Restoration Diary

[bella_ciao]

Ciao,
Thank you, Di, for the very useful link to the Decorating Ideas website. We are currently renovating one of our two bathrooms (the smaller of the two) and I've just had some fun trawling through some of the bathroom pages to try and get some inspiration. (I have to say, I was a little perplexed by the "tornado" bathroom which I found on around page 23 of the forum poster's pictures! Lol!) Ours is a tiny bathroom and there is really only one place for each piece of equipment, so you have to be canny with how you decorate and, of course, we found some undiscovered "beauties" once we started removing tiles and appliances, so a fair bit of preparatory work has to be done first. Looking at other people's finished rooms, as well as their desperate pleas for help, has given me some heart now, though! There are some very good all-round tips for other home decorating on this site, too, so I've bookmarked it for further reference. Hubby is hard at work on these jobs as I speak - it's just a question of fitting it in around all our other work and projects but it will be great when it's done, I'm sure. We aim to keep it very simple and streamlined, though I expect that will be easier said than done!
Ciao a tutti,
Frances.

[njkahale]

Di and Doug,
The restoration looks great. Thanks for sharing with me last year your experiences. I cannot wait until next year when we can get there to make our purchase and hopefully have the same experiences as you 2 have.
Kevin and Natalie

[Di]

Thanks. Good luck to your efforts. Stay flexible and it will all work out.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by njkahale

Di and Doug,
The restoration looks great. Thanks for sharing with me last year your experiences. I cannot wait until next year when we can get there to make our purchase and hopefully have the same experiences as you 2 have.
Kevin and Natalie

Kevin and Natalie, remind us if you are looking for a holiday house or becoming expats there. If the latter, we just got some good news about cost-of-living there compared to here and can share via 14viacapella@gmail.com if interested. D&D

[bella_ciao]

Hi Doug & Di,
I've just been checking out your very interesting website and I have to say it makes me miss Calabria and "la belle paese" all the more! I didn't have time to view it in detail but the pictures are delightful and make a refreshing distraction from recent newsreels and images of "ash clouds"! Glad to hear you're settling down well in your "casa" in Santa Domenica - thanks for all the pictures of the restoration and I'm sure I'm not the only one who keenly anticipates the next stage in the process - you've done a great job so far so it will be a treat to see more photographs on the forum when you get the time (and on your website, of course).
Speriamo non e troppo lavoro per voi! (Non solo le fotografie ma anche il restauro della casa!)
Ciao,
Frances.

[Doug]

Hi Frances,

Thanks for the kind note. We have actually just started work on the guest flat a sotto and things are going well. This one should be less "trying" for us since we are living here and can talk with the workers daily. I just lined up a trip with Angelo to GRECO, the wonderful business in Cirella that has not only the floor tile we need, but the two stoves -- a new gas one with pretty cornice to replace the one I complained about earlier, and a wood fire insert to replace the fireplace downstairs. Also, if anyone wants any high quality marble, travertine, etc for any type project, these people can do beautiful things. Our new kitchen counter is a royal blue stone from Greco, and we'll try to carry a little of the look over to the facing around the fireplace.....staying within budget of course.

We'll be adding things about the project here on the forum as well as on our blog that is linked below. I think it's good to share things that might help others with decisions for their places later!

We do have the dilemma (as pensionati) of deciding each day whether to go spend more time and money on the house, or to spend stress-reduction time at the beach. The beach wins for domani !!

Ciao, Doug

[bella_ciao]

Hi Doug,
Thanks for the update and it all sounds great to me. Ah! Decisions, decisions! What it must be like to be at the horns of such a dilemma I dare not imagine! Not exactly that it's a 'no brainer' but......hmmmm......yes, I think the beach would be too much of a draw for me, too, in that gorgeous climate you enjoy over there at this time of the year! I thought 'domani' was reserved for lavoro, seeing as you're pensionati! Well, hubby and I are now joining the ranks, too, although a backlog of accumulated lavoro 'a casa nostra' seems to hold promise of a very busy 'retirement', at least for the short term. However, your interesting updates on the restoration thread and on your website should inspire us to 'keep the vision'!
It must be nice for you to be on the spot for this part of the work, although a little more noisy, of course. There's a lot to be said for being able to keep an eye on things, though.
All the very best and I'll keep checking back to 'look in' on the progress of this project.
Kindest regards,
Frances.

[chrisellis]

Hi Di and Guido,
I just looked at your blog and actually spent a good amount of time flipping through it. It is absolutely terrific! I was looking for just such a blog as my husband and I will be there in October and be looking for properties. I LOVE your views and your beautiful houses. All of the information you have posted has been greatly appreciated. I have so much moire information than I ever thought I would have and it makes the activity a lot less fraught with uncertainties when someon has already forged the way. So if you are wondering who will be following your blog, it wil lbe me and Pete and some friends who have also expressed interest in looking over there. Thanks for posting it.
Chris

[Di]

Thanks, Chris
I started this thread and the blog because Doug and I got so much from others ourselves that we just thought it would help. Now that I'm a pensionata, it also helps me "serve". I love our new adventure, but I'm used to having a purpose other than amusing myself. Okay, so I'm learning even HOW one plays. I admit it, never been that great at it--Doug is better but he was able to play at work all these years so he is more experienced!

[bella_ciao]

Hi Di,
Don't mind my little joke - there is absolutely no harm in 'playing' while you're working, although I appreciate that you must be keen to get the work on your house completed. It must be nice, though, to be free of the 'rat race' now and to be able to make your own decisions about how to apportion your time. We have such a backlog of work to catch up with, due to having our time taken up over the years with other important commitments and responsibilities, that we are not quite at that stage yet but we are looking forward to it with keen anticipation! Don't think we'll be able to retire to Italy but here's hoping we will be able to visit a little more often, all things being equal. At any rate, we take pleasure and interest in what's going on over there and try to keep the language as fresh as possible (BTW I've now corrected the mistake in my previous post), hoping we'll be able to devote a little more time to learning it as the workload here gradually lifts. Your blog, therefore, is a pleasure to follow! Thanks for sharing your experiences with the rest of us 'italiafiles', if that's the right expression!
All the best with your projects and enjoy your retirement, whatever the day may have in store for you!
Buon giornata!
Ciao,
Frances.

[Di]

Hi All,
Follow the link below for updates to the restoration diary starting today
will update at least once a month and let you know when it's there with
a new message here.


Frances,
Didn't mind at all! My jokes run a bit dry.

[bella_ciao]

Hi Di,
Thank you very much for taking the time to post the photographs of the progress of your restoration work at your "piccola casa". Many of us are excited for you, too! It's really interesting to learn about and see pictures of how Italian restoration of centro storico properties is carried out and you can see how the Italians have become known for their engineering feats, considering the amount of problem solving they are met with when tackling the mountainous and rugged terrain - sometimes you can see diggers and other heavy machinery perched in extremely precarious positions on the mountainside when you are travelling along in the car!
I have just read your blog on the website and it does seem as though you are gradually winding down and enjoying the Calabrian way of life, despite the building works that are taking place around you. I'm sure you will feel even more settled and "blended" once these are complete. I have to say the lovely photographs of the area have really made me hanker to get back there again - we are missing it so much! Unfortunately, other commitments and the work we have to do at our own house here are sapping our resources at the moment (in more ways than one) but, like you, we find it very gratifying to see things finally starting to come together, albeit rather slowly. So, for the moment, we are enjoying shared memories and looking forward to coming back again when things have eased up a little. At least we are enjoying something of a heatwave at the moment in our corner of the UK, so this helps to make our warm thoughts of Italy a little more tangible!
Please continue to keep us all posted about the progress of your restoration as and when you can and we shall continue to follow it with great interest.
Buona giornata!
Ciao,
Frances.

[Di]

Thank you Frances. I got the idea because we were so scared yet entranced with the idea of fixing up an old place in Italy. We wanted others to understand what is involved so they wouldn't feel so in the wilderness.
Now it's even evolved into a blog that may help dreamers find the courage to move here if that is where their hearts lead. Thanks for taking the time to comment on it.

[bella_ciao]

Hi Di,
You are most welcome. I think you have both been very courageous in taking the decision to take on the challenge of not only moving to such a different country and climate but also restoring an historical property as your primary dwelling - well done! I can fully understand your reasons for doing so and I'm sure that, were it not for certain responsibilities that keep us here, we would at least be contemplating the same thing now and I'm sure our family would follow suit! There is something about the Mediterranean/ Calabrian climate, food, culture and way of life that we find very beneficial to our health, so we have to go back for a "shot in the arm" every-so-often! Notwithstanding that we just love the place anyway!
I'm sure that there will be those who follow your documented story who will be encouraged to make the same move - it has to be very useful to be able to draw on the experience of those who have experienced the 'ups and downs' associated with such a project and thereby avoid some of the pitfalls. This site is also very useful for that purpose and I know that many have found it very informative about the area in general, apart from anything else.
All the very best with your continued building works and new life in Calabria - we shall be looking in on your progress and exploits from time to time with interest!
Ciao,
Frances.

[Di]

Hi all,
Thanks for the kind words, Francis.
As promised linking here when we update on our restoration project.
Follow link below.

[Di]

As promised, here is a notice of a new restoration update posted on our blog. See the link below.