Hello everyone!
Welcome to the Community Center! I'm @Eli...
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Hello everyone!
Welcome to the Community Center! I'm @Elisa , one of the Community Managers for our English Community Cent...
Latest reply
Hey there Hosts 👋
There are some truly amazing spaces on Airbnb and it's always fascinating for me to read about how these spaces have been repurposed and transformed into unique stays for guests. You may have repurposed your kids' room once they’ve moved out, renovated an old farm with original features or created a more unconventional listing… However you’ve created and designed your space, you’ve breathed new life into a possibly desolate space. 😍
I’m keen to know the history of your space, and how you’ve revamped it to get it guest-ready?
Don’t be shy to share pictures, stories and hints and tips.
P.S. here are some historical notes 😉
HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT VENICE AND OUR HOME
Venice, a magical, romantic and historic city unlike any other, has been capturing hearts and imaginations for centuries. With its Gothic architecture, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, wide campos, and narrow canals, Venice is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city is built on a group of 118 islands and these small islands are linked with 400 bridges. These islands are located in the Venetian Lagoon, which sits just off of the mainland of Italy. Founded in the 8th century AD by refugees fleeing barbarian Germanic and Hun invasions, by constructing pilings on lagoon islands to escape the enemy attacks. Over the centuries, as Venice grew it became a significant maritime powerhouse. Its control of Mediterranean trade with a formidable fleet of sailing ships allowed it to dominate the Eastern Adriatic and even participate in the Crusades of the 11th Century. During the Renaissance, Venice became an important cultural centre, boasting figures like the painter Titian and author / world explorer Marco Polo. The city is renowned for its unique architecture, with Gothic palaces, majestic churches, and waterfront squares. However, the rise of new trade routes and the fall of Constantinople in 1453 initiated the decline of the Republic of Venice. In 1797, with the arrival of Napoleon, Venice was ruled by the French and later ceded to Austria. After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, Venice was finally reunited with the rest of the country.
Modern day Venice is divided into six districts known as Sestieres. Our home is located in the Sestiere of Cannaregio, which was initially developed in the 11th century as a residential area in the north of the city. There are a few theories as to the origins of its name. Some say, it came from the extensive reeds in the area when it was still uninhabited. Another hypothesis links it to 'Canal Regio,' referring to the Cannaregio Canal. Today, Sestiere of Cannaregio remains a residential area and the second largest district in Venice with a population of over 15,000 people.
Our house is part of the original “Complex of Moro Houses”, which was built in 1544 and finished in 1560. Designed by the famous Venetian architect Jacopo Sansovino, commissioned by the noble Leonardo Moro, from whom it takes its name. This complex of houses was initially used as private homes for working class Venetians. Our home was built during the height of the Italian Renaissance, the same time when important works were completed in the Piazza San Marco. The Moro Complex was also considered to be an important architecture project of the mid-sixteenth century. The historical maps of Venice show our house and the Moro Houses, from 1560 onwards. It was a vast quadrangular structure, almost completely surrounded by water, with four corner towers connected to each other by long wings: a suburban residence on the banks of the lagoon, with an admirable garden in a spacious courtyard. The garden of our home, was part of the spacious courtyard of the complex called “Palazzo Moro”. Not far from this house was the Jewish Quarter of Venice. For 270 years starting in 1516, Jews were segregated and it was the only section of Venice where Jews could live. In 1797 the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice and allowed Jews to live in any part of the city. This historical and beautiful Jewish Quarter is a five-minute walk from our home and is worth a visit. For hundreds of years there are not detailed historical records for the house and not much is known. In the 1900’s onward the complex was used for carpentry purposes, a clothing factory and a warehouse.
Today, this home has been returned to its original intended purpose, a Venetian home.
Andrea
Fossil Cottage, Isle of Skye
We think the building must be at least 250 years old, originally home to animals and probably their owners, each living in different halves of the structure. We found a horseshoe, animal tethering rings and peat knife blades. The roof would have been thatched.
When we moved from nearby to live here in 1987 there was only a ruin.
A stone-mason friend rebuilt the ruin to be a boat shed. We roofed it and put in doors and windows.
We discovered that geology students, who spend six weeks each summer studying the rich geology of this area, needed somewhere to stay cheaply – and Fossil Bothy was born, giving us some input to our “sailing fund”.
In 2001 we gave up our jobs and sailed away in our yacht Widgeon, initially for a year, extending our voyages around the Mediterranean with Fiona doing sail repairs and upholstery work and Geoff marine electronics. We also worked in a Greek taverna run by a crazy Englishwoman on a tiny island in the Gulf of Corinth and ended up prolonging our voyaging until 2005, when we sailed back home again.
While we were away we planned an upgrade to convert the old building into a cottage. On our return we lived in the bothy for nine months, as we had rented out our house. In 2006 we started the conversion, adding a porch, re-arranging the interior, pointing and plastering the walls, insulating the floor and roof; and lots more. Finally, in August 2007 Fossil Cottage was ready
You can see fossils exposed in the exterior walls and inside. There must be lots more of them inside many of the stones used in the building.
Our guests love this cottage, which sits right by the seashore and enjoys wonderful sunsets and a very peaceful atmosphere. There is a real sense of history here.
