La Casa delle Conchiglie (The House of Shells)Angelo Cerpelloni (1923 – 2006)

Bricklayer and manual laborer “Cavaliere” Cerpelloni returned to his native Quinzano around 1970, after having worked as a laborer in Milan, work that had undermined his health. He went to live in a former barn that he inherited from his father and immediately started renovations: he built the entrance courtyard, two upper terraces, and a roof garden. In addition, over the course of seven years he covered the façade of his three-story house in shells that his friends brought him back from their vacations near the sea. The interior, too, was decorated with shells and also with collections of souvenirs from all over the world. Many of these shells and other objects were placed in abstract patterns on the walls, predominantly in spiral, floral, and geometric forms.

The House of Shells, one of the most recognizable buildings in Quinzano, was sold by Cerpelloni’s children in 2007 to Verona residents Maria Grazia Chiarenzi and Giovanni Setti. While the upper part of the decoration and roof garden were removed from the building when it was restored, in general the new owners have cared for the decorations and have contributed to its maintenance and stability.

~Gabriele Mina

www.costruttoridibabele.net

37 Via Prelle
Verona, Veneto, 37125 it
Latitude/Longitude: 45.4712432 / 10.9738006

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