Beginning our Cantina Remodel

When we bought our house (a section of a small medieval borgo located outside Orvieto, Italy in Umbria), we were immediately intrigued and excited by the cantina (wine cellar), which had been used many years ago for winemaking. Unfortunately, the place had fallen into decay and certain aspects (such as the dirt floor) clearly needed to be updated for modern use. Beginning our cantina remodel was the first step in realizing our dream of creating a micro-winery.

No one knows for sure the origin date of the borgo (hamlet), but the construction style coupled with the history of the small church nearby leads us to believe that the building originated somewhere between 1300-1400 with various modifications over the following years.

Photos from L-R: The cantina as we found it, moving a massive wine cask
Federico & friends rolling out a barrel, partially cleared, Federico with a collection of decaying barrels, antic wine

We began by removing all the old casks and other debris. Along the way, we uncovered some old homemade wine, which one of our neighbors said was at least 50 years old. (Amazingly it was nearly drinkable. Yes, of course we tried it…)

Once the space was cleared, we began leveling the the floor, so that we could pour a concrete base. We also demolished a walled corner storage closet (a modern modification) that occupied space without being useful to us. We used the rubble from the wall to raise lower portions of the floor in order to achieve a uniform height throughout the cantina.

While working to get rid of jagged edges at the base of the walls and old foundations, Luciano, the craftsman who is helping us with the remodel, discovered old fragments of ancient terracotta tiles, which he said were likely Roman. This was a highlight for Hannah (a history loving Ohioan), who promptly collected some fragments.

Once the floor had cured, we began cleaning the walls. In the front room, we decided to clean and repoint the original stone work, so that we can use the space for aging casks and bottles. In the back room, we will clean, plaster, and then tile the walls to make a suitable environment for winemaking.
So far, we have managed to clean, repoint, and run electrical access points for most of the walls in the front room. The task is laborious, but also rewarding since it offers insight into the history of the borgo. We still have a lot of work to complete, but we’re excited to see the space begin to take shape. We’ll share more updates as we make progress on our cantina remodel.

Photos L-R: Federico removing old plaster and mortar, a partially cleaned and repointed wall.
Old foundations, the cured floor with walls in need of work, so much rubble, Luciano & Federico

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