The new house is going up, sloooowly. Bit difficult to recognise but we are looking through the door to the living area from the loggia.
The stone work is truly a work of art and it hasn't been pointed or cleaned yet. Q: What do you do when you are convinced that you have chosen the best team of builders for the job but so far, it appears that our allocation of their time constitutes only two days per week (when the weather is good)? A: You have a little word in the ear of the Capo, that's what. Not too severe a word though, coaxing I think is the best bet, dangling the carrot with the promise of more work, although if he owned a race horse and he found himself sharing his bed with its head it might bring a tad more pressure to bear and of course, that's more to my way of persuasion. I suppose like most Italian builders (which they're not) they have this fear of turning away work in case they find themselves without any, but in the 'spreading themselves too thinly' we would at least like to know if we're talking skinny or anorexic.
The build site.
Elusive or not, the brothers are stars. They are not the least bit embarrassed about having their photographs taken for the blog and will pose for me whenever I get ‘snap’ happy with the camera. There is a sort of childhood innocence about them and I like them all. There is a new émigré, a nephew; he’s only 16 years old.
Flown the nest to come and work in a foreign country with his uncles and cousin. It may be a scary thought to all Mums and Dads out there but Rystem, the Capo is like a Godfather to them all and watches over them with genuine pride. The background on the family business is very much a success story and every bit of it earned. Rystem left Kosovo 16 years ago and moved to Italy. Disadvantaged by the language barrier (not that he sees it as such) he became a shepherd for four years and then got himself a job working for a builder. After four years learning the trade he branched off on his own and is now a registered and respected family builder growing in numbers by the year. Eight years ago, a brother, Mazlem joined him here; one year ago, three more brothers and a cousin and this year a nephew. Mazlem, as the second longest serving brother is the under Capo, the rest I think are still ‘serving their time’. 
There is nothing more binding than a family, the Sicilians will tell you that and watching them develop under the keen and discerning eye of Rystem makes you glad to know them. They are the hardest workers I think I have ever met. Unfortunately for us, I’m not the only one who thinks that; they are in such demand that just to get a glimpse of them once a week makes you somehow feel grateful!!! Out of interest, Rystem did say that he hopes to return to Kosovo one day. (Ijust hope that he might return HERE one day.) When I asked if he would continue his building business there, he said “No, I intend to retire very rich!” In the meantime I have agreed to post as many photos of the family on the blog so that the Kosovan contingent can check in regularly and coo over their distant loved ones.
Next month: Who knows?
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