It is believed that Antonio Buttolo Ploc (1720 – ?) decided to build or expand the house in 1756, and it is certain that in 1898, to complete the architectural structure, Valentino Buttolo Ploc (1850 – 1913) decided to build an elegant archway that accomodates the entrance door to the courtyard and is inserted in a stone frame with a round and slighlty lowered arch.
The Buttolo Ploc House
These references have already been indicated by the builder in the inscription on the keystone (1756/ABP/1898/BVP/FF). The arch is, in turn, inserted in a construction frame which is taller than the surrounding wall and is topped by a shingle roof. Each ashlar composing the arch frame is carved on the outer side; the most impressing carvings are on the jambs and on the keystone.
On the upper part of the wall, a wall painting from 2015 depicts the storyteller Tïna Wajtawa Valentina Pielich (1900 – 1984) from Stolvizza / Solbica telling a story to some children, hinting to the museum’s permanent section dedicated to Resia Valley’s oral tradition.
Researches show that this house, particularly beautiful in its simple and inexpensive size, was property of the Buttolo Ploc family for several generations.The members of this family were kromarji/peddlers that for their trade used to visit the flourishing town of Koper/Capodistria, where they probaly sold fabrics and bought salt.
The whole building looks like a traditional Resian house from the end of the 18th century and maintains its main elements, although altered by various reworks, which were done especially after the 1976 earthquake, and by the renovation done by the Museum in 2015 and 2016.
The walls of the main building, between 40 and 50 cm thick, are built with stone elements integrated with clay ones directly on the rock. The main facade faces the courtyard in front of the building, which is small and supported by a containment wall. In the courtyard, marked by a cobblestone sidewalk / šaliž ziz padrado, the entrances with stone jambs allow the access to the space where the kitchen/jïspa and the barn/ hliw used to be.
The access to the upper floor, where the bedrooms used to be, is rendered possible with central external stairs that lead to the balcony with a wooden railing as they used there. The second floor was used as a hayloft and depository, and could be reached with wooden stairs, which were replaced during the renovation. This room gives access to the upper balcony, also wooden, which was used to dry some agricultural products (corn and beans). All the windows, as was common, have bars. The doors, all renovated, are also wooden, as are the windows. The roof is wooden, and was originally covered with shingles.