Casa in Toscana a diary in real time about the renovation of an old apartment in a little town deep in the heart of Tuscany |
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How it all started - madness? |
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Tuesday the 15th of August, 7.51 in the morning. Today is the Italian holiday Ferragosto (midsummer). Isn’t it wild how many books have been written by people that have come to live in Tuscany? Everyone I meet has read at least one or seen the movie of one. But I always wonder what exactly was is fascinating about the accounts of these books since I've never found it half as romantic as described in most of these stories. I can think of almost a dozen of book titles and some have even made it to the big screens (e.g. Under The Tuscan Sun). For those of you that haven't read any, these books essentially describe a person who moves to Italy from abroad, the life transformation and the finding ones true self in the hills of Tuscany whilst rebuilding and restoring romantic old Tuscan farmhouses and turning the bush landscape into vineyards, olive groves and orchards full of lavender and rosemary bushes, etc. These stories make us dream away from our ordinary lives but they remain, however, a dream for most of us which is probably the reason why they result so fascinating. And Tuscany is after all one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. I'll probably have to be your less idyllic and somewhat contrasting account of a quite ordinary life in this land - but I'm proud of it and I hope it might interest someone out there and maybe even amuse you. Anyway, I'll give it a try and this is where my story starts... I have been looking at real estate magazines and web-pages of properties for sale for months now - and somewhat, giving up on original dreams of beautiful villas, I have narrowed it down to a selection based on the price. I’m realizing that I live in a very desirable place and with my "play" money I wouldn’t even be able to buy my car a garage! So, if the population in Italy is declining, how is it that property price is still going up? Where is the demand coming from? Are fewer people buying more properties? I'm reasoning with no one else than myself in this matter and I conclude that I better get involved in this exploding market quickly or I’ll find myself without a roof over my head when older age creeps over me. I’m almost 32 and by European standards I shouldn’t get panicky about not owning a property yet. But you start getting the "security flu" as soon as you become a responsible parent, right?! I happen to be quite normal of birth which I’m thankful for because I got many opportunities in life, a complete independence which I love, but without heritages that would buy me a villa. Speaking of independence, I work for myself which means that I have no secure income - at least I know that is how my bank would look at it. Yes, you’ve come to the same conclusion; I’ve got to look at the economic side, but I still want something charming in a nice place. Quite frankly, I’ve put a little sum aside in this past year. Long before I had put anything aside, I've wondered what I would do with it if I ever had put it aside. Spend it? Yes, up till a couple years ago I probably would have spent it. Store it into the bank account? A little useless. Invest it? Yes, but how? Now I've come to the conclusion that I might be better off investing in some old stones. As mentioned, I’ve never been owned a property, let alone in Italy. I have no idea how these things work and I guess I’m just going to find out along the way - with the hope that I'll be able to use the ability of reasoning that I've relied on to this date. First of all, I find out that I’ll need 20% of the total price in cash if and when I buy. Banks will only give you a max of 80% of the property value. Ok, that sets me pretty badly. Who's got so much cash, I wonder? Probably people who already have other properties? I guess I have to abandon any idea of the farmhouse in ruins on the top of the hill that you see most anywhere in Tuscany. Unless I win the lottery there is no way I will ever afford one - not even after a couple of life times. One of those gorgeous abandoned old Tuscan houses most likely cost from a quarter of a million to a million of Euros to buy in their "rough" state which implies that they are often without electricity, water and heat, and sometimes even without a roof. So, I guess I’ll have to be a bit more modest in my choice which should work out quite nicely considering a smaller place will require less cleaning, right? What about a small house? Oh, there is no such thing, really, if you are looking at older houses that is. The families in the past were large and most of the farmhouses were liveable on the first floor and the animals were kept on the ground floor. That wouldn’t work nowadays!! The new houses I’m not even considering - without offence, but the Italians seem to have lost their God-sent architectural inspiration! I went to see one the other day, actually, and I was amazed by the lack of taste and style with which it had been built and kept. The “garden” was a patch of 2 times 2 meters in between the shared entrance and the car park. The apartment had two bedrooms, a tiny kitchen and living room. The whole feel of it was more of a clinic than a home, and the “view” that had been described as "unbeatable" was hidden in the distance behind some very brutal looking factories and only on clear days would the towers of San Gimignano be visible! Asking price 330.000 Euro! I explained the vendors that the apartment wasn't exactly what I was looking for and wished them good luck. So browsing on the internet a couple of weeks ago, I bump into an interesting add that catches my attention. It’s still on the internet today, so I’m pasting you the text so you can see exactly what I saw: CHIUSDINO(SI) FRAZ.MONTALCINELLO, APPARTAMENTO SU 3 LIVELLI CON INGRESSO INDIPENDENTE,DA RISTRUTTURARE,COMPOSTO DI : SALA CON ANGOLO COTTURA E CAMINO,2 CAMERE,2 BAGNI E CANTINA + terreno poco distante dalla casa di mq 2700 circa. € 50.000 Ok, nothing that makes one think, hey I need to see this place - but comparing to prices of other places, I decide, heck, let’s call up the agent and go see it, what have I to loose? I check out the location on the map and I admit that after having lived in Tuscany for about 11 years, I have no recollection of having ever been to this village called Montalcinello. Embarrassing to admit, but I’ve never been to Chiusdino, either. It’s kind of to the South-West of the province of Siena towards the Maremma region and the sea side (see maps page). I see that it’s close to the Abbey of San Galgano and the thermal bath of Petriolo. Yeah, I’ve visited those places in the past. Nice area, I think, and actually only 40 km from the town close to which I currently live. I let a week pass fully occupied by work, but I'mmentally playing with the idea, trying to consider pros and cons but not really knowing what to consider, so I finally call the agency and fix an appointment for Monday, which was yesterday. I spend Saturday searching the net for information about the area, but it is really limited. I see that in the nearby village there has a fair in the town on the Sunday before Ferragosto and I decide to go check out the area (http://www.turismoallariaaperta.com/sagre.php3) . I invite my dear friend Willa who's British to come along with myself and my daughter, Louise. My girlfriend matched my excitement for the beauty of the area and the quaintness of the town – I don't consider myself easily impressed having toured a lot around in Tuscany, but nonetheless I love most places for their uniqueness and especially if they still seem untouched. Louise slept through most of the trip and timely woke up only when we got close to the candy stand! Chiusdino is a town and a commune of Siena. The town physically forms a small hilltop town with a typical historical centre and the area around it is hilly, mixed between rural and forestry (http://www.prolocochiusdino.it/luoghi/luoghi.htm). The fair turns out to be an annual event and it consists of around 50 stands of antique sellers, artsy ones, and gastronomic speciality vendors such as cheeses and organic produce. Very nice atmosphere and a lot of people. We were rather excited and had walked the small centre twice before deciding that there was nothing further to do. On the way back from Chiusdino, we went through the village of Montalcinello which distances not even 10 km from Chiusdino and we stopped only to view it quickly. Would this place be where my future dream-home would be? I was almost disappointed after seeing the life of the nearby Chiusdino – it was a complete contrast! There were a couple of kids playing in the old playground next to the tiny Parish church. The houses here had a darn real aspect of age and nothing really seemed renovated with the intent of attracting tourists or anyone else for that sake. Just take a look at the worn down town sign:
August so far (2006) has been an anticlimax of summer, but Monday turned out to be one of those beautiful clear days where you can see as far as the eye reaches. I really love such days and they have an immediate effect on my mood. I arrive early in Montalcinello to have a peak around on foot and Louise is with me. We hadn't had the time to have a nice breakfast at home, so I decide to make an exception and hit a bar when we get there. Tough luck though. I see that the only bar in the town is closed so I ask a lady for advice. She explains that the bar only opens occasionally when the volunteers (the elders of the community) who run it are in the mood. But if you need anything, she explains, you can go into the centre where you will find the Coop. Now, just so you know, the Coop is the leading national chain of supermarkets or grocery stores or what you call them. They dominate the country and occupy some of the largest warehouses. This one was as big as a garage and had everything essential, one brand, but nothing else. Out of experience I know that some of the best panini, so sandwiches, are made in places like these. You'll never see it advertised, but you just ask if you can get a panino. I got a fresh baguette freshly stuffed with Tuscan Salami and fresh Pecorino cheese. Because it was still morning, I got a small bottle of Minute Maid from the fridge and it came to 2,40 Euro total. You might be thinking that it has no importance how much I’m paying for a sandwich, and you're quite right. But it’s a good tip to get your sandwiches made in these small grocery stores when you are in Italy. You’ll always get them freshly made for you and you’ll never get ripped off. Louise and I shared the sandwich and walked around the narrow streets to get a feeling for the place. I’m seeing some cute townhouses and I'm imagining that I’m going to be the future happy owner of one of the nicest of them. Louise is not yet 4 of age so she was quite content she could jump around the empty streets and she was definitely intrigued by, believe me, the tiniest playground on earth. She’s a shy little thing, so she’ll sit beside me on a bench next to the slide, but she won’t actually go on the slide unless I come with her. Fabio, the agent, is a bit late, but only 20 minutes and that’s totally acceptable in Italy. It's called an "academic delay"! He arrives and after a short introduction he realizes he’s forgotten the keys for the apartment in his car and so a couple of minutes later he arrives with about 20 keys on one key ring. Fabio is from Rome and has bought a place in the nearby of Montalcinello and now works as an agent in the commune of Chiusdino, he explains to me. He can keep the prices low because he lives there, he says while opening a door to a Tuscan looking townhouse that he leads me into. This one, he says, has been completely redone and furnished, and it’s only 125.000 Euro. The look on the inside of this apartment was not happening - a complete lack of style and way too small - so not why I had contacted Fabio. I had done a printout of the one I was interested in and I made a nice but explicit comment on the fact that I had come to see this other one. Oh yes, Fabio explained that he just had to pop into this apartment to get the key to the other one, which happened to be of the same owner. The owner is a mason from Poggibonsi and he had already restored this apartment. The other one, Fabio warned me, has to be completely restored. We walk across the little square and he opens a door with a huge old style key and invites us to enter. Close the door behind you or the cats will enter, he instructs me. I close the door and it takes a couple of minutes for my eyes to get used to the dark. Just as you enter, there is a good sized cantina to the right before the stairs. It is full of stones and cement and old tools most of which I’m not familiar with. Then comes the first stair case and at the top you walk into one big room, completely empty and in a big mess. It is missing a floor and the stucco around the walls and the insulating tiles on the ceiling are visible. You can imagine this to be the kitchen/living-room maybe with a fireplace. There is room for a small toilet on the next floor, Fabio tells me. We go through an arched opening and more stairs are to be faced and then a long corridor. What an odd building, I’m thinking, but I’m actually liking it more and more as we go along. I think my excitement is showing, which I intuit is not a good thing when dealing with an agent, but I couldn’t help it. I was imagining all kinds of things I could do to this place. We go up the last set of stairs that lead to the two bedrooms and what seemed once to have been the bathroom. From one bedroom there is an adorable view of rooftops and beautiful countryside in the background. I’m sold and I know it, but I’m keeping quiet. Fabio explains to me how
the practical side of the matter would work if I were to buy the place. First of all,
you’ll make the written offer to the owner at which point you have to leave a deposit
in the form of a cheque. Then the owner will let you know if he accepts, at which
point we will go to the Notary and sign the papers of the property transition. That
costs you a couple of thousand Euros. Then there is Fabio’s fee. Because he is such an
honest and good man, his one time quantum is 1.000 Euro, he says. But then, if I ever
need him to sell my apartment, he won’t charge a thing, he promises. Smart guy, our
Fabio, I can’t help but adore the Italian broad and intangible way of doing business.
I am adding in my mind. 50.000 for the house a couple of thousands for the notary and
a thousand for Fabio. Seems reasonable and I can afford it with a mortgage to cover
the 40.000. The interest rate is quite good at the moment, just under the 6%. But,
then I’ll have bought myself a place in the middle of mother nature, quite far away
from my work base, and that doesn’t even have a toilet or running water in it. Fabio
explains that there is a way to get a mortgage for the full amount. We just need the
surveyor to declare a higher house value in the bank. Officially, though, we'll
declare a lower house value to the authorities so that the annual property tax will be
lower (and I guess the seller will pay less tax on the sale). Everyone does that all
the time, he says, it's not a problem! Louise and I go home and I prepare a plate of pasta. My head is somewhere between the 3rd and the 6th heaven, I can’t really place it, but I’m having all kinds of visions of what I could do with that place and I’m considering my options. One moment I’m thinking what a clever thing it would be to invest in an apartment that most probably wouldn’t loose value, the next moment I'm convinced that it would be totally crazy and that I would be creating an enormous amount of worries for myself. Subsequently, in between mixed feelings and in private hysterical euphoria, I phone up Fabio on his cell-phone and tell him quite seriously that I would like to make an offer and when should we meet? Thursday at 10 in the morning in his office, he explains me how to reach it. One moment later I’m jumping up in the air completely pleased with my decision, congratulating myself endlessly but also slightly wondering if I'm just an impulsive fool. So the feeling is mixed, I’m so happy and scared. 7th heaven has by now been reached! This leads us to this morning, early before the sun comes out. I wake up and thoughts start running around my head at top speed. I’m thinking, what if I won’t be working much in the future and I won’t be able to pay my monthly mortgage on top of my monthly rent in my present rental house? Will I be able to pay for the renovation as it goes along? A whole lot of these "what ifs?" run across the screen of my eyes. I'm still in time to ring up and say to Fabio that I've changed my mind. it's not too late, yet. And how does one go about restoring an old apartment like that? Will I need permits? I definitely want heated floors and there should solar energy and... So the fantasy takes over and fades the risk of any possible failure and it all seems doable in time. And then another thought. I would love to share the whole process of the renovation with whomever would care to read about it. Now, I’m no writer, so I’m definitely not going to write a book. But I can do a web site, and so I could write about it from time to time as the work proceeds, so a real-time story from a remote town in Tuscany called Montalcinello, with pictures and the whole lot. Oh how unique, I’m thinking – I’m also thinking that this might be an excuse of the apartment becoming an intellectual project and thereby - another good reason to buy the place! Oh well, it works, I suppose. I’ll make the offer on Thursday, and if it is accepted, I’ll create the web site my-apartment-in-Tuscany DOT com or something like that. What do you think? A bit mad considering it might well take me years to make this apartment liveable. But how much fun!!!
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