Stone-Ideas.com 
The name of the bed and breakfast is “Ai Cav Calanca,“ and it means “To the Calanca quarries.“ The restoration of the more than 150-year-old house in accordance with the monument’s status was therefore not only about the appearance of the old building, but also about the (continued) use of the old materials. We are in the Calanca Valley in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and that is where the gneiss of the same name comes from.
Pietro Denicolà (1820-1885) had the house built in 1864. He had moved from Venice and from then on ran his business with wood from the mountain forests. He had a sawmill erected right next to the house, which got its energy from the mountain stream. The ensemble played an important role in the industrial history of the Calanca Valley.
The mill was in operation until 1960, after which it was vacant and fell into disrepair until Giovanni Polti bought the house in 2016. He runs the quarry where the Calanca gneiss is mined, and he also gave the name to the bed and breakfast. The village is called Arvigo.
We want to give a brief overview of the renovation here, and first asked Polti why he took the risk of such a project. He speaks for the family: “Because we like old buildings so much, because we thought this house was so beautiful.“
You have to know that Polti grew up in Arvigo, and that three generations of the family have been running the quarry there.
We will describe the renovation from top to bottom in the house, in order to focus on the materials.
The roof is covered with stone, as is still common in the Moesano region and in upper Ticino. The reader thinks of thin slate and is in for a surprise: the stone slabs used for the roof are four to five centimeters thick. Their standard dimensions are 45-50 cm wide and 70-110 cm long.
The reader can guess what is coming next: the weight of this covering is 450 kg per square meter! So, it needs a special framework and experienced craftsmen who can handle something like this.
Of course, the stone mass also has positive sides: the panels do not need to be nailed – the overlap of the top row holds everything further down in place.
And of course: the expression of sheer stability alone is impressive and gives security. Unfortunately, the residents themselves do not see much of this. But as a whole, the roofs help shape the atmosphere in such a town, and that in turn attracts tourists, as is the case in Arvigo and the Calanca Valley.
The stone for the roof covering is new, of course, and comes from the Polti quarry. It is the well-known Calanca gneiss, which has a mysterious sheen.
In general, however, the aim of Polti and the monument authority was to preserve the old substance and continue to use it. The fact that it was not possible on the roof is related to the situation in 1864: At that time, the builders used rock material from slope collapses. Its quality is worse than that of today’s stone from the quarry, even if it is the same material.
After the renovation, “new“ stone can be found in the basement, in the bathrooms (which did not exist before), and at the reception desk. The paving slabs around the house are also new.
“Old“ stone adorns all the frames around the doors and windows.
Even more compromises had to be found. There is now a breakfast room in the basement, and its floor should also have a gneiss surface. The size of the new slabs was determined by the rooms above, but the split surface that was usual there was unsuitable here. “So, the new slabs in the dining room were first split, but then sandblasted to give them the appearance of old slabs for today’s use,“ reveals Polti.
The wood that characterizes the interior remains. The narrow staircases and the decorative paintings in the guest rooms have also remained.
The old sawmill next door was only sold to the Poltis after the house had been renovated. It had served as a grain mill for many years. Now it is also being restored. The Val Calanca Regional Park is involved and plans to use this part of the complex for tours later.
Commmune di Calanca (Italian)
Photos: Alfredo Polti SA
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