Arbanasian houses

The Arbanassi house is right in the middle of a large garden surrounded with high walls. There is a large gate that leads to the yard which gives the impression of entering a fortress. This was the foremost post defending the house in those troublesome times for the Christian people.

The garden is grassed, with flower beds in front of the house. At the back there is a stable for the horses of the caravan that drove the tradesmen far and wide. Right next to the stable is the barn and the servants’ premises.

The basement of the house is made entirely of stone with very narrow window-recesses or no windows at all; the doors were massive wooden ones. The basement is where the tradesmen kept their merchandise. At the time of the construction of the house there were need provisions for hiding-places for the family in times of trouble and for cashes for valuables and jewelry.

The first floor is the living quarters. It is very spacious, but it is meant for one family only. Two staircases lead upstairs; one at the front and one at the back. The one at the front leads to a large drawing-room where the owner received his visitors. This is the place where usually men gather while there is a special drawing-room for women. The bedrooms are laid on both sides of a long hallway. The kitchen and the other cooking facilities are centered near the back staircase. In some houses there are bathrooms too.

The drawing-rooms and the bedrooms are richly decorated with wood carvings and stucco where the basic motives are the ones typical of the Italian Renaissance.