old thick wooden doors with metal screws.
Still, tracking down 140 relatives was a small drop in the Italian bureaucracy, according to De Chacca, acknowledging that paperwork is frustrating, as he hired local youth to take care of his business while in Scotland.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, de Chaca found himself stranded in the village, whose unpolluted air and forgotten location he describes as a godsend. He spends most of the year at his grandparents’ house with his wife, son, daughter, and now grandchildren.
Spiritual atmosphere
The village is the birthplace of Johnny, de Chaca’s father, before his parents took him north to Scotland, where they worked in the ice cream trade.
For more than 500 years, Borgo has belonged to their family, and as de Chaca’s only living heir truly interested in her revival, he wants to protect her future.
“I want this village to be a pivotal hub for all Scottish Italians abroad who want to go back, reconnect with their roots, and perhaps even support the lands by unleashing activities and opportunities for growth,” he said.
