Casa in Mezzo is located in Zonca, an Alpine village dating back to around 1100. (The oldest building still standing is a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary dating back to 1600.
In the 1960s the population fell from around 250 souls to 2 inhabitants when a road was finally completed in the 1980s. Although there are still properties owned by Italians, most of the habitable houses are now owned by a new generation of pioneers from Switzerland and Germany, Holland, Denmark etc.
Traditionally, the villagers survived by producing milk and wine and burning charcoal. The mountain was cultivated and used for grazing cows and there are many barns in the village. There is also an impressive old wine press and two wood-fired ovens.
The population declined when young people began looking for work and better wages in the steel industry in the valley, leaving the elderly behind unless they had the opportunity to move to new houses in the valley.
With the decline in population the houses fell into ruin and restoring them is now a major undertaking. When the roofs start to leak, they have to be covered, otherwise they will soon collapse. But the collapsed buildings also offer an opportunity for creative solutions such as gardens and are an impressive backdrop.
