World’s narrowest house is just 3 feet wide and was built out of SPITE after blazing neighbour row over extension
THE world’s narrowest house is only three feet wide but was built out of spite after a heated neighbour’s row over construction.
Casa du Currivu – translated as “house of spite” – is a thin wall brick with windows and a balcony in the Sicilian village of Petralia Sottana.
The bizarre construction has become an unlikely tourist attraction – with people travelling to an otherwise unpopular town for a chance to glance at the building.
From the front, it might look like an unassuming house with two floors, windows, a front door and a street number on the side.
Nothing seems out of the ordinary until you walk a bit further and take a look from the side.
That’s when you discover that the building’s walls are only three feet thick – barely enough space for a person to live inside comfortably.
But don’t be haste to write it off as useless – the house might not be inhabitable, but it fulfilled its owner’s goal in mind.
According to a local legend, the House of Spite was built in 1950s after one quarrelling neighbour came up with a genius revenge plan.
Back then, it was common for Sicilians to extend their residence upwards by adding more floors to their buildings.
But to continue with such changes, one had to acquire a permission from their neighbours.
One local man squabbled with his neighbour after he was denied the approval to continue his construction plans.
The neighbour in question didn’t want to have obstructions to the beautiful views that opened up from his house windows – thus, rejecting the man’s plea.
But the savvy and petty man came up with a loophole to get back at his unwavering friend.
Instead of breaking the rules and adding more floors to an existing house, he decided to construct an entirely new building – right in front of the neighbour’s property.
The construction ended up blocking the scenery of the picturesque hills – posing an eyesore for the people living opposite of it.
To rub salt to the wound, the side facing the neighbour was even painted in black colour and has only one window – a rather depressing sight.
Meanwhile, the facade of the narrow house is decorated with red brick.
The building has nothing inside and technically is just a brick wall with a staircase.
The owner of the House of the Spite built it knowing that he wouldn’t be able to occupy the property.
However, it seems like inconveniencing his neighbour was a good enough reason.
Meanwhile, England sports its own “thinnest house” that measures just five feet wide at its narrowest point.
It doesn’t have a dramatic backstory but offers five floors of liveable space with a kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and even a reception area.