шаг за шагом

Yes, step by step, is the heading for today’s little thoughts around getting another step further with all the challenges we and not at least our architect have with our adventure in Lucca, Montecarlo.

I am not sure if our dear friend is still a dear friend with the work he may did not foresee in the beginning. The refurbishment could look at an easy straight forward job, but as all know, does it look easy, it is not.

When we visited our house in March and the architect we discussed his first suggestions and the prices given. However not implemented was the connection for water, electricity and gas were not given. To us it was clear that we could not initiate start before we had the complete picture of cost.

Two months is almost gone and solution found to how the different lines and pipes will go, but still we have to wait for the cost from Enel on electricity and the commune on gas and water.

This week coming we are promised a revised price on the refurbishment that hopefully will be in line with our tough budget, and still will be after we have the cost for all connections.

We expected and have had verified that lack of understanding is possible when we translate our communication from Norwegian to English as the other part have to translate what we say from English to Italian. What we are used to and take for granted, is not the same in Italy, so we need to present our thoughts also by drawings and pictures from suppliers.

So challenges still remain is among others; how will the septic tank system be? Waste water system connected to the main road 100-150 meter away or into our agricultural land area. Can we collect rainwater in larger tanks during autumn, winter and spring so we have some extra water for our vegetable gardens during the less rainy summer months?

Look forward to the new budget.

One step further

Two weeks ago we got our surprise. The architect came up with the expected cost on the total renovation and total cost for his and our first wish list. We had planned a visit to Lucca the week after so now we could prepare the cut and shave of our expectations as well give the architect our budget that we had on purpose not given him prior to making the cost overview.

 

It was a pleasure to bring with us the first family visitor to see the house on this trip. Camilla, my oldest daughter (20 minutes in different to her sister) joined us and could get the feeling of the house and potential as well enjoy the local benefits of food, wine and see the nice location of Tuscany.

8 March in Montecarlo

 

8 March in Montecarlo

 

She also joined us in our first meeting with the architect that already had started on a list of modification to the proposed calculations. Both Galileo Menechini from GLIARCHITETTIASSOCIATI and we could see how we can reduce the cost without take away the house integrity or at least not take away too much of it.

Sweets at Piazza Napoleone

 

Evening walk in Lucca

 

The next list and cost overview will not arrive until late March or early April, and if we manage to agree then the work can start May/June. So the family get together in the summer of 2016 can manage to finalize the house and if we are really lucky we all can sleep there as we work our way to the finish line.

A week in Lucca goes fast, special when you have some additional things to do, like meetings with an architect, open new bank accounts, organize that our local taxes are handled properly and if we have some tax refunds for the future in renovating the house is taken care of in a proper way.

 

At our trip to Lucca this time we also could have a look at our friend Paolo Barbieri renovation project that will end up in a Lucca’s newest B & B. Just outside of Port Elisa and 50 meters to the wall with easy access to the city and all the surroundings. Just hope he gets ready for the season, things take time. We will have a new look when we are back in July, or maybe I have to have a check even before that.

 

On a sunny Sunday we went to Viareggio, carnival was over. Every Saturday in February they have the parade and are really fun. On this day we could enjoy the sun and we were not alone. It was a day to enjoy the arrival of spring. It gave us a challenge to find a place to have lunch. Like the place we wanted to eat, Casablanca Restaurant, they just admitted they did not have capacity and waiting time was 30 minutes to an hour. But there is no lack of alternative so we ended up at a smaller seafood restaurant and enjoyed good food as always.

Bees are not welcome but they are here





Train to Lucca

 

The train is passing our house once an hour, but just stop at our “local” station every 3 hour. It gives us the possibility to take the train to Lucca, Viareggio or Florence. From ground floor we do not see it and the noise is limited from the train.

 

And we have a river close to the house so if the swimming pool is not up the first your there are alternative for the kids to play in the water...or maybe make electricity from it ??

 



Pile of documents

 

Yesterday we received 7 e-mails with 40 documents in total from our architect in Italy. Let say it is work in progress, and we are very pleased with the work Galileo Menichini do for us at this stage.

 

The green grass in front of the house, make the feeling of spring to be very close.

We also got pictures from Claudia and Matteo, who look after the house in Montecarlo. Pictures are from December and it looks like spring. Notice we have snow and 15 degree minus in Moscow and look at the forecast for tomorrow in Lucca that looks like to be plus 15 and sunny, you may understand we look forward to stay there also in the winter time.

It was a large pile with documents that arrived. So no all the effort of make paperwork ready for the local commune looks to be finished and the same documentation for all the construction work too.

Schema for the water heated floors by solar is ready and most other drawings that make us on schedule to receive our surprise with regards to total cost of this project in March.

Just hope that the surprise is a pleasant one, and the challenge with exchange rates on Euro and Norwegian Kroner not gives us a too hard fight.

Already seven years ago on the day tomorrow we looked into the sky for a life in Italy. It gets closer and closer for each month that goes.

 

On the drawing board today we have the four extra bedrooms, our studio and the outdoor kitchen along with a huge garden. It is exciting to see how it will go from drawing board step by step to a real home for us.

 

Getting close to Christmas in Lucca

In one way I love the summer time in Lucca, but being there around Christmas time and enjoy the atmosphere in November and December is something special. If we are lucky we have our house ready so we can enjoy that atmosphere in December 2016.

The shops in Lucca prepared themselves when I visited this month. Some of the restaurants were on vacation after a very busy long weekend with Lucca Comic Games. I remember back in 2002 when it was just a few tables with magazines and board games at Piazza St. Michele. This year a numbers of 400.000 people visited Lucca from Thursday to Sunday that week. Just on Sunday alone sold 100.000 tickets to the different arrangements. It is the second largest Comic Games Event worldwide.

(Phote: Lucca in Diretta)

One day I will be there and enjoy that as well, but I enjoy the quite walk in the streets lighted up by the shops windows.

When I have these short visits I always have dinner at my favorite restaurants (if they are not closed). So chicken served at Paris Boheme at Pizza Citadelle and rabbit at Baralla. The week I visited Lucca quite a few Chines was to see as well, obvious to make a movie. What it was about? I have no clue, just hope that by coincident I will one day see it.

Ended up with go to the shop and get Cheese and Prosciutto to bring back to Moscow. It needs to be local Tuscan and in the shop I normally go they vacuum packs it for me as well.

Now when I am back in Moscow I just wonder who else will participate in the Lucca Summer Festival other than Mark Knopfler July 22^nd.

Project meeting with Architect November 2014

We knew that the architect was spot on when he sent us the pictures of our expectation to the outside of the house. In addition we know that he have some challenges to understand our Scandinavian wishes to the inside.

Will the bathroom first floor look like this ??

So my trip to Lucca for a project meeting was needed. First of all due to we had come that far already that drawings almost was finished to send to the local commune for approvals, in addition to that Galileo, our architect, should soon finish the documentation for the inquiries on the different work needed in the house.

"Casa Di Amore" November 2014

They had made survey to find out about structure foundation as well what was needed to ensure that no moist should occur in our house for the next 30 years or so. It was nice and dry the day they were digging, but at our visit together and a few days of rain showed that it could be quite wet. Galileo had prepared suggestions for the floor foundation. Now I am waiting for the e-mail description so we could have this verified by our Norwegian architect. I am sure it looks like the right thing to do. To have another pair of professional eyes and experience to look at it just benefit us, in the long run.

Foundation Survey November 2014

Ground floor layout is almost there 100%, but first floor we have some communication of the layout on the fourth bedroom. Sounded that he had forgotten that we have 14 grandchildren, indicating that the need of bedrooms are there and not with double beds but with bunkbeds. The kids soon grow up and need their space so we need the flexibility, like boys room, girls room, parent and other visitors room.

Bunkbeds for the grand children

We have to focus on the inside even we already have drawing for a roof extension to our “hobby room” that will be across our outdoor kitchen too. Yep, a 25m2 outdoor kitchen with good cooking facility working space and room to dine outside with a lot of friends and family. Looking into the future we maybe also starting a wine tasting business for our wine producer friend in Montecarlo along with pairing local food tradition.

Our "Hobby room" November 2014

Outdoor kitchen location November 2014

The “Casa di Amore” outdoor area of 1 ¼ acer will have a lot of fruit trees, olive trees, vegetables, berries and grapes along with our herb garden. Today the remains of the sunflowers need to be taken away. Drawings and plans for the land needs to be done, but on this we have some time. No expectation to grow anything for the next year unless our good friend who have assisted us to keep the land around the house clean the last 4 months, Matteo, start to do some farming on his own.

Soon ready for farming

What will be the progress over the next 3 months?

We will submit our suggestions to what and how we want the interior, even we will do installation on a family get together summer of 2016. Galileo will submit the drawings to the commune of Montecarlo for approval in addition to get the prices for the different tasks needed. This indicates that we are ready to get our nice surprise of total refurbishing cost. If they are to live with we can sign contracts and start work early March. At the same time we look forward to see the baby due that time Matteo and Claudia is expecting.

Montecarlo

 

Not THAT Monte Carlo, but Montecarlo in Lucca Province of Tuscany are the commune we are located in. And we could not be happier to have this fantastic environment around us. The village of Montecarlo is located on the top of a hill and has history back to 13 – 14^th century.

 

 

For us Montecarlo is the tower on top of the hill, hard walk up, but with a refreshing lunch or dinner. It is the place to have a view to Lucca on one side and Montecatine Terme on the other along with the Lucca plain all around.

 

 

  

The feeling of the medieval small town you can enjoy as you walk along the streets. Montecarlo has the small shops, the tourist information with wine tasting, the old buildings and the wall around the town. How can we not look ahead and expect to enjoy our future local town and get to know the people at the restaurants, known and not known, the shopkeepers at the Alementari and souvenir shop as well those run the local tourist information.

 

 

 

The town of Montecarlo, located on the hill (163 mt above sea level) ridge separating Valdinievole ("Valley of the Clouds") and the Plain of Lucca, was built in 1333 in order to bring together, near the fort of Cerruglio, the inhabitants of the Community of Vivinaia (located where now is the village cemetery) and destroyed by the Florentines in 1331. The borough was named Montecarlo (the Mountain of Charles) in honour of Prince Charles, son of the King John of Bohemia, liberator of Lucca from occupation by Pisa.

 

At the beginning of its history, the land of Montecarlo was ruled by Lucca, and this state of affairs continued throughout the XIV century, with the sole parenthesis of the period from 1342 to 1369, when it was directly dependent on the Commune of Pisa. In 1437, during the war between Lucca and Florence, it fell definitively into the hands of the Florentines, in the district of which it remained until the Unity of Italy.

 

The history of the territory is intrinsically linked to the most important settlements of the territory: the Parish of S. Piero in Campo, one of the richest diocese of Lucca, whose wealth is due to its strategic position as an obligatory route between the Valdinievole and Lucca. Furthermore in ancient times the Via Cassia ran through the village, as did the Via Francigena during the Middle Ages. The other two important settlements were: the Castle of Cerruglio (the present day castle) used in 1325 as a military base by Castruccio Castracani, the Lucchesi Commander during the battle of Altopascio, and the Castle of Vivinaia, once the residence of Emperor Conrad II and Pope Benedict IX. 

 

That was the historic flare of our commune. Today the commune has an agricultural area with wine making and horticultural as the most important activities. Our 1,25 acre of land with sunflowers it will in 3 year time be changed with grapes and olives, fruit and berries, vegetables and herbs.

 

 

Before we bought this property we already had made relation with a local producer and exporter of wine. Assisting him in finding new markets like; Texas, Sweden, Norway and Russia, so living just a few km away gives us the expectations that we still will be involved in some interesting business along with being a farmer.

 

We missed out on the local Wine Festival this week, but I am sure we will make it in the future, and meet all these producers that I will assist in the future to find an international market for.