My Italian Villa, Chapter Five

It occurs to me that this tale may not be finished before the end of the year!  In fact, even if I choose to end it on this blog, there are still ongoing subtexts that I am working  on.  But then, since this is all taking place in Italy, it’s no surprise that the story will have a beginning, middle and possibly no ending in the near future.  And, as I have adopted the Italian attitude about such things, I’ll just continue to practice my patience.

late afternoon in Bagnoregio, ItalyNow, where were we?  Oh yes, back home in Bagnoregio, dropping off the family I purchased the property from after signing the final contract and handing over the last payment.  To be honest, I’m a little vague on the rest of that day as the morning was quite taxing.  I know I finally got some lunch and later that evening there was a celebratory dinner with friends.  There is a foggy image of me shaking my head, telling the story from the previous chapter about how the day went and then sleep!

I made phone calls home to family and a friend about the conclusion of the sale.  Then, before returning home later in the week, I started asking around about contractor’s who might help me construct a small house.  The little stone barn that stood there, at least one hundred years old, was simple, strong and built in the style of the valley.  It’s red tile roof, new in the last few years, was a stark contrast to the stones it was built of, which were all taken from the surrounding land.  About 200 square feet, it was the size of a small bedroom so I would need to add another bedroom, bath, and great-room/kitchen.  That was as much of a house as the spot it stood on could take.  I wanted to leave the fifty olive trees intact and not change the landscape much, so it would maintain its rustic aura, which I had fallen in love with almost two years earlier.

Red tile roofAnd rather quickly I got a message from someone who claimed to be a contractor in the area and he wanted to have a lunch meeting.  After doing a little homework I found out that he indeed was a local contractor who had moved to the area recently from Rome.  We arranged to have lunch and I brought along another friend, Carlo, who could translate if need be.  It turned out that Carlo and the contractor, Angelo knew one another as they had done some business together previously.  We talked about what I wanted, what it might cost and how long it would take to build after getting permits.  The part about permits brought on a huge fit of laughter from the two men.  Apparently, that particular agricultural valley was not easy to build in, though not impossible.  There would be some negotiations with the commune (city) that had to happen.  But I was assured it would be no problem and all I had to do was hand over a pile of money, just a deposit to start, so Angelo could get started grading, etc.

I told him I would be back in a few months and would take care of the deposit once I saw the plans.  We agreed to meet when I returned.  Stay tuned for the building of the house in the next chapter!!!
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Ciao,
Cheryl