CASA MARIA is located in the historical center in the village of SANT’ANDREA APOSTOLO DELLO IONIO (CZ ) in CALABRIA, 5 km far from the Ionian Sea. The village lays 450 meters above the sea, with behind the mountains, “Le Serre”.

The house consists of two storeys, with one room on each floor. On the first floor there is the master bedroom with a double bed and two single beds (one of which is elevated) and a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink.
On the second floor is an open kitchen with the living room, with a large window with view of the village, the sea and the mountains, that gives access to the balcony.

A traditional Calabrian house is often built with 2, 3 or 4 floors, with lots of stairs. Below were the basements (cantina) with wine and oil storage. Upstairs the people used to sleep and the top floor was for cooking and living space. On the attic was the bread oven with space underneath to cook on the fire and in the winter everyone sat around it. The smoke went through the roof, which was not insulated, outside. In that smoke seasoned salami, ham, sausages and all sorts of other goods. Chestnuts and figs also dried there. Once dried and seasoned, they would be brought down into the storehouse, the cantina. The houses were built of granite stone. The granite rocks, with explosives, were reduced to stones. After that, the women carried them on their heads to the construction places.