Lucca Comic Games

 

Yes it is Lucca Comic Games days this weekend. Yes I should have been there, but I know we will have time in the years to come. Sure the dressed Superman and Star Wars figures will be back not only next year, but the years to come long into the future.

 

 

Will be interesting to see if the games hit as many visitors as last year when 400 000 visited the games from Thursday until Sunday. This indicates that 4 times as many people visited the games compared to how many live in Lucca.

 

 

Also noted that my favorite restaurant Gli Orti has become Star Wars Restaurant, ok Samuele bring it back to its origin when I am back in December.

 

Please enjoy it my friends, next year I will be there myself with my camera take pictures of you dressed up like Superman or Star Wars figures, not sure about what I will do. One thing I know, I have a place to stay, a thing that is difficult when the games on and as always and everywhere, prices rises during a festival like this.

 

OK, the architect hurried up to send me some updates and photos before he put on his Superman dress and headed for the games. Looking at the progress over the last month I must say he act like a superman together with Gianluca at Limpresa too. It was not this x-mas we expected to move in.

     

 

An support wall are in progress in the office and window opening that will give a lot more light in the room have come.

 

What first was intended to be a toilet at first floor now will be used for other purposes and we see old features that will brought to light and enjoyed.

 

Space to sit in the window as well for children on a rainy day (do not expect any,but…) with a lot of light if they want to read.

 

And Chimney is almost done, just need the last touch of plaster around it.

 

Som rain lately obvious is shown, but if the road have lasted for 200 years it will last another 50 for my life time.

 

I know there is a lot of work remains, but I see the progress I great and even new challenges comes it is possible to deal with them without delay the ongoing work.

 

The only thing that hurts now is the strong Euro to the weak Norwegian Krone, but we will managed that challenge too.

Casa di Amore October 2015

 

2,5 month since we last visited our home. Some updating photos have been received during this period so we knew that progress was made. All done more or less to schedule and quality expected.

 

 

Walking to the house we also can walk on top of the 5 meter high man made barrier between the farms and the river passing by. Greenhouses getting ready for next year, the commune is cutting the grass so we can walk on both sides along the river, and the neighbor’s soccer field is ready to be used.  Not at least we discovered there are a lot of garden work next year.



 

We expected a building site and it is a real building site at present.

 

 

Pleased to see the roof inside first floor as well outside with the old roof tiles in the direction to our neighbors and with new roof tiles in the direction of the train line.

 

 

It was discovered that of one of the walls maybe could give old interior feelings in the family bed rooms. In addition we  discovered the story of an older house in one of the walls that we have to  cover again.

 

New proposals from the architect that maybe be accepted if we see the cost saving.  Challenges with local architects could be that they are very local minded and have not looked outside its own region or country for alternative solutions to projects or listen well enough to the clients. For anyone intending to use an Italian architect please remember they are proud of the old as they are of their new architecture style. In addition too many clients have been too tolerant with the local suggestions without having their own philosophy for the work that take place. For those who knows us, we are maybe at time to picky and have too many of our own ideas that is hard to swallow or understand for a local architect.

 

When looking at the roof we also discovered there was no chimney!! We do hope and expect it will be made together with the refurbishing of the fireplace in the living room. I have only been thinking on the fireplace as a place to have some nice dry wood light up in a winter night. Challenge could be with the chimney is safe enough. We may have to go with an extra insert either for wood (like Jøtul) or gas. Another challenge would be to hit the wood for the fireplace so when we already have gas to the house, a nice gas insert unit that will light up and keep a descent heat in a winter night, why not.

 

 

The work in progress at present was the concrete foundation in the ground floor. 3 rooms partly finished and on Friday as we were to leave, kitchen was the last room in progress. A rim around the walls to connect and stiffened before the middle section was purred on with concrete. After this it is finished with the insulation in the floor and more concrete before in some month time the floor tiling will be laid, but that must be some months still. The architect is the local project manager and he keep the schedule and do a good job.

 

"Limpresa" and their workers keep a nice clean working environment. It is important for them and it give us a very good impression of the company in addition to the nice work they do. So our dear friends Pasqual and Gianluca we are very happy still with progress and workmanship.

 

Also new challenges popped up this time. We have two doors to our ground floor bedroom, and to find a correct way doing these door. Not for this challenge but we were prepared in our mind for other places and the same challenges. Now some of the old doors we saved from first floor can come into use again as sliding doors. It should be nice, and an idea the architect, Gianluca and we expect to be a touch of the old house in a Scandinavian environment inside ground floor.

 

 

On our way back to Montecarlo we met two of the guys that guard the neighbor’s house. Yep I have heard a suggestion that we should get one too, what it will end up with I am not sure. Next visit is scheduled for December, but hope there would be some extra updates before then.

 

Last look until next time

Out for dinner

 

We did not know too much about all the possibilities Montecarlo area had with regards to dining. One thing was the wine route and all the nice wineries in the area, but last summer we discovered also many nice restaurants

 

One we went back to twice this time in October in addition visiting two new. I like to have a look into Tripadviser to see ranking and what there.

 

Osterio alla Fortezza is located in the beginning of Montecarlo, where Via Fotezza, Via Carmignani and Via Roma starts. Via Roma is the main street in Montecarlo where most of the restaurants lay.

 

 

It is a family business run by a brother and a sister. Both very friendly and welcome and give you a fantastic family feeling at their place Osteria Fortezza. It was this friendly and family attitude that brought us back to them. They are hard working from early morning to late evening. In addition to the friendliness we also love their traditional Tuscan food, the local environment and their wine list. This time we had to purchase a couple of extra bottles with us back to Moscow.

 

Last summer we had a great dinner at Carl IV, this time we were met by a very rude owner.

 

So we left the menu after had a peak to it and crossed Via Roma to Trattoria Montecarlo. It was not a bad choice. Nice and quiet place with excellent food and very nice service. The food and the service made it easy to pick this place for lunch last Friday of our stay before heading to the airport. Sitting at the table in the sun with 24 degree C second week in October, it will not be the last time.

 

We knew about Osteria del Vecchio Olivio, but when Erica at B&B Antica Dimora Patrizia mentioned it too we just had to try it. It lays just outside and down the hill a bit from Montecarlo to the east.

 

In a way it is close to the street we come up from San Salvatore, so easier to go to than many of the restaurants in Montecarlo. I mentioned many times how good it is to be in Tuscany and how it is possible to lower the shoulders and relax completely. Thinking back on the visit to Osteria del Vecchio Olivio it is just what I think about is the relaxed atmosphere, the fantastic people working there, family friendly place and Bacalao. Bacalao was my starter and I have tasted a lot of bacalao over the last years in Lucca region, just say I love it and look forward to do new dishes with Norwegian fish to see what I make out of it compared to the great dishes I have tasted.

 

I guess we have come to an end in our choices of restaurants in Montecarlo area, but there is always something new popping up or old we have not visited so look forward to more new experiences.