Susanna Riva On October 9th, the funeral of Michele Beltramone, the man behind the famous spinning house in Barge, in the province of Cuneo, concluded . The event took place at 15:00 PM in the parish of San Giovanni Battista, with his wife Maria, son Roberto, and brother Antonio in attendance.
In addition to commemorating his passing, the rite remembered an architectural work that, for nearly forty years, has rotated to capture the sunlight.
The Roots of a Dream: The Genesis of the Revolving House
In 1983, a former plumber from Barge, who had dropped out of school after fifth grade, began to gaze at a rocky outcrop overlooking the Piedmont plain.
The idea of building a home on that promontory took shape after observing a circular stage set up for a ballroom dance party. A surveyor friend suggested he take inspiration from the porcini mushrooms typical of the Langhe, resulting in a mushroom-like structure. Between 1983 and 1986, Beltramone chalked the plan directly on the road and, single-handedly, erected the entire building.
The mechanical heart of the building
The result is a mushroom-shaped building that stands approximately 8 meters tall and has a diameter of 16 meters. Its total weight is nearly 4.000 quintals, resting on a fixed 5-meter base. At its center, a bearing with 98 balls ensures smooth rotation. A two-horsepower electric motor, partly recovered from an old Mercedes, drives the gears, pulleys, and wheels, allowing the house to complete a full rotation in 56 minutes at maximum speed, or in 24 hours at its slowest, stopping at any desired position.
Technical data and rotation mechanism
The system was built with purchased and salvaged parts, demonstrating the creativity of a self-taught craftsman. Beltramone loved to point out that if you sit in the kitchen all day, you're always bathed in sunshine because your home follows the celestial path of the day's star. The mechanism, though simple, has been tested and perfected several times, ensuring smooth and safe movement.
The craftsman and his legacy
Despite numerous offers to buy it over the years, Beltramone refused every offer, claiming that his creation was unique and he couldn't place a monetary value on it. Ever generous, he stated that he was willing to teach anyone who wished to replicate the project. Along with the house, he had designed a personal tomb: a semicircular dome supported by a stone weighing approximately 160 kilograms, intended to remain alongside his work even after his death.
The farewell and the future of the home
The funeral closed a chapter of his life, rich in invention and passion. Beltramone had arranged for the spinning house to remain in the possession of his family, who would decide its future. To this day, the home has attracted curious onlookers, journalists, and architectural observers, confirming its uniqueness among Italian homes . Michele Beltramone's memory remains linked to that singular construction, a symbol of ingenuity and dedication.