Diapositiva 1

1
Part III House of Horrors - The external
surroundings
2
This is the next in the open work-in-progress
(already some elements of prior presentations are
subject to updating or correction) of
presentations concerning the Giallo de Perugia.
The situations presented here are with ideas or
event relationships which are not necessarily of
my own. I have rather served as a graphic scribe
of the excellent multi-point-of-view,
multi-timezone, and multi-cultural discussion
resulting from Steve Huffs True Crime Weblog on
this tragedy http//www.truecrimeweblog.com/.
This presentation concerning the external
situation of the house at the centre of the
Giallo makes less (hardly any) reference to
specific elements of the case, than others. Its
objective is to set the physical / geographical
scene for the tragic circumstances of the crime.
Since the victim has no means to reply to any
comments herein or scenarios described in other
presentations, and the repeated use of her name
in this context would only further hurt anyone
close to her, I refer to her simply as the
victim. This is not meant by any means to
trivialise the pain and suffering, and butal
senseless murder she experienced, nor to reduce
her memory. That was Meryl Streep on the cover
slide, in the movie A French Lieutenants
Woman. In the book by John Fowles (better than
the movie) there are 3 forks / endings to the
story. In the Giallo di Perugia, as we go through
the scenarios of what may have happened in the
crime, I can only hope that there will be one
single ending, that justice is served to those
responsible for each of the crimes which may be
determined by the ILE. I am buoyed by the fact
that the victims family has expressed confidence
in the Italian justice system. -
Kermit krmt123_at_gmail.com
3
Dont it always seem to go, that you dont know
what youve got til its gone Joni Mitchell,
Big Yellow Taxi The house. The girls house. AK
was ecstatic about it in her blog. And the truth
is, it seems like it was quite a neat place. In
the early days of November as news seeped /
filtered out concerning the Giallo, I needed to
better visualise the house situation, both inside
and out. Inside, thanks to segments of a
houseplan seen on Italian TV, we could get a feel
for the general layout of the cottage (the
internal floorplan is being updated, will come
out as a second part to this presentation). Extern
ally, I wanted to relate the house to the town,
something which is relatively easy, given the
availability of on-line maps, and the timelines
of key movements and locations weve compiled on
the blog. There is another geographical dimension
to the Giallo, however, which is the subject of
this presentation the house itself, why is it
there, what is its background, are there any
particular characteristics of the house or its
location which could contribute to the crime? As
in many projects, Ive had to cut off the
development of this presentation. I had started
to get references to mysteries, legends and
bad-vibes in Perugia (for anything unrelated to
the Giallo, its obligatory to google with the
-Knox -Sollecito flag). But I think its better
and well get more value out of the presentation,
to get this out the door right now, having only
very partially met the initial objective, and
allow the True Crime Webloggers to discuss it,
and orient any further presentations on the
subject. That said, Perugia, and what Im
calling the Northern Cwm, is very special. From
the underground Etruscan tombs in the area, to
the pagan Roman temples, to the Templar knight
presence (just up the road from RSs place), to
Mother Nature rocking the ground on a regular
basis, and many more natural and historical
events.
4
THE LOCATION OF THE HOUSE A glance at a modern
map of Perugia reinforces the understanding that
it is an old, walled city. (The wall is indicated
by the black line here.) Interestingly, if we
ZOOM in, the girls house itself appears on this
map
5
House of Horrors
Interestingly, if we ZOOM in, the girls house
itself appears on this map outside of the old
city walls, and at the top of the Fosso del
Bulagaio ravine ...
Girls house
The ravine is called the Fosso del Bulagaio. The
stream which carves the ravine as well. The name
Bulagiao could have different explanations
bugliare throw waste bulicame vein of
water buligame depth The actual stream starts
in the dense foliage just below the girls house.
6
House of Horrors
Interestingly, if we ZOOM in, the girls house
itself appears on this map outside of the old
city walls, and at the top of the Fosso del
Bulagaio ravine between the old city gates
Porta Bulagaio and Porta SantAntonio. Be it
originally a house or an orchard storage shed, it
(like other extramural constructions) was not
afforded the protection of the city walls.
Girls house
7
It is difficult to find a good photo from ground
level of the ravine the girls house was in, and
virtually impossible to find old photos of that
specific point. If you go much further back in
time, to the early 1500s and the papal Salt War,
this sort of painted murals show the situation of
Perugia. The Etruscans, Romans and Popes werent
stupid (at least in what is related to selecting
sites for strategic towns). Perugia is up on a
prominent hill which offers natural protective
barriers. With stone walls surrounding it,
extended and pushed out as time passed, it was a
fortress city. Im not sure of the angle from
which this map was created. The square tower in
the middle and the adjoining long roof to the
left seem to be the San Lorenzo cathedral. If
(big if) were looking directly from the North,
then that lush gully right in front of us is the
amphitheatre where the girls house is now
situated (obviously not here yet in fact no
houses or other construction are shown outside of
the wall). Dont analyse this too much, the
resolution is too poor. I burned out my eyes
looking for such prominent civil (as opposed to
religious) constructions as the Etruscan Arch.
8
In 1626 Jodocus Jr. published a collection of
engraved maps of Italian cities, including this
one of Perugia Perusia Gratum Musis in Tuscia
Domicilium. By this time it seems map makers
finally understood the importance of presenting
depth. The girls house is not yet depicted.
Presumibly there is still nothing there yet,
because we do start to see other buildings
outside of the city walls. Also note the complete
city walls, as in the older map, which definitely
exist on the northern edge of town (and around
the rest of the city), in particular at the top
of the girls ravine (what is now the upper edge
of the carpark).
9
In 1626 Jodocus Jr. published a collection of
engraved maps of Italian cities, including this
one of Perugia Perusia Gratum Musis in Tuscia
Domicilium. By this time it seems map makers
finally understood the importance of presenting
depth. The girls house is not yet depicted.
Presumibly there is still nothing there yet,
because we do start to see other buildings
outside of the city walls. Also note the complete
city walls, as in the older map, which definitely
exist on the northern edge of town (and around
the rest of the city), in particular at the top
of the girls ravine (what is now the upper edge
of the carpark).
Piazza Grimana
Site of future Porta Bulagaio (not constructed
until 1765)
Corso Garibaldi (RSs street)
Approx. Location of girls house
Via Ulisse Rocchi with Etruscan Arch at bottom
Porta SantAntonio (c. 1270)
Via Pinturicchio
Cathedral and fountain
Via Alessi (Le Chic pub)
San Domenico (I point it out to help orient us
with the next map)
San Pietro (I point it out to help orient us with
the next map)
10
This map is from around 1700. As a map, there is
much more graphic detail and in addition there is
a legend for the principal buildings. Thanks to
the detail, we see that this map is definitely
viewed from the East (sorry, that doesnt help us
much with our endeavour). Note the orchards, and
in particular, the apparition of more farm
houses, and other constructions outside of the
city walls.
11
This map is from around 1700. As a map, there is
much more graphic detail and in addition there is
a legend for the principal buildings. Thanks to
the detail, we see that this map is definitely
viewed from the East (sorry, that doesnt help us
much with our endeavour). Note the orchards, and
in particular, the apparition of more farm
houses, and other constructions outside of the
city walls.
San Domenico (contrast with position in prior
map)
San Pietro (contrast with position in prior map)
12
We jump from paintings to the era of photography.
This photo is c. 1890, from the top of the Via
delle Prome stone staircase. The Palazzo Gallenga
(Foreigners University) is on the left and the
SantAgostino church forms part of the city walls
on the right. Shame that the photographer didnt
pan a little more to the right, towards the
girls house, which by this time almost certainly
existed or at least some part of it.
13
We jump from paintings to the era of photography.
This photo is c. 1890, from the top of the Via
delle Prome stone staircase. The Palazzo Gallenga
(Foreigners University) is on the left and the
SantAgostino church forms part of the city walls
on the right. Shame that the photographer didnt
pan a little more to the right, towards the
girls house, which by this time almost certainly
existed or at least some part of it.
We do see something very interesting and
important the road ramping up from the Porta
Bulagaio, built on top of the city wall. The wall
itself is free of earth on the outside there are
several meters of drop there. (Keep this mind,
later well refer to it).
Porta Bulagaio
14
Lets try again, from a different angle outside
of the city walls, in this photo c. 1920-1930.
Looks like the photographer is perched in some
sort of orchard, and alas once again we seem
to just miss the girls cottage by a 150 meters
or so off to the right.
15
Lets try again, from a different angle outside
of the city walls, in this photo c. 1920-1930.
Looks like the photographer is perched in some
sort of orchard, and alas once again we seem
to just miss the girls cottage by a 150 meters
or so off to the right.
The tower on the left is the Santa Maria Nuova
church on Via Pinturicchio (the victim turned the
corner there after leaving her friend Sophie in
Via Roscetto). On the far right, the stone
staircase of Via delle Prome.
Via delle Prome
Guesstimate on where vertical wall joins rising
orchard terrain
16
Lets try again, from a different angle outside
of the city walls, in this photo c. 1920-1930.
Looks like the photographer is perched in some
sort of orchard, and alas once again we seem
to just miss the girls cottage by a 150 meters
or so off to the right.
The tower on the left is the Santa Maria Nuova
church on Via Pinturicchio (the victim turned the
corner there after leaving her friend Sophie in
Via Roscetto). On the far right, the stone
staircase of Via delle Prome.
San Tommaso convent - Reference point A (for next
images)
Via delle Prome
San Tommaso convent - Reference point B (for next
images)
Guesstimate on where vertical wall joins rising
orchard terrain
17
We continue to modern times, looking for a
vantage point not based on a helicopter, airplane
or satellite, from where to view the girls
house. And once again, were disappointed. We
know were standing virtually above the house,
and yet all we can really see in the photo to the
left is the SantAgostino church, and lower down,
the Porta Bulagaio almost totally blocked out by
green vegetation. In the photo to the right (the
tall tower of Santa Maria Nuova cant be seen
its off screen further to right) we can see the
reference points of the San Tommaso convent
referred to in the prior slide. This tourist
took these two panning shots, which we could
stitch together with photo software, and yet the
girls place is no where to be seen. (While
were here, lets point out Porta SantAntonio,
far right)
18
We continue to modern times, looking for a
vantage point not based on a helicopter, airplane
or satellite, from where to view the girls
house. And once again, were disappointed. We
know were standing virtually above the house,
and yet all we can really see in the photo to the
left is the SantAgostino church, and lower down,
the Porta Bulagaio almost totally blocked out by
green vegetation. In the photo to the right (the
tall tower of Santa Maria Nuova cant be seen
its off screen further to right) we can see the
reference points of the San Tommaso convent
referred to in the prior slide. This tourist
took these two panning shots, which we could
stitch together with photo software, and yet the
girls place is no where to be seen. (While
were here, lets point out Porta SantAntonio,
far right)
Porta SantAntonio
San Tommaso convent - Reference point A
SantAgostino
San Tommaso convent - Reference point B
Porta Bulagaio
19
We continue to modern times, looking for a
vantage point not based on a helicopter, airplane
or satellite, from where to view the girls
house. And once again, were disappointed. We
know were standing virtually above the house,
and yet all we can really see in the photo to the
left is the SantAgostino church, and lower down,
the Porta Bulagaio almost totally blocked out by
green vegetation. In the photo to the right (the
tall tower of Santa Maria Nuova cant be seen
its off screen further to right) we can see the
reference points of the San Tommaso convent
referred to in the prior slide. This tourist
took these two panning shots, which we could
stitch together with photo software, and yet the
girls place is no where to be seen. (While
were here, lets point out Porta SantAntonio,
far right)
Porta SantAntonio
San Tommaso convent - Reference point A
SantAgostino
San Tommaso convent - Reference point B
Porta Bulagaio
CONCLUSION if we dont have an aerial platform,
we would have to be in the frontline of houses
(and not necessarily even then, as well see) or
in a window around the SantAgosto church (on
left) or in San Tommaso (on right) to see the
girls house from an urban vantage point.
20
Lets terminate the visual search for a view of
the girls house with this true 180 degree photo
from our high perch on Via Prome (stone
staircase). This was one of the first photos I
dug up, and I was disappointed that the
photographer didnt pan down just a little more.
Later I realized that his cut-off point was
determined by the roof tops of the frontline
row of houses. We would never be able to get the
city-based house view we were looking for.
Porta SantAntonio
Porta Bulagaio
21
So, lets jump in an airplane and rise above the
buildings
22
A fast reminder of reference points
San Tommaso convent - Reference point A
San Tommaso convent - Reference point B
Base of belltower, Santa Maria Nuova
Old city walls
Via Pinturicchio
Im sure I dont have to tell you that this is
the girls house ... At last! We see it!
Via delle Prome
23
A fast reminder of reference points
San Tommaso convent - Reference point A
San Tommaso convent - Reference point B
Base of belltower, Santa Maria Nuova
Old city walls
Via Pinturicchio
I dont know about you, but to me it looks like
they paved Paradise and they put up a parking
lot. Im convinced that in the past, what is now
the Via SantAntonio (the asphalted road below
the Old City Walls) was at most just a dusty
track, which if followed all the way east
(upwards on this photo) for a kilometer or so,
would give the cottage dwellers (and the dwellers
of a couple other cottages on the way) access to
the city through the old city gate Porta
SantAntonio. The track would have stopped at the
girls cottage, because of the steepness of the
gully, and because I believe there was not yet
any ramp up to surmount the city wall, and join
into the Piazza Grimana (basketball
court). Offscreen to the lower left, the Porta
Bulagaio is much closer, but 1) it didnt exist
until 1765 (if there was some construction on the
site of the cottage by then), and 2) the terrain
is extremely steep, especially because of the
vertical city walls coming up from that Porta (as
seen in the c. 1890 photo)
Im sure I dont have to tell you that this is
the girls house ... At last! We see it!
Via delle Prome
24
What if someone took away that carpark and the
asphalt would we return to Paradise? (just in
case there are youngsters out there, or some
cultural barriers, the Paradise reference is to
the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi, nice
lyrics, check them out)
25
What if someone took away that carpark and the
asphalt would we return to Paradise? (just in
case there are youngsters out there, or some
cultural barriers, the Paradise reference is to
the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi, nice
lyrics, check them out)
Paradise has always been depicted as an orchard,
and it may well be that before the house was
buried, that the sun shone, fruit was
harvested, and there was good visual
communication amongst all the inhabitants of the
Northern Cwm.
26
The entrance to the lowest level of the carpark
is a down ramp
Via SantAntonio starts here, ON TOP OF the city
wall (the girls cottage at times has a Via
SantAntonio address instead of Via Pergola). Had
it not been a sort of ring road (to take pressure
off internal city streets), it could have
followed the wall upwards, following the same
path as what is now the entrance ramp for the top
level of the car park (photo above).
Girls parking area is a landfill platform
Cars exit on this side of the carpark. Lowest
level three is not underground, but rather exits
flat onto Via SantAntonio, which is OUTSIDE and
BELOW the city wall
Via SantAntonio is actually a viaduct / bridge
here, as witnessed by the image of reinforced
concrete support columns and beams. I hope no
human or animal vermin hang out in the manmade
cave created there.
This is roadmaking at its easiest just dump the
asphalt on the farming terraces (okay, Im
simplifying a little, but thats pretty much it)
Landfill here against the city wall
27
(No Transcript)
28
This image fills me with many, many contrasting
and some contradictory feelings. I wont bore you
with further references of places. If you dont
have it, get the prior Powerpoint through Steve
Huffs TrueCrimeWeblog discussion on
http//www.haloscan.com/comments/truecrimeweblog/8
299773531507317890/
concerning the suspects movements on Nov.1, to
recall Via Roscetto, Via Ulisse Rocchi, the
Etruscan Arch, the Foreigners University, Piazza
Grimana, Corso Garibaldi, Via Pinturicchio, Via
Melo, the metal stairs, the cottage ... all seen
here.
Its Paradise, complete with terraced fruit crops
(in the past), and yet something went wrong.
29
(No Transcript)
30
House of Horrors
Real quick, modern image of Porta Bulagaio its
not the issue for this presentation, but I dont
think any suspects went running down this road
after the crime, into the darkness of the
unilluminated, non-pedestrian countryroad with
the stolen mobile phones in their hands (instead,
they ran through the streets of Perugia)
31
House of Horrors
Note the lush vegetation which reaches up to the
outer edge of the city walls in the Porta
Bulagiao area. We see the same growth in the
prior high aerial image. This contrasts with the
several meters of drop from the outer edge of the
wall which we see in the c. 1890 photo.
Old city walls
Im referring to this vegetation
32
Porta Bulagaio
If you look closely, it appears that there has
been some landfill here, which may not be
surprising as Perugia is in an active seismic
area, and there is extensive tracking of even
minor landslides. Perhaps by dumping dirt here
and letting the plants grow wildly, it helps
stabilise the terrain, and in particular,
supports the old city wall here.
Porta Bulagaio
33
Porta Bulagaio
If you look closely, it appears that there has
been some landfill here, which may not be
surprising as Perugia is in an active seismic
area, and there is extensive tracking of even
minor landslides. Perhaps by dumping dirt here
and letting the plants grow wildly, it helps
stabilise the terrain, and in particular,
supports the old city wall here.
Porta Bulagaio
34
Is all this that important as regards the house
and its history? Why yes, as well see that the
wall below the houses, behind the carpark, was
about as high as in the black and white photo on
the left. And that of the carparks three levels,
the lowest one is not underground but simply
built sitting on top of the orchard terrain. In
other words, the carpark (three levels) is as
high as the city wall in that area.
Porta Bulagaio
If you look closely, it appears that there has
been some landfill here, which may not be
surprising as Perugia is in an active seismic
area, and there is extensive tracking of even
minor landslides. Perhaps by dumping dirt here
and letting the plants grow wildly, it helps
stabilise the terrain, and in particular,
supports the old city wall here.
Porta Bulagaio
35
Now its the turn of Porta SantAntonio
36
Now its the turn of Porta SantAntonio ... lets
ZOOM in
37
Now its the turn of Porta SantAntonio ... lets
ZOOM in
Porta SantAntonio
Access to the town from the cottage area in the
past would have been along a track that would
have followed the base of the wall, where the
terrain is somewhat flatter, all the way to the
Porta SantAntonio.
38

• And you know something ... that seems to be the
  way it was.
• This image is from c. 1920-1930 ... so recent!!
  Theres no Via SantAntonio outside of the city
  wall, no asphalt, just a track from Porta
  SantAntonio along the base of the wall and at
  the top of the terracing ... to the garden of
  Paradise

39

• By the time we get to the 1950s, there are
  additional modern apartment buildings in the
  SantAntonio neighbourhood. And theres still no
  asphalt or Via SantAntonio (the earthen track is
  barely visible if at all in the shadow of the
  wall).

40

• Parting shots (modern shots) of the Porta
  SantAntonio.

41

• Parting shots (modern shots) of the Porta
  SantAntonio.

42
House of Horrors
The House
43

• Back at the beginning of this case, we saw time
  after time the same images and video from
  journalists perched on the edge of the Via
  SantAntonio or on the carpark above the house,
  watching the movements of the ILE (and the Happy
  Couple) as they initiated the investigation. It
  was quickly apparent that the house had been
  constructed in parts
• The central core with Filomenas room and
  window (on left) and Lauras room and window (on
  right) seem to have a different texture (of stone
  work), whitewash weathering and roof
  construction, compared to the perpendicular
  extension behind the house, where the foreign
  girls rooms and the balcony are located.
• Additionally, the lean-to roof above the
  uniformed police officers in the left photo and
  the niche of the main bathroom window on the
  right, lead one to believe that that section of
  the house (entrance way and main bathroom
  section) is a later extension on to the central
  core as well.

44

• After stitching together sections of the house
  floorplan (from Enrico Mentanas Matrix program),
  we got a good idea of the house. (I used this for
  the first version of the floorplan. The general
  dimensions and layout of that plan were correct,
  but not necessarily the assumptions I made
  concerning furniture and bathroom fixtures.)
• First of all, theres immediate confirmation of
  the central core concept. The foreign girls
  extension was quite obvious from outside photos
  (different style roof, different exterior wall
  texture, different roof tiles ...).
• But now, this floor plan also confirms the
  addition of what I call the washing room and the
  main bathroom (lower horizontal segment on this
  floorplan) as another posterior addition to the
  central core.
• Also, tantalisingly, the central core walls are
  thicker than the other walls of the house.

45

• Closer images of the two ends of the central core
  highlight the different textures compared to the
  other (newer) parts of the house. Here on the
  right hand (east, Lauras room) external
  housewall, the wall structure appears to be of
  stone work many different stones of various
  sizes and shapes.

46
Hmmm ... When we go to the other (west) side of
the house, we also see stonework in the central
core, at least in the only partially visible,
lower (orchard) ground level floor (the boys
flat). (We actually know almost nothing about
their level, from an architectural point of view.
Hangups of mine there has to be a fireplace down
there, or location of an old one.) Theres
definitely stonework around the boys central
core window (the different stone shapes are
visible). But the upper level of the central core
on this side (Filomenas room) seems to be made
either with very regular sized stones or a sort
of large, flat construction brick. Maybe the
lower boys floor was built first of all (as a
shepards hut or small orchard storage shed?) of
stone, then Lauras room was built on top, also
of stone, then the upper living room and
Filomenas room were added, using building
material with a regular form.
47

• In a minute well come back to the possibility of
  different stonework in the upper west end of the
  central core.
• Lets first try to imagine what this end of the
  house looked like with just the central core
  ...
• ... as for the ground floor having stone walls,
  and half of the girls floor with stone walls and
  the other half with some sort of bricks, that
  seems to be reflected in the Matrix floorplan a
  couple of screens back, where Lauras walls are
  extra thick, Filomenas are less so, and the rest
  of the house walls are the least thick of all.
• So ... do houses like this really exist? They
  would be very narrow (just the width of a bed,
  plus an equivalent empty space, plus the width of
  a desk).

48

• If we had a two-floor central core, our man in
  the street would have to drop from Via
  SantAntonio asphalt level (equivalent to the
  edge of the roof clay tiles) down a few meters to
  get to orchard level.

49

• If we had a two-floor central core, our man in
  the street would have to drop from Via
  SantAntonio asphalt level (equivalent to the
  edge of the roof clay tiles) down a few meters to
  get to orchard level.

50
House of Horrors

• I cant really imagine that the house at any
  point in time had a complete lower floor
  constructed of stonework and only one small room
  Lauras

on the right on the upper floor (also of
stone). At the most, I could imagine one complete
lower floor first, as some kind of orchard or
shepards hut, and then one complete floor of
stone added to the house on top of that at some
point in time.
The external observation of an apparent change
in building material on the upper west end of the
house is supported by the Matrix floorplan a
couple of screens back, where Lauras walls are
extra thick, Filomenas are less so, and the rest
of the house walls are the least thick of all.
What could explain a carved stone-brick
construction on the west end of the upper house?
Try this possibility the whole central core (2
complete floors) was constructed of stone, and
then the left upper end fell apart / collapsed
due to an earthquake. (Many many buildings in
Perugia have suffered that exact process). With
the passage of time, when it was reconstructed,
building techniques had passed from using
unsculpted (raw) stone, to sculpted stonebricks
(or semi-irregular clay bricks).
51

• Do taylored or scuplted stone bricks exist? I
  dont know if thats what theyre called in the
  construction sector, but we can google up all
  types of buildings that use them.

Do earthquakes hit the Perugia area? You bet, and
on a regular basis. We all remember the collapse
recorded on a tourists video of the roof ot the
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (you can see
Assisi from Perugia, looking south-east) during
the earthquake of Sept. 27, 1997)
52
House of Horrors

• So ... do other houses like the cottage really
  exist? They would be very narrow (just the width
  of a bed, plus an equivalent empty space, plus
  the width of a desk).
• Lets check out Umbrian real estate sites. These
  houses are kind of like the girls place in
  design and construction, although its clear the
  Northern Cwm cottage is tiny ... the Newsweek
  writer who called it a palazzo got it all
  wrong.

Heres another stone house for sale in Umbria.
Note that the closest wing looks surprisingly
like the central core of the girls house.
However, its a little bit wider than Filomenas
bedroom (the width of the girls cottages
central core).
From the real estate site This old house is an
elegant old building 200 years old and
constructed with basalt stones, surrounded by the
rolling hills and typical characteristics of the
Tuscan Umbrian countryside. Wise local craftsmen
have worked using materials of the place of first
choice ... clay floors, roof tiles, old beams and
ceilings ... bathrooms are simple and refined and
maintain the old marble sinks dating to 1800 ....
The land around the property is specially
evocative, given some of the caves and quarries
in the area, some dating from the Etruscan
period, and wonderful walks. A perfect place to
spend a delightful holiday, absorbed in reading a
book or relaxing meditation.
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• Heres an American university program for the
  restoration of old Italian stone houses (text
  highlighting is mine)

http//www.architectureweek.com/2002/0130/building
_1-1.html For the past two years, students from
the United States have gathered in a small
village in northern Italy to participate in an
unusual experience the preservation of a built
environment that has changed little since
medieval times . Faculty and students at the
University of Oregon have established a historic
preservation Italy Field School Program in the
Ossola Valley village of Canova . In reference
to the work he does on these houses, (Ken)
Marquardt prefers the term "continuation" to
"preservation." He notes "These buildings have
been changing and adapting for centuries, and the
work being done here continues that process in a
sensitive way. The buildings are organic in the
broadest sense growing naturally over time and
responding to the environment and the needs of
their inhabitants. The notion of freezing them in
time is contrary to their nature as dwellings to
be lived in and used." . Beneath a shallow
layer of topsoil is granite bedrock often houses
grow directly out of hillside outcroppings. There
are numerous variations, but the typical
sectional organization places a cantina at the
base, usually partially underground, with a
vaulted or cross-vaulted ceiling. This creates an
intriguing environment dimly lit and always
cool where the wine is pressed and stored.
(Image on left from Architectureweek.com article
ref. typical Italian stonehouse construction) For
as tiny as the girls house is, it is perched on
a steep ravine, and needs some sort of
foundation. A cellar too?
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56

• This upper part of the Cwm is a sort of
  amphitheatre, with the sun always behind the
  houses, as a sort of theatrical spotlight shining
  upon the cottage. In the past, in the time of
  Paradise - with no parking lot nor Via
  SantAntonio-, the neighbours would always know
  what was going on there
• With the frontline houses enhancing the
  amphitheatre effect, it would be of interest to
  know in the past if sounds were somehow amplified
  or modified.
• Nowadays, however, the carpark blocks the view
  (remember the image with the ILE agent between
  the house and the concrete girders of the viaduct
  / bridge?) and noise.
• Given the stone structure of the house, and its
  condition of being buried in asphalt and
  concrete, on the night of the Giallo, I doubt the
  screams that the neighbours heard were the
  victims
• (sorry for the Indonesian rice paddies in my
  transformation of the Northern Cwm to how it may
  have been in the past)

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• Both in the old days (photo on left, c.
  1920-1930) or in modern times (in the right
  photo, the Giardini del Campaccio outside of
  the city walls to the west of Corso Vannucci),
  the terraces and orchards that slope up to the
  walls have provided a bucolic environment and
  lifestyle.

58

• Perhaps theres no rational or mathematical
  explanation to the undeniable factor in the
  Giallo that came from the cottages location in
  the Northern Cwm and the houses structure.

But the cottage didnt rape, humiliate, murder,
and then desecrate the victims corpse and try to
cover up the crime.
Just as humans try to predict the weather, and
then suffer unexpected mists, the only
consolation for the general population is that
the mists will recede someday and the sun will
shine again. How sad, though, for the victim and
her family.