Inside Nonno’s house: filmmaker’s appeal evokes nostalgia for Italian-Australian homes – realestate.com.au

Italian-built suburban homes are becoming increasingly rare time capsules, preserving a unique piece of Australian housing history.

When Australian film director Frank Lotito recently put out a call on social media for a modest Italian-Australian home caught in a time warp, he was overwhelmed by the response.

“I didn’t think there were that many around,” says Lotito, director of the 2022 film Wog Boys Forever.

From Coburg in Melbourne’s north to Leichhardt in Sydney’s Little Italy and Balcatta in Perth, massive brick houses from the 1970s and 1980s with strong Italian influences still stand, built to last.

The post-World War II Southern European migrants who built these suburban castles were attracted by cheap housing near jobs, reshaping the urban character.

Film director Frank Lotito’s public call for an Italian-Australian time-warp house. Image: Facebook | Frank Lotito

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Sometimes lion heads guarded the facades, framed by white concrete balustrades and curved brick arches. Inside you will find ornate tiles, a laminate kitchen in orange and brown (possibly a second kitchen in the garage) and a formal lounge for visitors.

But homes in their original condition are becoming rarer as residents move, younger generations opt for renovations or even blast-outs, and larger blocks are carved out in a drive for higher residential density.

For Mr. Lotito, who used social media to find a typical Italian family home for his film Nonno, the house had to feel “lived in and loved.”

Director Frank Lotito with Wog Boys Forever actors Nick Giannopoulos and Vincenzo Colosimo. Image: Facebook | Frank Lotito

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Based on Archie Fusillo’s The Dons, Nonno is a coming-of-age film about a teenage boy and his grandfather, exploring family and generational ties. Filming will begin in April, starring Django legend Franco Nero.

After days of sifting through the comments and visits – where Nonni greeted him with coffee, cookies, homemade salami and even grappa – he found his dream suburban palace in Preston, Melbourne, owned by the mother of his executive producer, Frank Monterosso.

Frank Lotito is scouting locations for his upcoming film Nonno’s House with cinematographer Craig Barden and set designer Marty Manca. Image: Facebook | Frank Lotito

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Classic features included a brown brick double façade adorned with white balustrades and columns, a 1970s laminex kitchen, beige tiles, deep pile carpet and amber glass partitions.

Justin Merendino of Ray White Perth notes similar homes in suburbs such as Balcatta and Stirling.

“Double bricks, columns, lions at the front, big cast iron gates… a sense of pride and wealth within the community of all those Europeans who – let’s face it – had a hard time getting abroad,” he said.

“All they knew was to work because the majority of them were not fully educated.”

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Many houses are hand-built to European taste – dark wooden stairs, marble tiles and worktops – but younger generations often find them old-fashioned.

“They come in and say, ‘Oh, the kitchen is dated.’ It has brown Jarrah doors, but for an Italian from the 70s, if you had those you would have won the lotto,” says Mr Merendino.

11 Gertrude Street, Sunshine is described in the listing as “every beloved Nonna and Nonno’s place you’ve ever visited”. Image: realestate.com.au

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Buyers who can afford these family homes today are modernizing, rather than just moving in. The real time capsules are owned by people in their 80s who have maintained them since they were built, he said.

This Reservoir home went viral last year when it hit the market for its dolphin fountain built by the home’s late owner, Ignazio ‘Benny’ Di Benedetto, who migrated from Italy to Australia as a teenager. Image: realestate.com.au/sold

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In Sydney’s Leichhardt, the Italian heritage is gradually declining as the area gentrifies and modern houses replace older ones, although some original properties remain.

“Depending on the size of the plot, they are either split in two and brand new duplexes are built on them, or they are demolished and people build brand new houses,” says James Montano, director of Montano Group Leichhardt.

“They’ve probably gone out of fashion in terms of being an attractive home for people locally to buy. It’s more just the ability to renovate it.”

Bricks, tiles and white concrete columns are a classic feature of Italian-Australian homes of the 1970s and 1980s. Image: realestate.com.au/sold

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As the original Italian houses slowly disappear, stories of Italian-Australian nostalgia are reaching new generations with successful comedy acts like Sooshi Mango and social media accounts like Maddie and Nonna Fina.

Sooshi Mango comedians Joe Salantiri (Johnny), Carlo Salantiri (Vince) and Andrew Manfre (Sam). Photo: Jake Nowakowski

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For Frank Lotito, the nostalgia that people feel now is one of the main reasons he wanted to make the film Nonno.

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And the second kitchen next to the garage. Image: realestate.com.au

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Because life moved so fast and there was so much happening, these homes represented a time when life was wonderful and much simpler.

“I feel like if we could capture that and put it in a time capsule, people could go see that, and it would kind of keep it alive. It’s a little sad that some of these houses are disappearing, but I also understand that there are certain luxuries that we didn’t have back then that we need today, like a dishwasher,” he laughed.

“I think it’s a shame.”