The Finished Product

Here are some photos of the "finished" product. We finished all the work on Friday, in spite of both of us having colds. Dom was on the mend last week but I was miserable. By Saturday I felt somewhat better which was good because I had to clean the house. Our summer guests arrived on Sunday and it has been "Italy 101" ever since. We are confident they will take care of things for us and enjoy being there.

This will probably be my last post from Italy this spring. Tomorrow we do some errands, pack up our things and leave early Wednesday morning. We will be back on Whidbey by late afternoon on Thursday.

The kitchen

Dining and living areas.

Looking towards kitchen.

Patio with table and chairs and chaise lounge in far corner.

Our room--future guest room.

The main bedroom.

Main bedroom with IKEA furniture assembled--J&J's shipped luggage in corner!

Main bathroom.

Powder room.

Third bedroom--office, guests, ironing, laundry drying...

Coat hooks and linen storage at end of hallway.

That's all for now!

The BIG Ikea Run

Yesterday we went to IKEA near Florence to pick-up the wardrobes and dresser we want for the main bedroom.  Our original plan was to rent a roof rack and bring them home looking like the IKEA commercial.  However, the racks have a load limit of 50 Kilos and we were planning to transport over 200 kilos.  So, we rented a truck. It was a rickety thing but got the job done.

The next hurdle was getting the pieces into the apartment. It is on the 5th floor (6th floor American) and there is an elevator. The elevator is about average for around here (meaning tiny--4 person limit and that would be cosy!). Eleven of the wardrobe pieces were too big for the elevator. That meant we carried them all up the stairs. Did I mention it was a warm day?

It took us a couple of hours to do it all including rests but we did get it all done. Now the pieces are awaiting assembly--one of tomorrow's projects. After that we had to drive back to IKEA (about 30 minutes each way), return the truck, pick up a few more things and drive home. We were so tired that I went and got pizza and gelato for dinner. Neither of us had much appetite so it was early to bed.

Today we skipped our early morning marcia (Dom is still coughing a lot and we were both still tired). Later in the morning we went to Partigliano to have lunch with some friends there. It was a fun time and then we came home, put on our sweats and have spent the rest of the day reading and napping.

It rained today for the first time in a while. The cool air is a nice change and the air is now crystal clear. Sunset is just starting and the clouds are turning rosy-pink. Tomorrow there are supposed to be more showers but if "red sky a night" means a fine day tomorrow it might beat the forecast.

This was the truck we rented.

Dom at the wheel.

Friday I cleared out the room so we would have assembly room. The pieces are waiting.

These are the four doors still in their packaging.

The stairs!

It rained and blew so hard this afternoon that the covered patio got wet.

The view of the villages in the hills. Often it is hazy enough to somewhat obscure them.

The Alpi Apuane - Cararra is on the far side of those hills.

A Little Sun, A Little Fun and a Lot of Work

The days seems to be running together a bit.  The gap in posts can be explained by a number of things but mainly we ran our internet "chiavetta" out of time over the weekend so it was yesterday before we could get it recharged. Also, we had our first guest.

On Friday or Saturday (the days really do run together) I washed down a number of items on the patio including the chaise lounge and the patio itself. Luckily there is a drain from the patio so I could slosh around to my heart's content and not bother any of the other residents. After the patio and the chaise lounge dried I was able to "use" them. We really need a small table and a couple of chairs as I miss eating outside. That will be coming soon after one more project (cleaning and oiling the TALDI bench) that will occupy the patio for several days.

On Sunday we went to the marcia podistica at San Cassiano a Vico. It was a 6 km. walk in an area not too far from the apartment. We met Mary Caselli and Doris Fortino there and saw a number of friends from Partigliano. It was a beautiful morning and a flat route which we always enjoy. The local roses are in full bloom and it was fun to see all the different colors and types. One day I need to walk around here and photograph the roses as there are all sorts within a few blocks of the apartment.

On Sunday afternoon our friend Nancy McDonald arrive by train from Modena. She is making a three week tour of Italy mostly staying with friends. Both her nieces participated in Gonzaga's Italy program for a year and one of them made friends with a number of Carabinieri who were studying English (?) in Florence at the same time. Nancy met them when she visited her niece and all of them have stayed in touch ever since. She has a cousin and other friends here as well so she is doing a lot of socializing and not much sightseeing. However, it is not her first trip and she is just happy to be back in Italy after about eight years.

We went out to dinner on Sunday night and then on Monday Nancy and I drove to Florence for a bit of shopping. Actually she did a bit of shopping and I did a LOT of shopping. The photo below shows how loaded down I was. Some of it was commissions but I did buy two purses for myself plus some scarves. We meandered around the center of Florence and had a great time.

At about 4 pm, after dropping Nancy and her suitcase at her hotel, I headed to IKEA to pick up a shelving unit for the pantry. Today I put it together and organized the pantry. It is now so lovely I just want to stand in the doorway and stare at it. The biggest problem is making sure there is enough space for the three different garbage bins that need to go in there. I might have mentioned before that Capannori's recycling program is on a par with Seattle's but here you have different four different bins and there is pick-up of one sort six days a week.  Paper and non-recyclable are each picked up once a week and multi-material (plastic, glass, metal, etc.) and organic/compostable are each picked up twice a week.  I do keep the little brown organic bin on the patio but the others now fit neatly in the pantry.

I also put up holders for mops and brooms and a number of hooks so everything has a place. There are actually a few things I should get rid of but for now it looks pretty good.

This afternoon when I was in the back bedroom I looked out and saw an elderly gentleman sitting in the sun in his lovely back garden. I also saw a huge (for the plot of land) tractor pull into the plowed area next to his garden. Pretty soon two men were in the plowed field chatting about something and the elderly gentleman was looking over the hedge to see what they were doing. The nice thing about being on the top floor in the middle of a town is that there is always something going on.

Dom has been nursing a cold today but says he will be back at work tomorrow.

The nice clean patio and chaise lounge

The view from the chaise lounge--it is actually a lot better than this

The other end of the patio from the chaise lounge. I have to plant the pots soon.

Sunday morning walking near San Cassiano a Vico

Roses in bloom

The lovely pantry!

Neighborhood activity

We're making progress but we're slowing down...

Since Monday we have made lots of progress but I must admit we are slowing down. Yesterday we found the "dump" (aka staziona ecologica) and we disposed of a number of things that were superfluous including the old trellises from the balcony, a large fake fern and a bag of plastic wrap from moving. We went again today and took all of the boxes that we emptied and broke down plus the old toilet tank. Tomorrow we plan to take the old washing machine. It is really great having a place to take all this.  When we bought the house in Partigliano one had to wait for the return to the village every other month of the giant dumpster. Sometimes we weren't there at the right time. Luckily we had the old barn in which to store stuff, not an option here in the apartment.

Here is evidence of our efforts:

The kitchen is pretty well set. (Cherie-note your picture propped on top of the marble backsplash. It's a perfect match!)

The new shower screen.

The new toilet tank and repaired shut-off valve.

The secretary is reassembled.

This morning we woke up and discovered the weekly market had snuck in while we were sleeping. It is open from 8 am to 1 pm every Friday. We actually did not go but it will be back next week. It attracts a lot of people to the piazza.

Now for a little relaxation!

It's a Mess!

Day Two of moving in was somewhat less wearying than Day One.  We went out first thing in the morning and ran errands.  First stop was the bar downstairs for cappucini and pasty.  Then we were off to Mercatone Uno where we bought a small microwave.  True fans of Abbastanza Buono will recall that just before we moved out of our Partigliano house, a lightening strike blitzed our microwave as well as a few other things (hot water heater, satellite dish, modem, etc.).  I think it is just the perfect size--large enough to warm Dom's milk for coffee in the morning and cook veggies for two at dinner time.  That is about all we use it for plus the occasional defrosting of meat.

Our next stop was the Condominium Administrator's office.  We were looking for a key to the old furnace room because we thought we might be able to store bikes there.  The administor did not have a key but she called our neighbor who loaned us one to copy.  The old furnace room is pretty full so not sure if we will be able to get bikes in there.  However, there is loads of vertical space and we might just put hooks on the wall.

Then we stopped at Brico Center (sort of like Home Depot or Lowe's) for another round of miscellaneous items--tub mat, tv antenna cable, etc.

Back at the apartment Dom went back to installing lights while I went over the the garbage office to figure out what we were supposed to do.  When I arrived I was number 65 and they were only on number 45! However, a few minutes later I saw that someone had left number 60 on the ticket machine so I traded my number for it.  Lots of numbers were skipped (as the people just could not wait) so it was only about 15-20 minutes before 60 was called.  The gentleman I spoke with was very nice and I learned that I needed to go to another location to pick up the requisite bins and bags.

Here I will explain that Capannori has raccolta differenziata porta-a-porta (door-to-door garbage and recycling pick-up). What this means is that they have taken garbage and recycling to a new level. There is pick-up Mon-Sat of a different type of waste--multimaterials (bottles, cans, plastic), food waste of all types, non-recylables and paper.  Food waste and multimaterials are each picked up twice a week.  It is very confusing and there is a different bin and/or colored plastic bag (biodegradable of course) for each type of waste.  It's a good thing we have a pantry and a patio because we will need all the space for the different bins.  Tonight we took down a bunch of paper/cardboard and we will see if they collect it all.  It's actually a great system but it will take a while not to have to think quite hard about the whole thing.

After that I picked up some bread at the bakery plus focaccia that made great sandwiches and two tiny nutella cannoli. After lunch I decided to do a load of wash but the washing machine that came with the apartment decided not to work.  So, I switched it out for the one we already had.  It turned out to be a bigger project than I anticipated but not too onerous.  I even cleaned out under the sink next to the washer and made sure all the connectors are not leaking.  Then I put contact paper under the bathroom sink. The surfaces under the sinks were not looking to good but the contact paper hides all those flaws.

Later in the afternoon I went off to pick up the bins and sacks, got some more keys made and made a major grocery store stop. When I got home I reorganized a few things (aka stacked boxes), hung laundry and then made dinner.  I got the garbage bins organized and then decided to take a few more pictures. Here they are:

Eventually this will be the main guest room. However, we are using it now as it has the only dresser and armoire in the apartment.

New light in the hallway!

This will eventually be our bedroom but right now it is laundry and storage.  We actually have a guest coming this weekend!

This is the small bedroom/office.  Tomorrow I am going to put together the secretary and maybe the daybed. That will provide some storage and allow us to get rid of a few more boxes.

The new toilet tank waiting to be installed.

The bathroom had one overhead light installed. Tomorrow Dom plans to put in the new shower screen.

Our decorative shelving is being used as a catch-all. We LOVE the blue glass vase that we got as a "prize" from our walking group.

The living area still needs some work!

Primo Maggio 2011

Striking the "tents" at the Capannori market on May 1st. This was taken about 7:30 pm and I love the sunshine on the campanile (bell tower)

We sat on the steps of the Piazza Communale (City Hall) for a while and listed to the music.

This was the view of the piazza at about 10 pm with the concert in full swing. The bass was so loud you could feel the vibration through walls and floor of our apartment.

Moving Day-Finally!

The movers brought our stuff from storage today.  They used a cute little lift contraption to "elevate" everything from the lawn in front of our building to our terrace.  Here are some pictures.

The little lift contraption is on a trailer and they rolled it into position on planks across the lawn.

Once it was in position they extended the ladder portion. It did not look much heftier than a sturdy extension ladder.

Here is Giorgio positioning the lift against the balustrade. He and his wife bought our house in Partigliano and they are expecting their first child in the fall.

Here are a few things heading up on the lift. They never put too much on it but it brought everything up including our hefty granite topped buffet.

This is the current view from the kitchen into the living/dining area. Note Dom in the far corner.

We are both really tired this evening but nearly all the boxes are unpacked and Dom put together the armadio so we have someplace to hang clothes.  It is all coming along quite nicely.

Moving Day is Coming!

Tomorrow (Monday, May 2) the movers bring our things to the apartment and we will spend our first night there.  In the meantime we have been taking care of the deferred maintenance.  Dom replaced all the rubber bumpers on the roll shutters and bought the parts to fix the one that is not working properly.  One of the toilets is cranky and leaking so the entire tank will be replaced.  It is a plastic tank (common here) and it is easier to do that than just replace the guts.  We have purchased all but one light that is needed in the apartment.  Those will be installed after Dom has his drill.

 

In spite of all the work we are doing here we still have quite a bit of free time.

 

Yesterday we drove to the race track at Mugello north of Florence for a mostra scambio (swap meet). It was an interesting visit because they were also having a track day.  Wannabe racers were running their cars around the track at high speed but not exactly racing.  A track day is really an opportunity for boys (and girls) with toys to really see what they will do.  There was everything from a couple of Lamborghini Galardos to Renault Clios. There were a lot of Porches so probably a local club was involved in the track day. The swap meet itself was a little disappointing as it was mostly motorcycle parts.  However, we had a good walk around and enjoyed our visit.

 

Afterwards we stopped at the Barbarino outlet mall for lunch.  Neither of us felt much like shopping so we just ate panini (sandwiches) and headed back to Partigliano.  We did stop at the apartment as we had left the notebook pc there the night before.  Dom puttered a little while I checked email and then it was back to Partigliano and a quiet evening.

 

This morning we met Mary Caselli and we all went to the marcia podistica (non-competitive organized walk) in Camigliano.  It is a rather intense walk--a steep uphill walk for a couple of kilometers and then a steep, gravel downhill portion. It was a nice morning--broken clouds and not too warm.  However, by the time we were finished with our 5 kilometers we were all sweating heavily. 

 

Back at Partigliano Dom and I puttered around until mid-afternoon.  We packed everything except our big suitcases (including all the food and the bag and box we have been leaving here), showered, had lunch and even had time to read and watch TV.  I went to Mass at 4 pm after which there was a joint procession with the parish from Valdottavo down in the valley.  It was a three priest mass complete with incense and afterwards all the parishioners walked up the hill behind the priests and the parish banners, crucifixes and icons while singing and praying. At the chiesetta (small chapel-like shrine) near Erina's house there was a blessing and then everyone headed back down to the church.

 

I skipped out on the walk back down the hill and Dom and I loaded up the car with everything we had packed. In Capannori the May 1st (a holiday here--labor day) was already getting started.  The stage for the bands had been up for several days but now there were barricades and a number of trucks with vendors selling various kinds of food. We unloaded our stuff and then walked to the old town where there was a market just closing up.  Lots of people were strolling around and the weather was perfect.  We worked our way back to the pizzeria behind our apartment and put in an order that would be ready in 45 minutes.  Then we went to the piazza and found a place to sit and listen to the music. 

 

The music has been VERY loud but not obnoxiously so.  Our terrace provides a bird's eye view of the party but it was fun to sit down in the thick of things for a while.

 

Eventually we went back for our pizzas and some gelato, returned to the apartment and ate dinner.  The main act--Modena City Ramblers--started playing about 9:30.  They are a Celtic-Italian band and quite good.  However, we are both tired and plan to head back to Partigliano shortly for our last night there.

 

We will be back early in the morning to meet the movers. Yeah!