Great post Cheryl. I feel the same way when I look at abandoned houses. I always hear the echos of the past people who lived there. It is sad. I hope you get a windfall and can buy Liberty.
Oh my goodness, this is fabulous! Well, of course the house -it looks magical - and the location and history and everything else. And even more so, it becoming the centerpiece of your next novel! And who knows, maybe from there the money will come!
Abandoned houses do indeed seem sad, waiting, either in despair or full of hope and longing. I still feel that most houses are alive. They carry an energy, much like a personality.
You are extremely kind to reference my writing. Yes, the pull, the movement forward, as if already ordained, already written in time and has just been waiting for us to catch up to it.
I'm excited to see how this story unfolds - in fiction and in life!
Money from a novel? Hahahahahahahaha! I wish. Yes, I agree, houses have some life of their own. I want to buy and fix up aaaaalllllllll the beautiful old houses! And you're welcome!
Yes, I know the odds aaannnddd.... as Emily Dickinson wrote, "I dwell in possibility" Everything is miracle, everything is chance, and one never really knows what comes next...
I loved reading your story. I spent many summers in Besano (where my parents had a summer home), and visited Viggiù many times: a piedi, in bici, in moto e in macchina!
I’m curious about your mention of Besano: Was your paternal family from Besano? Or were they from Viggiù?
Maybe you remember visiting my home in Sacramento many years ago.
I’m glad your staying in Italy is mostly positive. Up to a few years ago I wanted to retire in Italy, but after my sister’s passing, in 2018, I changed my mind. However, I still love my birthplace (Milano) and my birth country. And I love Central Italy, particularly Umbria.
Antonella, this is amazing! Not only that we have connected here, but that you know so well the area my father's family came from. I do remember going to your home (what, more than 20 years ago? how is that possible?), but didn't know about your ties to Besano. My paternal grandmother's family was from Besano (surname Restelli), and my paternal grandfather's from Viggiù (and Rodero and Cantello and Arcisate).
I'm sorry about the loss of your sister and your change of plans, but hope you've been happy staying where you are. Let me know if you come back to visit!
What a perfect story to read today on this snowy Thanksgiving morning in Colorado. So thankful for your words and inspiration. I hope my courage continues to grow everyday and my goal of moving overseas comes to fruition soon.
I agree, it's a wonderful old house but I understand is more for dreaming than actually living in it: there is hardly a market for big liberty houses whose renovation includes new drain and modern wiring, on top of all the rest. I wouldn't buy it for living, but if I had in mind to open a B&B I would surely consider the investment and look for people like you, who can still appreciate the charme of these ancient dwellings and who would enjoy a breakfast on the terrace with a cappuccino and a fresh croissant :)
Oh, I want it so much! I'm having all kinds of crazy ideas, like using it to host writing retreats. Problem is, it's all too much like work, and it would take forever to recoup my investment, much less make a profit. But that's not stopping my brain from whirling!
Wow, great post and very timely for my wife and I. We are struggling with a move to Italy or not.
A friend of ours said she and her significant other was discussing how expensive wine had become. In frustration they both considered buying vodka because it’s cheaper, but then came to the conclusion that if made all your decisions based on economics…..and vodka instead of wine??? Really??
Thanks, happy to be timely! I assume your friend doesn't live in Italy, because you can get a bottle of great wine here for the cost of a glass in San Francisco. And you can get good wine for a fraction of that. I'm laughing imagining your friends sipping vodka from a wineglass—somehow I don't think the experience would be quite the same! ;-)
Thanks so much, Linda. I just wish I could sit him down with my genealogy software and see the look on his face. Hard to believe he's been gone for so long. And no, novel #2 is still looking for a home. I hate waiting so very very much.
Fascinating ... if you got the house, what would you do with it (after fixing)? Use as second house? If you rent it, even half of it, maybe you’re financially justified?
Looks beautiful. And, in a way, it seems to have already served its purpose for you :)
Hello from Roma! I’m currently lounging in the Piazza della Rotonda admiring the Pantheon, the people, the weather, and just the privilege of being in such a beautiful place. Italy can’t be beat (although, that said, I am very curious about Greece / Croatia and that region ... still, I doubt those places have the “dolce vita” mentality of the Italiano).
Well, that's the thing. I abhor the idea of being a landlord, the place is way too big for me (though would be great for family visits), and I don't want to live in a small town in the north. And I can't afford two houses. Thus mega-folly. :-) Anyway, benvenuto in Italia, and I hope you have a wonderful trip. I adore the Pantheon and I'll never be done exploring Rome. Divertiti (have fun)!
Oooooh, a hotel comes with a restaurant, which means a chef—that's my dream! Sorry about the 2008 loss; I'm sure that left you scarred. I think I have to come and see some of Porto's old buildings someday!
Great post Cheryl. I feel the same way when I look at abandoned houses. I always hear the echos of the past people who lived there. It is sad. I hope you get a windfall and can buy Liberty.
Especially when they were once things of beauty! Glad you share the sentiment. Fingers crossed for that windfall!
Oh my goodness, this is fabulous! Well, of course the house -it looks magical - and the location and history and everything else. And even more so, it becoming the centerpiece of your next novel! And who knows, maybe from there the money will come!
Abandoned houses do indeed seem sad, waiting, either in despair or full of hope and longing. I still feel that most houses are alive. They carry an energy, much like a personality.
You are extremely kind to reference my writing. Yes, the pull, the movement forward, as if already ordained, already written in time and has just been waiting for us to catch up to it.
I'm excited to see how this story unfolds - in fiction and in life!
Money from a novel? Hahahahahahahaha! I wish. Yes, I agree, houses have some life of their own. I want to buy and fix up aaaaalllllllll the beautiful old houses! And you're welcome!
Yes, I know the odds aaannnddd.... as Emily Dickinson wrote, "I dwell in possibility" Everything is miracle, everything is chance, and one never really knows what comes next...
xo
Ciao Cheryl,
I loved reading your story. I spent many summers in Besano (where my parents had a summer home), and visited Viggiù many times: a piedi, in bici, in moto e in macchina!
I’m curious about your mention of Besano: Was your paternal family from Besano? Or were they from Viggiù?
Maybe you remember visiting my home in Sacramento many years ago.
I’m glad your staying in Italy is mostly positive. Up to a few years ago I wanted to retire in Italy, but after my sister’s passing, in 2018, I changed my mind. However, I still love my birthplace (Milano) and my birth country. And I love Central Italy, particularly Umbria.
A presto,
Antonella
Antonella, this is amazing! Not only that we have connected here, but that you know so well the area my father's family came from. I do remember going to your home (what, more than 20 years ago? how is that possible?), but didn't know about your ties to Besano. My paternal grandmother's family was from Besano (surname Restelli), and my paternal grandfather's from Viggiù (and Rodero and Cantello and Arcisate).
I'm sorry about the loss of your sister and your change of plans, but hope you've been happy staying where you are. Let me know if you come back to visit!
May you win the lottery. I know that yearning, and for you, it’s compounded by the fact that you have roots there.
More like an illness, I think! 🙂 Is there a place you yearn for?
What a perfect story to read today on this snowy Thanksgiving morning in Colorado. So thankful for your words and inspiration. I hope my courage continues to grow everyday and my goal of moving overseas comes to fruition soon.
I’m happy to hear it was good Thanksgiving day reading. Keep the faith--if you want it and no legalities stand in your way, you’ll make it happen!
I agree, it's a wonderful old house but I understand is more for dreaming than actually living in it: there is hardly a market for big liberty houses whose renovation includes new drain and modern wiring, on top of all the rest. I wouldn't buy it for living, but if I had in mind to open a B&B I would surely consider the investment and look for people like you, who can still appreciate the charme of these ancient dwellings and who would enjoy a breakfast on the terrace with a cappuccino and a fresh croissant :)
Oh, I want it so much! I'm having all kinds of crazy ideas, like using it to host writing retreats. Problem is, it's all too much like work, and it would take forever to recoup my investment, much less make a profit. But that's not stopping my brain from whirling!
Wow, great post and very timely for my wife and I. We are struggling with a move to Italy or not.
A friend of ours said she and her significant other was discussing how expensive wine had become. In frustration they both considered buying vodka because it’s cheaper, but then came to the conclusion that if made all your decisions based on economics…..and vodka instead of wine??? Really??
Thanks, happy to be timely! I assume your friend doesn't live in Italy, because you can get a bottle of great wine here for the cost of a glass in San Francisco. And you can get good wine for a fraction of that. I'm laughing imagining your friends sipping vodka from a wineglass—somehow I don't think the experience would be quite the same! ;-)
Your dad would be so proud of all you've accomplished, Cheryl, and even more importantly, the woman you've become. I miss him.
You mentioned you're working on your third book. Has your second book been published? I want to get a copy!
Thanks so much, Linda. I just wish I could sit him down with my genealogy software and see the look on his face. Hard to believe he's been gone for so long. And no, novel #2 is still looking for a home. I hate waiting so very very much.
Fascinating ... if you got the house, what would you do with it (after fixing)? Use as second house? If you rent it, even half of it, maybe you’re financially justified?
Looks beautiful. And, in a way, it seems to have already served its purpose for you :)
Hello from Roma! I’m currently lounging in the Piazza della Rotonda admiring the Pantheon, the people, the weather, and just the privilege of being in such a beautiful place. Italy can’t be beat (although, that said, I am very curious about Greece / Croatia and that region ... still, I doubt those places have the “dolce vita” mentality of the Italiano).
✌🏼
Well, that's the thing. I abhor the idea of being a landlord, the place is way too big for me (though would be great for family visits), and I don't want to live in a small town in the north. And I can't afford two houses. Thus mega-folly. :-) Anyway, benvenuto in Italia, and I hope you have a wonderful trip. I adore the Pantheon and I'll never be done exploring Rome. Divertiti (have fun)!
Great post. So reminiscent of under the Tuscan Sun. Which it sounds like you are living.
Story of my life! If I had nothing but time and money, I would be renovating houses all over Porto!
I do so love the cool old buildings.
Meanwhile, back in reality, that expand and contract thing with courage goes both ways.
We lost our shirts on a dream place in Denver. Can you say 2008?
Even if I got that windfall, I would not do it again. I would find a nice hotel to live in!
Oooooh, a hotel comes with a restaurant, which means a chef—that's my dream! Sorry about the 2008 loss; I'm sure that left you scarred. I think I have to come and see some of Porto's old buildings someday!
Yes, to live in one, not own it! ;)
You should, they are awesome. They fill me with wonder and saudade. (It is so Portuguese!)
A penthouse suite, room service, a view over a stunning city or spectacular landscape . . . okay, sign me up! "Saudade" is a great word!
sweet story. and ooooohhhhh so tempting. Maybe collaborate with a bunch of other ita-passionates and cobuy it?
Thing is, I wouldn't do it with anyone I don't know super well, and it's the kind of thing that can ruin a friendship. So . . . . I guess that's a no!