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| Future dining room and balcony |
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Is there an end in sight?
Well after a long time without any posting I though I had better give an update on the work in progress which is Casa Colleverde. Perhaps it would be more interesting if I started posting some of my favourite recipes which I will be cooking (eventually) when Casa Colleverde opens for business. This is because there has been little progress. Taking a few deep breathes, I can say it is very frustrating working with Italian builders and to put it mildly, I am not a happy bunny. I visited the site today for the first time in almost 3 weeks( two of which were sunny) but is there any noticeable progress…. no; so I hit the roof or would have done had it been finished!
I think everyone knew I was not happy. The architect and builder have obviously had their minds elsewhere as both their wives have given birth in the last 2 weeks so….. Tanti Auguri but now back to work guys!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Perfect October Days – New friends in the Lunigiana
Some days are just perfect so much so that they make you realize how lucky you are and enable you to forget about any other trials or tribulations that you may be facing at that time.
On saturday we went by train to the Cinque Terre. We took an early train from Sarzana, the crystal clear blue sky and early morning sun bode well for the day. Our five month old Norfolk terrier puppy Sam normally straining at the leash hid under the bench on the platform his first experience of the fast screechy monster that raced past the platform. We changed at La Spezia and by 10.30 we had our first glimpse of a sparkling Mare Ligure as we alighted at Riomaggiore in the sun. We leisurely walked round the town, up to the quaint little church and down to the port where we sat on the rocks and people watched, my favourite Italian pastime.
We then retraced our steps back towards the station and the Via dell’Amore. There were quite a few people around now on the coastal path (the area is a popular tourist attraction)but notwithstanding this it was enjoyable. The views from the path are spectacular and the October sun brought back memories of summer.
We arrived in Manarola hot and thirsty (most of all Sam) for whom we quickly found a little fountain from which he could drink. Unfortunately the path between between Manarola and Corniglia was closed but so we decided to have a stroll around Manarola and an early lunch in the port. We chose the restaurant overlooking the small port(Ristorante Marina Piccola) and had an excellent(and leisurely) seafood lunch accompanied by a crisp white wine overlooking the sea. Sam had a nice rest in the shade. It was soon time ti make tracks as we had an evening appointment in the Lunigiana our first visit to the Luni Wine Club (the 11th so far)to be held in Lusignana. We decided to head back along the the coastal path to Riomaggiore to get our train to La Spezia/ Sarazana and also to work off our lunch. We arrived back in Sarzana around 4pm and time for a quick nap.
Our early evening appointment at the Luni wine club was in Lusignana a small town in the Lunigiana we had never visited; armed with maps, written instructions regarding a landslide to avoid and a GPS we headed off into the sunset The evening was beautifully clear and the clouds on the Alpi Apuane reminded me of the cloth of cloud which often covers Table mountain in Cape Town. Once off the motorway the narrow road required some concentration(and no looking out of the car window) as it winded up into the wooded hills. After some wrong turns we eventually arrived at the top of a hill and a small village in which time seemed to have stood still. We had to call for help from our hosts to guide us on foot through the narrow streets to the venue for the wine club that evening a warm living room in front of an open fire. The meeting that evening consisted of a tasting of two Tuscan white wines and five reded, Chianti,Cabernet Sauvignon and Supertuscans all from the province of Arezzo. The company consisted of the organizer Heiko and his wife and the attendeees mainly expat residents in the area. We had a good time improved our knowledge of wine,made some new friends and discovered a new area to explore later at our leisure. We left late with flushed faces and head out into a cold dark night under a galaxy of stars.
A great day and one to remember.
We then retraced our steps back towards the station and the Via dell’Amore. There were quite a few people around now on the coastal path (the area is a popular tourist attraction)but notwithstanding this it was enjoyable. The views from the path are spectacular and the October sun brought back memories of summer.
We arrived in Manarola hot and thirsty (most of all Sam) for whom we quickly found a little fountain from which he could drink. Unfortunately the path between between Manarola and Corniglia was closed but so we decided to have a stroll around Manarola and an early lunch in the port. We chose the restaurant overlooking the small port(Ristorante Marina Piccola) and had an excellent(and leisurely) seafood lunch accompanied by a crisp white wine overlooking the sea. Sam had a nice rest in the shade. It was soon time ti make tracks as we had an evening appointment in the Lunigiana our first visit to the Luni Wine Club (the 11th so far)to be held in Lusignana. We decided to head back along the the coastal path to Riomaggiore to get our train to La Spezia/ Sarazana and also to work off our lunch. We arrived back in Sarzana around 4pm and time for a quick nap.
Our early evening appointment at the Luni wine club was in Lusignana a small town in the Lunigiana we had never visited; armed with maps, written instructions regarding a landslide to avoid and a GPS we headed off into the sunset The evening was beautifully clear and the clouds on the Alpi Apuane reminded me of the cloth of cloud which often covers Table mountain in Cape Town. Once off the motorway the narrow road required some concentration(and no looking out of the car window) as it winded up into the wooded hills. After some wrong turns we eventually arrived at the top of a hill and a small village in which time seemed to have stood still. We had to call for help from our hosts to guide us on foot through the narrow streets to the venue for the wine club that evening a warm living room in front of an open fire. The meeting that evening consisted of a tasting of two Tuscan white wines and five reded, Chianti,Cabernet Sauvignon and Supertuscans all from the province of Arezzo. The company consisted of the organizer Heiko and his wife and the attendeees mainly expat residents in the area. We had a good time improved our knowledge of wine,made some new friends and discovered a new area to explore later at our leisure. We left late with flushed faces and head out into a cold dark night under a galaxy of stars.
A great day and one to remember.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Restoring a house in Italy Chapter 3
This is the third restoration I have been involved in 10 years in Italy, so I should not be surprised by the problems encountered so far in restoring my own home, I had assumed and hoped it would get easier the third time around ok maybe I got it wrong.
Ten years ago I embarked on a journey with two friends from London one English and one Italian(Roman) , we ended up in Tuscany restoring a casa padronale in the Val di Chiana and creating one of the first boutique guest houses in the Tuscany(and maybe in Italy) . With no previous experience in the industry our learning curve was perpendicular we could write several books on our experiences but to avoid embarassing ourselves and our guests we had better keep quiet. Villa Fontelunga opened in June 2000 and ten years later is still going strong. http://www.fontelunga.com/.
Four years after opening and with the traumas of dealing with builders ,Italian bureaucracy and meeting opening deadlines seemingly long forgotten memories we embarked on our next project. The restoration/rebuilding of a rudere in the valley behind us to create three independent Villas in a contemporary style for rental which would be serviced from the guest house. Having completed these and suffering in varying degrees from stress, ulcers and back pain we all vowed never to do it again.
Now I was permanently in Italy and living in the guest house annexe with my friends and working and living on top of each other I thought it was time to do something by myself and have my own home in Italy. I sold my home in London in 2007 and I bought an ugly 1970s house in Liguria(just.. not far from the border with Tuscany) and so began my own journey to create my home and a small B&B. Three years later I am still going and I am still optimistic that we will open in spring 2011.
Ten years ago I embarked on a journey with two friends from London one English and one Italian(Roman) , we ended up in Tuscany restoring a casa padronale in the Val di Chiana and creating one of the first boutique guest houses in the Tuscany(and maybe in Italy) . With no previous experience in the industry our learning curve was perpendicular we could write several books on our experiences but to avoid embarassing ourselves and our guests we had better keep quiet. Villa Fontelunga opened in June 2000 and ten years later is still going strong. http://www.fontelunga.com/.
Four years after opening and with the traumas of dealing with builders ,Italian bureaucracy and meeting opening deadlines seemingly long forgotten memories we embarked on our next project. The restoration/rebuilding of a rudere in the valley behind us to create three independent Villas in a contemporary style for rental which would be serviced from the guest house. Having completed these and suffering in varying degrees from stress, ulcers and back pain we all vowed never to do it again.
Now I was permanently in Italy and living in the guest house annexe with my friends and working and living on top of each other I thought it was time to do something by myself and have my own home in Italy. I sold my home in London in 2007 and I bought an ugly 1970s house in Liguria(just.. not far from the border with Tuscany) and so began my own journey to create my home and a small B&B. Three years later I am still going and I am still optimistic that we will open in spring 2011.
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