The world’s smallest medieval house: an 8-square-meter jewel

Dear fellow history enthusiasts,

As Daniela Uslan, I’m thrilled to recommend “The World’s Smallest Medieval House: An 8-Square-Meter Jewel.” This captivating book delves into the fascinating world of miniature medieval architecture, focusing on a true marvel of compact living from the 14th century.

Key facts:
• Location: Bury St Edmunds, England
• Built: Circa 1350
• Floor space: 8 square meters (86 square feet)
• Original purpose: Believed to be a shop or workshop

This tiny structure has survived for over 670 years, offering a unique glimpse into medieval urban life. The author expertly guides readers through:

1. The house’s architectural features
2. Historical context of its construction
3. Theories on its original function
4. Preservation efforts over the centuries

With stunning photographs and detailed illustrations, this book brings the charm of medieval craftsmanship to life. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in:

• Medieval history
• Architecture
• Urban planning
• Preservation of historical buildings

Discover the enchanting story of this miniature medieval gem and gain a new perspective on life in the Middle Ages..

A medieval house in the heart of Abruzzo, measuring just 8 square meters: uninhabited for 140 years, it has been reopened since June 2024. It is located precisely in Goriano Valli, in the province of L’Aquila. The last people to inhabit it? A couple, until they disappeared: Rachele Mariani e Pierfelice Capestrani. Its door, however, has been reopened to tell the story of how people used to live: it stands as a candidate for being the smallest medieval house in the world, but with infinite humanity.

The world’s smallest medieval house in Abruzzo, Italy.

A Abruzzi village is home to what is now a jewel of medieval architecture, as small as it is “big” for its value: in a hamlet of the Tione degli Abruzzi, in Goriano Valli, you can stop the hands of the clock and take a dip back in time. After 140 years since it was last inhabited, it is now one of the stations of MuDi, the Sirente-Velino Park’s diffuse museum.

The last people to have lived here, namely Rachele Mariani and Pierfelice Capestrani, were a couple of peasants, who are described as “guardians of a forgotten humanity,” committed to the childhood front: they were in charge of helping orphaned children from the Franciscan convent Observants of St. George, near the dwelling. Few objects, utensils, all tell the story of life in the past, which seems so distant to us from the “comforts” of today and the prevailing technology.

The creator of MuDi, Fausto Di Giulio, explained to The Pescara the concept of the reopening: “Entering this dwelling, one magically returns to the rural everyday life of the past: a read made from wooden boards and a straw mattress, a fireplace, two chairs, a chest and a basin, or objects that narrate the daily labors of peasants in the service of the local baron. Lacking toilets and running water, this small domestic structure retains a medieval authenticity that allows visitors to immerse themselves in a bygone era.”

The interior of the world’s smallest medieval house

It is hard to imagine the life of yesteryear, at least today, when we can boast of increasingly modern, domotic homes with the ability to communicate with our devices. Yet, nothing like this medieval house of just 8 square meters gives us a faithful portrait of the lifestyle of yesteryear: inside is the essential, and nothing more. It even lacks toilets-unthinkable nowadays-but its value is priceless.

There is a bed, for sleeping and resting after toil in the fields. A fireplace, for warmth in the harsh winters, which can be quite severe in this magical place. Two chairs, for sitting and eating. A chest, to store the few belongings and keep the place tidy, with dignity. And it is authenticity that immediately jumps out at you: the ability, as soon as you cross the threshold, to take us by the hand and lead us to a past that, just no, today we struggle to imagine, but until 140 years ago it was the “norm.”

Fausto Di Giulio also explained his intent, which is to preserve the medieval house, but at the same time to inspire others to do the same: “My and my family’s premise is inspire others to do better, more e differently inviting those who own historical structures in the Aterno Valley and Sirente-Velino Park-such as stables, cellars or haystacks-to recover and protect them for hand them down to future generations, offering the opportunity to include them free of charge in the museum tour to actively participate in the preservation of local memory.”

How to visit the world’s smallest medieval house

The medieval house is destined to be a chapter in local history: the Sirente-Velino Park Diffuse Museum was opened in June 2024. Since then, it has been possible to take a “journey through time” thanks to the museum tour, which aims to preserve and protect local history and architecture, offering a glimpse into the past for future generations as well. Next to the medieval house is a dwelling dating back to 1494. In its interior, the coat of arms of the Marquises Sannesio-Malaspina, a discovery that occurred recently. Inside the MuDi there is also the Me-To-Me, the Ceo Museum for the Future.

“The Me-To-Me will be a unique place,” Di Giulio explained. “A treasure chest in which to give oneself precious breaks of disconnection, to reconnect with oneself and with nature, to savor the authenticity of L’Aquila’s places and to carry out the twenty Future Thinking exercises that help one ‘remember the future’ and ‘foresee the past. The Di Giulio brothers have chosen to invest in history, a true tribute to the land of the ancestors. Valuing the land is essential, especially with the goal of safeguarding the thousand-year-old peasant culture, now almost extinct in the smaller villages of the Sirente-Velino, where, however, it was once a reality.

Houses in the Middle Ages

We often talk about villas, such as Villa Fontanelle or Villa Valguarnera, but this house goes far beyond any concept of “habitability,” at least nowadays: it is a real treasure chest. After all, we know that houses in the Middle Ages were built in wood, usually with plant rectangular – 6 meters by 12 – sometimes two-, three-story, but few rooms. Then, from the 11th-12th centuries came the first stone dwellings, with smooth facades devoid of any decoration.

After all, when we think of the medieval buildings, it is very easy to imagine stone as the first material, far more durable than wood, but for the most part we are talking about buildings of power: The rest of the dwellings, on the other hand, were built through perishable materials, including wood, so not much has come down to us. Very little has survived the passage of time, which is why this medieval house is truly a priceless treasure to be seen at least once in a lifetime.