Affordable: Aargauer turns a ruin into a villa in Ticino

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When Ursrutschmann (64) talks about Villa Oleandro, it is immediately clear that he is interested in architecture and is researching the history of the 150-year-old house. He has a lot to tell. The villa with a semi-open courtyard was built by Ticino engineer and architect Piotti, who lived in Milan between 1871 and 1873. It served as the summer residence of the Piotti family at the time and is the only magnificent building in the village center of Casima TI, a small village in Valle di Muggio.

Servants, including wealthy owners, lived under the roof. The master bedrooms all had fireplaces and two toilets were built in the mansion. “It was extraordinary at the time. “The bar toilets were often outside,” says Rutschmann. Up to 50 workers were sometimes employed in the construction. “Back then, materials were expensive, but workers were not. Today, it’s the opposite,” says the man from Aargaa.

On the ground floor there is, among other things, a living and dining area with fireplace, access to the garden and terraces and the historic kitchen. Asrutschmann learned that during the villa’s heyday, theater and musical performances were held here.

Looking for a holiday home

When Ursrutschmann and his family visited the house in Ticino at Easter 2007, the lavish celebrations and grandiose times at the estate were long over. “The house was more of a ruin. The roof and windows were leaking, and the garden and the inner courtyard with its plants were neglected. Rutschmann says only two rooms are still occupied by an old woman.

The CEO of an IT company was living in Zug with his family at the time but was frequently posted abroad for business. The Therutschmann family was looking for a holiday home in the south where they could spend time together. The 15-room villa was very large. However, it attracted Torutschmann with its location overlooking the valley from the inner courtyard, its authentic building with a protected façade, its quarry stone walls and its extraordinary details such as its carved marble bathtub, plasterwork and historical kitchen with large fireplace. Thus, the family became the owner of the ruins in December 2007 for the bargain price of 500,000 francs.

Holiday at the construction site in Ticino

For several years, the family worked with local craftsmen to turn the dilapidated house into a jewel, constantly renovating it. After his early retirement, client Gleitmann took over the planning and construction management of the renovation project himself.

Over time, some of the craftsmen became family friends. “In the early years, we spent our holidays and weekends practically on a construction site with our four children. Sometimes we used an emergency shower, there was no heating, and in the winter the few semi-livable rooms had only electric heaters,” Rutschmann recalls with a smile.

No requirements for interior space in preserving the monument

The renovated and partially converted “Villa Oleandro” now has twelve rooms. Some of the interior walls were broken and floors and bathrooms were replaced. “There were no requirements to preserve the monument inside. “But it is also in my interest that the house retains its original character,” says the customer.

The four rooms with private bathrooms are regularly rented to guests for holidays or events, and friends and relatives visit the Ursrutschmann frequently. If necessary, additional rooms with shared bathrooms are also available on the same floor.

Out of curiosity for the owner of the house

The idea for the bed and breakfast came from Ursrutschmann, who moved his residence with his wife from Oslo to Ticino in 2016 and sold his house in Zug after his adult children moved. “The villa was just too big for us, and I felt like I was too young to do anything anymore,” Rutschmann says. One day, Rutschmann, who had no interest in the technology behind rental platforms, temporarily uploaded a single image of his villa to one of these websites. Interested guests arrived very quickly, she says.

The historic villa in Mendrisiotto is popular with guests due to its sunny and quiet location. The owner also feels visibly at ease when he speaks highly of his friendly contacts with the locals, his trips around the area or to Como (IT) on his motorbike, and his social events with guests and friends. “But he was a little too quiet for my wife and she recently moved back to her native Norway after our separation. But we get along very well and maintain a good relationship,” says the father of four.

The future of the villa is still uncertain

It has already become clear that the next Christmas party of the family with relatives will be held at the villa in Casima. What is still unclear is what will happen to the villa in a few years. “I’m not getting any younger anymore and that’s why I recently bought an apartment in Baden.”

He wants to live in Ticino for a while longer and always has a lot of work to do in his big house and garden. Ursrutschmann: “A building this old is never completed and it is a permanent project to keep it in good condition.”

Source : Blick