September we headed back to Italy. Lots of things still up in the air, but small steps in the right direction, and many keep us busy. Our trip to Italy saw a lot of grey skies and occasional rain. We had a couple visitors this time who were passing thru on their own adventures. We also managed to visit some new places and try a couple new restaurants. Early November remains our target for completing the purchase of the Italy property. LA house is now on the market.

Italy Property

Still holding for completing the construction, followed by the purchase being finalized in November of this year. The comune has requested payment of the fees associated with the sellers being in violation of the building code. Shouldn’t be a ton of money, but still a required first step by the owner. Once done, they should get permits issued and then be able to hire resources to get underway with the wagon wheel room and the septic system repairs. We met with Luca the architect while visiting to understand the latest delay. He conveyed his ongoing frustration with the commune and is sending a formal communication to them requesting a more formal engagement and perhaps will engage his lawyer as he feels his business is reflected on poorly with the delays even though he is not the hold up.

As we are lining up the LA home sale and waiting for the Italy purchase to finish we’ve realized we may be without a home for a minute. We know November is the target for Italy, but honestly we keep hitting roadblocks and delays. So we’ve asked the owner to allow us to “rent” the house in advance of completing the purchase. In the event it delays further, at least we have a place to sleep. We’d really just cover the cost of running the house, not an actual rental. Of course because our immigration has not yet been finalized, we are subject to the 90 day rule for staying in the EU so we’ll have to monitor our time.

First visitors

We had visitors at the house while we were there. Ron and Darrell from Hawaii were here and we were lucky to get a couple days with them before they headed off on the rest of their adventure. It was great to have the opportunity to see things through their eyes, as they seemed delighted by the house, the area and especially Orvieto (and the wonderful food & wine). See photo clockwise from top: Darrell, Ron, George and Mark.

Jeanne and Kim who used to live a couple houses down from us in LA were here for a yoga and tourist trip from their home in Santa Fe. We traveled down south to meet them, then returned to the house for a few days before heading north to Torino. What a lovely time with them both and we look forward to their return. See photo left to right: Jeanne, George, Mark and Kim.

As a result of our first visitors we have now added a guestbook at the top header of the blog.

Olive Harvest

The olive harvest window is approaching. After a walk thru the trees, it seems to me that we have more olives than I recall the last two years. The trees themselves actually look fuller than I can remember.

We have about 125 trees in total, which is not huge. Apparently you need to hire labor to pick and transport, then mill costs and canning. We have a lot to learn.

We met with Oxana who manages the property and Sergio who does landscaping, pool and all around handyman needs. As they explain it we have very good olive trees, well over 100 years old. They have not been maintained properly over the last 5 years since the owners knew they were selling. So the trees aren’t as productive as they could be. So we’ve decided to harvest the meager crop this year for personal use and to share with friends. In spring they’ll prune the trees way back which means next year we’ll likely have even less fruit as the trees will be recovering. The following year we should see a bumper crop assuming all the other factors fall in our direction.

Harvest season starts Mid October and can run until Mid December. The trees must also be pruned annually and this runs March to April.

English Walnuts and Figs

Among what looks like many fruiting trees, on this visit we uncovered some ready for picking. Unfortunately not for this trip. Tried both, seem to be in great shape. Read More: Walnuts Figs.

Remaining construction

Wagon Wheel Room

This room was originally designed for live stock or other farming related use. Apparently they converted it to a bedroom at some point, but it doesn’t meet the building and safety requirements so they need to resolve the roof and cross beam structure. You can see in the photo how the beams meet the wall and the roof line. As the architect has told us, they must remove the roof, add metal frame around the top and then reconnect and put the roof back on. Doesn’t sound trivial, we are also uncertain how the rain during this time of year will affect construction.

Septic System Repair

We have a limited understanding of what exactly is being repaired. We’ve seen some odd behavior on the system and assume these repairs will remedy. We meet with the architect this visit and hope to get more detail.

At a previous visit Sergio removed some roots from the trap door to resolve a gurgling sound in the drains. Ick.

U.S. Home Sale

We were very busy prepping the L.A. house before we left for Italy. House cleared, staged and on the market. First open house was September 22nd. We are enthusiastic about making it to this step. No turning back now!! Not that we want to but this cements a few things.

Immigration

We await return of documents from the U.S. Federal Government in which they were required to be “Apostilled”. First time I’ve heard this word, basically it’s an official sign off that the document is legit and the person who signed it is also legit. Once these documents return, we should be able to advance a few other steps that will lead to the submission to the Italian government. We will visit Siena in early October to open an investment account meant to hold funds for our immigration visa.

An Apostille or an Authentication certifies the authenticity of the signature, seal and position of the official who has executed, issued or certified a copy of a public document. An Apostille or an Authentication enables a public document issued in one country to be recognized as valid in another country. A-PO-STEEL

People, Places and Things

Cascata della Marmore

The Marmore Falls is one of the highest in Europe. It’s man made if you can believe it. In 271 BC the Romans began excavating the canal into which all the waters of the marsh were redirected, bringing them towards the edge of the Marmore cliff, where they would then fall. The weather was perfect, after a few days of grey. About a 90 minute drive from the house, but easy and beautiful drive. Definitely a spot to bring visitors. Read More

Stresa – Lake Maggiore

Since we flew into Milan on arrival from U.S., the drive to the house would be very difficult on such little sleep. So we booked a room at a nearby hotel on the lake and planned to make the drive the next morning. Some of these lakes in Italy are truly breathtaking. The town is called Stresa on Lake Maggiore, located at the base of the Italian Alps. We spotted some snow in the Alps during our drive north to the hotel. Read More

Italy Highlight

How big is Italy?

On this trip we flew into Milan instead of Rome as we would normally. Seems the airline connections were more in our favor coming thru Milan. On our drive from Milan to the house, I was curious about how big Italy was compared to California. As it turns out they are very similar in size, see image representing the two. Most of Italy fits within California, Cali being a bit wider. The drive was reminiscent of many drives in California as a child with family.

Italy limits use of heating

On this trip during September, it was a bit rainy and considerably cooler than our summer visit. As a result I had recalled that the use of gas to heat your home has some requirements we thought we’d share. Italy is divided into Climatic Zones, each with start and end dates for turning on/off your heat. It also includes number of hours during the day and at what temperature you can run your heat. The rationale here is to limit Italy’s purchasing energy from outside sources earlier than is needed. So generally you need to have plenty of blankets and be able to layer clothes to manage your needs prior to the start date for heating. At night its assumed you are warm and snuggled in your bed. Orvieto is Climate Zone D – Which means we can only turn on the heat from November 1st to April 15th, 12 hours per day. Read More

Italian hunting (Caccia) season

We pulled up on a couple hunters very near the entrance to our driveway… rifles in hand and walking just off the road area. As an aside, just a couple days before, we witnessed a small group of wild boar (cinghale) crossing the white road, they were small so we assumed they were young and certainly their mother who could be much larger would be nearby. So now to see hunters I guess one might follow the other? We have also observed cars parked in odd locations on the main road that takes us from Orvieto to Colonnetta, which we hadn’t seen before. Hunting seems to be an important part of their culture, especially in the wilds of Umbria.

Also, during morning walks around the property its very clear the boars are digging in and around the olive trees. The ground is rutted and dug up. Anyhow, this morning we could actually hear gunfire off in the distance. So we researched and uncovered that there is a period each year in which certified hunters can roam freely. There are some strict gun ownership requirements to obtain a permit, and then it seems they go where they want. Not a common experience for us living in LA, but likely not as unusual for others living in more rural areas of the U.S. Read More

See you in November!! Ciao!!