Vardo is the Romani word for a horse drawn live-in wagon. Carrettino is the Sicilian word for an elaborately decorated little cart drawn by a horse.
Vardo Carrettino is pulled by a pickup truck. We built it by hand starting in the spring of 2016 making it road-worthy and fully functioning. Our happy little vardo traveled many miles during the festival seasons since then and we're looking forward to the next season.
This 7'x10' roving micro house serves as accommodations for the Island Girl team. The charming interior surprisingly includes a bed, kitchen counter with sink, shower & toilet, solar electric, plenty of storage and other amenities.
Shown here is a traditional Burton style vardo from Dorset, England. I designed Vardo Carrettino based on this design with a few exceptions. Traditional vardos were pulled by a horse and usually had a wood stove inside but no bathroom. Ours is a Ledge style vardo to increase interior space, it's pulled by a pick-up truck and does have a bathroom but no wood stove as we needed to keep the weight to a minimum.
Finishing touches, like the exterior decorative mouldings, are being added to Vardo Carrettino to more closely resemble this masterpiece.
You're welcome to visit Vardo Carrettino at any of the multi-day festivals we vend at. We're happy to explain the building process to eager listeners who are researching to build their own.
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