Forty-six years in the life of a municipal flat in Varese, nu 4, snow over the city, Christmas and a different New Year

Varese at 9 am January 2nd 2014

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

And today we woke to snow, which for me was perfect.

We had done Christmas with the family, but by Boxing Day the lads were all off reconnecting with their other lives.

Which meant we decided to spend the rest of the week into the New Year in Italy.

Now we have regularly been here for Easter and during the summer but never December.
Rosa and Simone do not bother with a Christmas tree although plenty do instead the front room is dominated by a nativity scene, which over the last twenty years has grown to include vast numbers of people as well as the family along with a windmill water feature and much else.

Rosa's nativity

From Boxing Day onwards the flat was full of family and at most meals there was never less than eight sitting around the table.

And of course New Year’s Eve was special.  Eleven of us sat down to eat, and it was fish starting with shell fish running through various other types of big ones and ending with fried octopus.

Given that this a serious round of food it was all interrupted by several games of bingo, complete with novelty prises.  In my case this was a large pair of pink ears.

I have to say it was a tad odd celebrating the stroke of midnight a full hour ahead of Manchester, Leicester and Eltham, but we are an hour ahead and at least as the Italian party on the TV hit its noisy culmination we shared the moment with our Ben and Anni seeing it in in Warsaw.

New Years Eve

All of which sounds a little boastful which it is not meant to be, just a recognition that for some of us at least family is not just the people who live close by and if the period means anything it is about sharing it.

And just after the stroke of midnight the callers were at the door and the whole block of flats swapped people, wished everyone well and then returned to their own.

It was one of those memorable nights made all the more special by the snow and there is promise of more to come, starting with the evening and continuing for days to come.

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

Forty-six years in the life of a municipal flat in Varese, no 3, Saturday on the Corso Matteotti

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

We woke to one of those bright December mornings.  The rain has finally gone and there is a clear view of the mountains to the north.

And as you would expect there is more snow on the range than a few days ago.

That said there is a mist which seems to be creeping up the sides and has already begun to obscure some of the smaller ones.

This will not last and later today they will be an impressive sight in the afternoon sunlight sharp against a brilliant blue winter sky.

But that will be later; meanwhile the morning unfolds as it always does.

A few people are out on the streets, the sound of the local church bells break the peace and next door knocks on asking to have some herbs which Rosa grows on the balconies.

She is not alone in having a whole variety of herbs.

And it is one of those small but interesting sides of the planners who designed these municipal blocks that they should include plenty of large boxes for growing things.

And because it is a typical day we shall pass the day receiving family who will arrive accompanied by a selection of biscuits or cakes, and in between the two big meals we will settle to the TV.

Now Italian TV especially Sunday TV is something you have to experience.

There are plenty of channels to choose from but most are dominated by light entertainment and the one you never seem to escape lasts for hours and intersperses quizzes singing and a fair mix of comedy.

Added to this is the regular repeats of the musical idols of the 1950s and 60s.

But this afternoon we have settled on comedy made in the 1950 and set in Naples during and just after the last war.

Napoli millionaria is the sort of film which crosses both time and nationalities and despite being unable to understand much of what was said, you can still follow the plot, laugh at the funny bits and sense the tragic element of a city in war and peace and scarred by poverty.

And what of course makes it all the more wonderful to watch is that Rosa and Simone were born in Naples at the beginning of the 1940s, left in 1960 and still go back, so the street scenes, the Bay and the public buildings are familiar to them.

All of which may seem a long way from where we started but it will enough.

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

Forty-six years in the life of a municipal flat in Varese, nu 2, of mountains, a mosque and the new buses.

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

What strikes you first about the estate is how immaculately it is kept; there are no broken windows, no litter and a total absence of graffiti.

Nor is this place an isolated enclave.  The bus stop is just a few minutes away and you can be in the centre in fewer than ten.

The blocks of social housing nestle beside private residence, light industry and the University.

And while the area is built up you know you are not far from the countryside.  From the back windows there is stunning view of the mountains, and in particular the brooding presence of the Sacred Mountain.

Many of the private residences have large gardens which grow everything from fruit to some pretty impressive flowers.

But the estate like Varese has undergone some profound changes.  The first is the mosque which was built just a few years ago.

And then there are the buses which have now taken to including English alongside Italian on the message boards which light up to tell you where you are.

Now anyone who has lived abroad for a while will be aware of the way English permeates the shop signs, and  the adverts..

So I shouldn’t be surprised at the how bus has joined the unstoppable sweep of English across Varese.

But once that is said life here continues pretty much as it has done since Simone and Rosa moved in.

In the summer the egg man and the melon van still ply the streets, the ice cream parlour at the top of the road is still run by the same family and the toy shop on the corner hasn’t changed much in over 30 years.

So coming back as we do regularly is like coming home.  Everything is as it was, and while Rosa warns us of a surge in pickpocketing in the city centre we see nothing and lose nothing.

But all that said there is one thing missing and that is  snow.  The news today is full of heavy snow falls further north but all we have is rain, which drops from a dark grey sky and with the help of the wind seems to get everywhere.

So I shall be content with looking out on the snow-capped mountains to the north and wait for dinner which Rosa says will be pasta, followed by various dishes of cold vegetables piles of good fresh bread and plenty of wine.

Yes, something’s here have changed but much is still the same.

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

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

Misty mornings in Varese

Now I am used to those misty mornings which tell you that autumn has arrived.

Along with the leaves turning colour and that sharp bite in the air, they are a magic time.

And here I must confess I was always a great fan of the old fogs, which were affectionately known as peasouper’s and could in a matter of moments obscure all the familiar landmarks and deaden the sounds of passing traffic.

At which point I am well aware that the ones I grew up with in the late 1950s and ‘60s were actually smog and laden with deadly pollutants which could be fatal.

Moreover, the stuff seemed to be able to slide into homes, leaving that distinctive earthy smell.

But on a happier note, the mist this morning over Varese, cleared quickly, leaving uninterrupted views from Rosa’s flat out towards the mountains and Lake Varese.

All of which was more than could be said of the mist which hid most of the Rec yesterday, and only slowly left Beech Road.

But that was yesterday’s story, so today I shall stay with views from Rosa’s side window.

Location; Varese










Pictures; looking out towards the mountains, 2019, from the collection of Balzano

Looking out over the valley to the mountains

We were in Rosa and Simone’s new flat in Varese.

They had moved into their new place just after Christmas.

It was smaller than the one they had brought up their five children in, which had served them well for nearly half a century and both are fine examples of social housing at their best.

So after the flight from Manchester and the short car journey from Milan we settled into the new flat and watched the sun set across the valley to Lake Varese and the mountains beyond.

Location; Varese, Italy

Picture; sunset in Varese, 2107 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

One hundred years of one house in Chorlton part 50 ............ greeting a New Year

December  in Chorlton

The continuing story of the house Joe and Mary Ann Scott lived in for over 50 years and the families that have lived here since.*

Now to be completely accurate we will not reach the centenary of the house until the middle of next year but we were close enough when I started these stories to make it almost that full century.

And nothing concentrates thoughts on that big anniversary than New Year’s Eve.

I have no idea how Joe and Mary Ann celebrated but it should not be too difficult to reconstruct given what I know of them and the way people welcomed in the New Year in the first half of the 20th century.

Of course the war years will have made the night a little different.

In 1915 when they moved in we were in the second year of the Great War and for the duration of the conflict I guess New Years Eve would have been a quiet affair tinged with the hope that the war could not last much longer.

A Happy New Year, 1921

By contrast those that they saw during the Second World War may have been even quieter given the shortages and the threat of air raids.

These may have lessened as the war drew to a close but never entirely went away and the memory of the Manchester Blitz was still a vivid one.

There had been fire bombs on the farm house directly opposite more at the top of Beech Road and in some of the surrounding streets along with a stick of high explosive bombs which fell across Barlow Moor and Claude Roads severely damaging the cinema and some houses.

Nor I suspect were the years directly following the end of the war any more elaborate.

There was still rationing which lingered on in to the 1950s compounded by fuel shortages and the scars left by the bombing.

All of which would have made it a very different evening to the one that John Mike and Lois enjoyed in the 1970s or the ones that have gone on in the years we have lived here.

Waiting for the New Year Eve 2009

Central to many of them was the trip to the pub which may either have involved seeing in the New Year with Stan and Moira in the Trevor or going on to a party.

Later on through the 80s into the 90s we stayed in with a couple of rented films for the kids, some champagne and a table full of food.

Now all in their way different but in other ways there was a continuity which binds all those decades together.

It starts with that simple observation that until relatively recently you didn’t have to buy a special ticket to get into a pub, fireworks were confined to a few short bursts of colour in the night sky and drifting across from the docks you could hear the sound of the ships sirens.

And last year there was one more break with tradition for while some of the lads spent the night in the house we had left for Varese to see the New Year in with Tina’s family.

Varese is an hour from Milan and the night was a big affair with a meal which went on for hours punctuated by games and welcoming in the New Year between courses.

Waiting for the New Year in Varese, 2013

We celebrated a full hour before Chorlton.

But this year we will be here and I rather think most of the lads will be if only before they go off into the night to see in the new year somewhere else leaving us to toast Jooles Holland and assorted guests in much the same way that Joe and Mary Ann accompanied Andy Stewart and the White Heather Club.

Pictures; New Year Greeting card, 1921, Tuck & Sons courtesy of  Tuck DB, https://tuckdb.org/,  from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*The story of house,
http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20house

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