Barcelona, December 2016. About thirty people pose on a stately staircase for a family photo. In the foreground, the Torra-Balari Cera siblings appear, three of the most direct descendants of Dr. Enric Cera, a founding partner of the current RACC and the second doctor in Barcelona to make house calls with his own vehicle, as well as being the promoter and first owner of the house that bears his name: the Cera tower, built by Enric Sagnier in 1914. After the obligatory photo, Beatriz Torra-Balari raises a glass and says a few words to the four generations of Ceras present, reminding them of the importance the house had for Dr. Cera, who made it a true family nucleus for them and their heirs: “thanks to this house, as a symbol of unity for so many years I believe we have achieved it, so let's toast to that”.
To celebrate the end of the rehabilitation of this alpine chalet, Núñez y Navarro organized a visit to the house with the descendants of the former owner. Only this time, the hosts were the Cera family. Beatriz, whom we already know, and her siblings, Reyes and Mauricio. With them as guides, a tour began that went from the garden to the old attic where the servants' quarters were, through the room where guests were received and the old chapel where the Cera family celebrated, among other things, the Midnight Mass every Christmas Eve: “We would gather each year between 90 and 100 people, and after dinner, the canon would come and hold mass for us and our friends”, Mauricio Torra-Balari comments excitedly and with a twinkle in his eye.
The gathering served to bring together in the house, once again, siblings, cousins, nephews, children, and grandchildren, who explored with curiosity the rooms of the old family home. Each of them looked for the changes resulting from the renovation. When they found them, they shared with each other: “and here there was a small corridor that was the way to go to the bathroom” explained Mauricio, who remembered perfectly the layout of what used to be his bedroom back in the 50s.
That was one of the few differences found during the visit. Another was discovered in the attic. “They've lowered the ceiling, haven't they?” someone asks. “Yes, yes. This used to be higher”, another person responds. “I remember this place always leaking. Every time it rained we would go up to see where the water was coming through”, Beatriz adds. And the fact is “except for some trivial detail”, as Mauricio points out, the restoration carried out by Núñez y Navarro has adapted the house to its new uses and to modern times (by installing an elevator in the space of the old chimney) but with the intention of restoring all its original nature and grandeur. “We didn't expect to find it just as it was. It has been respected 100%. I thought they would change the staircase but everything is just as we left it more than ten years ago”, he concludes.
The grand staircase is precisely one of those places where the unity of the Cera family has been most often reflected. With marble steps and wooden handrails and banisters, it has witnessed major celebrations, regularly serving as the backdrop for family photos. It was also a secret playground for children like Mauricio, who would slide down the balustrade time and again, in defiance of parental rules: "It was strictly forbidden. Sometimes when you slid down badly, the decorative pineapple at the end would go flying off, and then there would be huge rows"
The Torra-Balari Cera siblings were not the only ones to reminisce about stories from the old family house. Although they were born there and spent a good part of their lives, other younger Ceras celebrated their baptisms and communions until in 2006, Maria Luisa Cera, the mother of Reyes, Beatriz, and Mauricio sold the property to Núñez y Navarro.
One of the most remembered stories during the visit, perhaps the most notable, stars Beny, Bernardo Rivière, a 43-year-old lawyer, who as a child shattered the window above the main staircase with a stone. Over time, the story has been magnified, and depending on which family member you ask, the stone turns into a slingshot or a pellet gun. But he himself makes sure to debunk it: "We were in the garden of the upper house throwing stones to see who could throw the farthest, and then I threw mine and suddenly we heard glass breaking", he claims at the foot of the window, pointing out the exact point of impact, which is only noticeable by getting close to it.
Meanwhile, other guests continue to take pictures on the renovated staircase. After the family portrait and the toast, the Ceras return to their tasks and gradually leave the old family home. Some plan to meet again soon, while others take the opportunity for one last stroll through the garden. From now on, the Cera tower will host meetings again, but this time they will not be for pleasure, but for business, as it will be used as office space. A use that does not displease the heirs of Dr. Cera: “I think my grandfather and especially my mother would have liked it, because there has always been life in this house. And now there will be life again”, concludes Mauricio, who looks nostalgically at what was once his childhood home from the garden.
