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Three Years In
A renovation update on the Blenio Valley rustico — roof on, solar live, big timber doors going in.
It's been three years since I started writing about the rustico in Blenio Valley.
A lot has happened. Here's where it stands.
The shell is the original — that was always the point. Centuries-old stonework, cleaned up and repointed where the mortar had given way. The walls have been there for over a century; they should be there for another one.
The roof, on the other hand, is new. Standing-seam metal replacing the old stone slabs — weatherproof, lighter, built for the snow loads that hit Ticino in winter.
We kept the layout, but cut a large new opening into the south facade and dropped in big timber-framed glazed doors. Warm larch against rough stone — exactly what I was hoping for.
The energy story is coming together. Two solar panels on the new roof, feeding the cabin. A wood stove inside — that black pipe poking through the ridge is the flue. Off-grid and self-sufficient, just like the plan.
A folding chair is already on the terrace. The railing isn't quite done. The interior is mid fit-out. The first night sleeping inside is still ahead.
But we're close.
