There are houses built with bricks, and there are houses born from emotions and memories.
Atelier Lakota is precisely of this second kind.
The house is, first and foremost, a tribute to my paternal ancestors — a family that lived in this area for generations and slowly, quietly, yet permanently wove their stories into the Istrian land.
I remember my father who lived here. His premature passing when I was a child left me with silence and emptiness, but also a deep need in adulthood to preserve what was his.
I remember my grandparents and their rural rhythm that today’s fast-paced world no longer knows, and their nearby countryside where the red Istrian soil dirtied our knees, hands, and faces, and where it was sweetest to eat fruit from a tree, watch rabbits, or chase chickens.
I don’t remember when my grandfather Antonio was a cinematographer, traveling through villages and showing films on a screen to people, bringing them the first moments of moving picture magic, but many other people remember it and recall him fondly.
I remember my uncle, the village painter Paolo, who until recently had his small gallery in the village. His distinctive brushstrokes and oil-on-canvas techniques — panoramas of village scenes, Istrian landscapes, and cityscapes — still adorn many homes and hospitality establishments in the area today.
And of course, I remember our family, me, my brother, mom, and dad, when we were happy. When the first snow fell that I had ever seen in my life. That was in Brtonigla. In this courtyard…
And that’s why I love this house, because it is a link to the roots that hold me, guide me, and bring me back to what is truly important – and that is family.
If you are looking for a place with a story, depth, peace, and warmth — I believe that Atelier Lakota will be your true home in Istria. We welcome you as a friend, and send you off as family.
Our canvas, your painting.
See you in Brtonigla.