Forty-six years in the life of a flat in Varese, nu 1 the success of a municipal endeavour

The continuing story of the flat Simone and Rosa lived in for nearly 50 years and the city of Varese.*

It is not that they do things differently in this part of northern Italy it is just that the council properties here are so impressive.

Simone and Rosa moved into their brand new three bedroomed flat in in 1970.  It is one of a number of four floored properties on the estate, bordered on one side by a park, church and school and close to the city centre.

From the rear there is a spectacular view of the mountains.

The flats have a bathroom and a separate shower room and are well maintained and still relatively cheap.

Many of the original families who moved in forty-six years ago are still here which makes the place the sort of community urban planes dream of.

The children may have grown up but still return with their grandchildren and of course new families have moved in to replace those that have moved on.

But there are here and there the signs of that creeping privatisation we know so well.  One of the blocks has been bought up by the residents which remains a puzzle to me.  Both because of the capital out lay and the new responsibilities it lays on them.

Simone and Rosa are vague about how it happened and the degree of change it has brought to the people who live there.

But you notice little things.  The large open communal space below the flats has had a makeover, there are new plants in the landscaped front garden and the entrance is locked and access is via a key pad.

That said the place looks little different.

These are all steel framed buildings faced with brick not concrete which gives them a warmer appearance and each flat has four balconies, two at the front and two at the back.  One of these is really another room and acts as a large drying area, storage spot and general work centre.

There are decent shops close by and the bus stop into town is just a few minutes’ walk away.  All of which has something of an estate agents patter but it is important to state these things.

All too often these are things which have not always been fully appreciated by municipal planners.

Wythenshawe, once the largest housing estate did not get its Civic Centre for years after most of the houses had been built and has never had a cinema, although it was well served with small neighbourhood shops and a decent bus service into town.

Nor is there uniformity about the blocks.  Most have pitched roofs but a few have flat ones which is no less daft than it is in Britain.

This bit of northern Italy has its fair share or rain as well as snow and such weather demands a traditional slopping roof.

A fact reinforced recently when after a heavy storm some of the roof tiles were lost and the rain came in.

 I suspect the fate of their ceiling would have been worse if above them had been a flat surface.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*The story of a one municipal flat in Varese, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20one%20municpal%20flat%20in%20Varese