On the road to Siena
It is time to prepare the suitcase and head to Lucca once
again. This time with more excited than ever before. We are heading to our new
home. A place where we will spend the rest of our life and enjoy all what the surroundings
can give us.
"Casa Di Amore" in the front today
Our plan was to find a place a bit closer to the wonderful
city of Lucca. A city where we have most of our friends in Italy, it be people
working at all the restaurants we a regular visitors to or the Hotel we always
stay at. Also all the different business relations we have in the area.
"Casa Di Amore" in the back today
We will not be totally retired. There will be a lot of work
also after the day the house is finished restored. With more than 5000m2 land
there is space for grapes, olives, fruit and berries along with all the
different vegetables we want and we may not find in Italy on a regular basis.
The herb garden will have its own place.
All this, and in between a touch of roses, lavender,
clematis and other flowers that will brighten up our new home “Casa Di Amore”.
In the time since we knew this was to be our home we have
prepared drawings how we want it all. Our first meeting with architect and contractor
starts already 2 hours after we have landed in Pisa. Just time to reach the
Hotel Ilaria, some water in the face to freshen up after the flight from Moscow
via Roma and there we are at one of our favorite restaurants in Lucca; Gli Orti
di Via Elise.
Gli Orti di Via Elise - Lucca
First meeting building on relations we have gained over the
last 10-15 years in Lucca. The architect is recommended by friends and the
contractor is brother to the chef and owner of the restaurant. It will be hard
for them to let us down. They be one out of five different alternatives so we
hope we will find the right group of people to work this with over the next 3
years period.
Working with Italians the last 20 years or so I know what I
can expect. It will be hard for them when I bring the experience from an
industry where time, cost and milestones will be a part of the contract in
addition to a well formulated penalty clause.
Via del Fosso
Saturday we head for the local market. This year we will not
bring too much clothes. Why you may ask. The answers is just that most of our
summer clothes are in storage and we need some to clean out our new home prior
to the guys who will do the refurbishment starts.
At the market
Sunday is this year only Summer Festival concert for us
that we will watch and not only listen to. Steve Wonder with all his songs down
memory lane, later in the week we may stop at Restaurant Giglo and listen to
Backstreet Boys and/or The National.
So we prepare our bike rides in the area around Lucca. Quite
a few days at the beach in Viareggio, missing some of the sun and possibility
just lay and feel the heat along with a dip in the water when it get to warm.
Visit our restaurant favorites and some new in addition to taste more wine for
our friends in the US who I assist finding the right wine for, and assist the
producer in the hills around Montecarlo (LU) to export to different countries.
Greve in Chianti
It all will be a 3 weeks excellent break for us. Pictures
will be taken and report made from the visit to the restaurants, events we
participate at, friends and not to forget the update from our local farm and
home in San Salvatore – Montecarlo – Lucca – Tuscany – Italy.
View from Tenuta Setteventi
