History has shown that the height of an old Italian building reflects how wealthy its original owner was. So, in some cities like Lucca, where old Italian structures have been well-preserved, we don’t have to look far before finding a couple of buildings with lone towers shooting into the sky.
However, Flavio Fabiani did not have one of such structures to deal with.
A Hand-Me-Down From My Dear Aunt
Instead, an old, fully furnished home fell to Fabiani after 12 years of abandonment. The property belonged to his late aunt, who struggled with dementia in the last years of her bodily existence.
However, during Fabiani’s first visit after inheriting his aunt’s property, he did not have to second-guess himself on what needed to be done. Why? He is a 27-year-old who majors in architecture.
12 Years of Lying Fallow and Accumulating Dust
After being abandoned for over 12 years and with some doors and windows left open, Fabiani’s one-bedroom apartment was overrun by dust and dry leaves. During that first visit, the new owner had almost no surface to lean on or sit on.
But what really inspired Fabiani during that visit was the ingenuity with which his old aunt managed the limited living space.
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A Small Space With Great Architectural Prospects
The property sports a 785-square-foot living space, and his hoarding aunt made the most of that space in her lifetime. Testament to this were the well-stored bags and almost life-sized dolls that littered the building’s interior.
Another evidence of the apartment’s long disuse was the bathroom, which had numerous roaches crawling out of the sewage piping.
That Eureka Moment!
So, seeing the state of the old apartment, Fabiani spontaneously got inspired to take up the renovation of his aunt’s old apartment as a challenge. What could possibly go wrong, right? It was also a prime opportunity for Fabiani to dig his young architectural teeth into what would become his first solo project.
So, off to work, he renovated a third-floor apartment in a 14-unit building without a service elevator.
Building a Cross-Cultural Relationship
Fabiani was not alone in this daunting renovation; he had the support of his girlfriend of five years, 26-year-old Victoria Craparotta. Craparotta is Canadian and met Fabiani in Spain during her study abroad program.
So, the duo polled together €17,000 (about $18,400) and hired contractors who assisted with the renovation. The intent at that time was to live together in the house upon completion.
A Shocking Turn of Events
Not once, in their wildest dreams, did the couple ever imagine that they would receive “death threats” from TikTok commenters for modernizing a property that is lawfully theirs. However, that was precisely what happened nearly a year after renovations.
Fabiani posted a now-viral before and after video of the renovated apartment on TikTok, garnering over 7.4 million views, and several commenters proceeded to thumb-lash the couple. Fabiani and his girlfriend “were shocked by the reaction.”
Having Your Personal Choices Subjected to Global Opinion Polls
Some of the TikTok commenters suggested that the couple had destroyed the home and robbed it of its classical heritage. Some also commented that the couple have turned the apartment into an “Airbnb,” lacking personality.
Meanwhile, the renovations merely changed some non-salvageable features of the apartment. For example, they knocked down two walls to create a studio-like layout. They also gave out old furniture to family members who wanted them for keepsakes.
The Renovation Was Intentional and Well-Planned
Fabiani’s girlfriend, Craparotta, said she’s “still quite surprised at how dramatic people can be over a renovation.” According to Fabiani himself, most of the most critical commenters about the renovation feel the couple went about it casually, carefully considering their odds.
First, Fabiani explained to Business Insider that he and his girlfriend couldn’t afford the kind of restoration their critics suggested.
Qualifying for Italy’s Property ‘Superbonus’
In addition, as a practicing architect, Fabiani knew they needed to renovate his inherited apartment in a way that would qualify them for a tax incentive.
It happens that the Italian government awards a ‘super bonus,’ which is basically a tax incentive, to home renovators who make their property more energy efficient and ‘green’ than it previously was. In addition, Fabiani pointed out that the home features his critics were particular about preserving are mostly peculiar to old folks and not a millennial like himself.
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Social Media Makes It Necessary To Justify Your Motives for a Private Decision
To buttress the point about the archaic style of his aunt’s apartment, Fabiani said, “A lot of our friends have done similar renovations where they’re gutting these ‘nonna homes’ and making them more modern.”
He affirmed that even his 60-year-old mother would have found the style of the pre-renovated space too archaic to live in. In addition, Fabiani tried punning some of the furniture his critics fingered as vintage, but they were worth nearly nothing.
A Cultural Dissonance About Historic Pieces
A major takeaway from the savage criticisms of Fabiani and Craparotta is that Americans, particularly the young ones, are obsessed with retaining old and historic architecture—the video went viral in the US.
The couple had an epiphany that made them realize that vintage and historic items are not as common in the US as in Italy’s historic cities. “I’m used to vintage things; for me, this is no longer a rarity,” said Fabiani.
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