The largest house
“In this plaza, dello Standardo, is the largest house in Buccari (Bakar); it can be seen from the distance with its metal roof tiles painted red. It was built by a man from Buccari called Giacomo Corusco who first made a fortune with a paint shop only to end up completely destitute, begging for money on the city streets. A man from Trieste bought the house but didn’t live there. He rented the entire top storey to a civil servant in the health department for the ridiculously low price of 50 gulden per year. The ground floor was completely empty and abandoned, the wind nostalgically crying through its half-open blinds as it blew out towards the airy balcony with thin columns. When I would walk past the house as night fell, at times I thought I could see the beautiful daughter sitting on the balcony, continuously fanning herself and deliciously breathing in the refreshing air rising up from the gulf. The house and its exterior mysteriously attracted me and tastefully invited me to let my view wander from here to the entire magical gulf.”
A.L.S.: Buccari, Prague 1871
