So, for those of you that know us, you know how much we love Italy. Eleven years ago, we ended up buying a small home in a little village in Umbria, called Pozzo. Through the years, we've made some amazing friends in our little neck of the woods. It's a nice little house right in the middle of the village overlooking the main piazza. It's so nice to have somewhere to hang your hat when you're in Italy. Plus, we have the added bonus of renting it out on Airbnb, so it pretty much pays for itself.
In the meantime, Mike would scan the internet looking for a larger house; something with a little garden. He would find something, show it to me, and we'd decide whether we wanted to see it or not.
Well, one day he found a "larger" house. It looked really interesting so we decided to take a look at it. And, it is only a 10 minute drive or so from the house in Pozzo.
It turns out the house was waaaaaay bigger than we thought, but it has so many charming qualities that we decided to give it a go. We made an offer, and they accepted!
So, there it is above! It's about 10 times bigger that the house in Pozzo. Oh sheee-it - what are we getting into? Not only that, but we ended up buying the house attached to it, which makes it even more huge-mongus!
Renovation work is gonna be staggering, but for some reason, we feel ready for this. We have lots of nieces and nephews that plan on being there, so I guess there is plenty of room. Haha!
Oh, and did I mention there were Roman ruins in the garden? The local Ministry of Culture ended up carting them away, but I did manage to take a photo before they were sequestered......
The main house itself has excellent bones; it's well-built and just needs some TLC, a mop, some paint, and a thorough cleaning. It hasn't been lived in for years, so there are spider webs, lots of dirt and dust, and at least 2 dead pigeons in various stages of decomposition. The house has three, count-em, three fireplaces! And terra cotta floors that are in great condition, considering the age of the house (probably mid-1800's).
So, yeah, we are feeling a little overwhelmed, but at the same time really anticipating the task of bringing the house and the grounds back to their original beauty.
I think the universe gives us signs if we are really paying attention and listening. This guy on the left came to visit inside the house here in Burbank a couple of weeks ago.
And then, upon arriving at the house in Grutti, his Italian cousin met us at the front door.
Renovations will begin in Spring of 2023. Stay tuned for updates and all the fun dealing with dust, noise, tears and Italian bureaucracy. That is why red wine was invented!