Favorite Italian Villages - selling the house

SIMPLE LIFE

Favorite Italian Villages – selling the house

Selling our house in Liguria seems like selling part of a beautiful dream, another renovation of course but in a glorious spot. For favorite Italian villages, Veravo has a hold on my heart. This house is one I don’t want to give up but know is totally impractical for us now. The kids are settled in school and we love our community here in Malpertus. We are settled here now so the Liguria dream house is hopefully passing into other loving hands.

Last week we drove to Liguria in the campervan with the kids and Laura to meet with a lady interested in buying the house. Our architect met us and answered the many questions she had. We also met an Italian lady in Colletta who was interested and she and her husband came to view the house as well. Many house sales in Italy are through word of mouth with Vendesi signs on doors, and not the huge billboards we know in Australia.

Each time I am in Liguria I fall in love all over again, the dream of a beach lifestyle, zipping along the coast on my vespa, meeting girlfriends for a coffee, and having an even suntan. It’s amazing the difference a bit of sunshine made to my well being, coastal cafe’s and sitting back people watching was lovely. Taking Laura to favorite Italian villages was great, being able to see them anew through her eyes.

The lifestyle in Liguria is such a contrast to our lifestyle here in the mountains of Piedmont. I am no longer in shorts and t shirt, rubbing lotion into softly tanned legs, feeling the warmth of the sun on skin that has been covered up for some time now, swimming in the warm waters of the Italian riviera. Now I am in winter clothes, it’s been raining all day and who knows what happened to Summer even the locals are puzzled.

It seems like a dream life, and one I know I am idealizing, we lived a street from the beach in Australia yet I hardly ever went swimming. It must be the relaxation of being on holiday that I am in love with, and with our friend Laura along we had more alone time to relax. She and Carina bonded like long lost sisters, doing nails and braiding hair, talking music and boys, I hardly saw my girl the whole trip.

It’s crazy but I started to feel a little jealous of the easy friendship and laughter they shared. She now has an adopted big sister…..beautiful.

We were able to take Laura to some favorite Italian villages, visiting Balma Boves, Breil sur Roya, Ventimiglia, Colletta, Veravo, and Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, each one a beautiful jewel which inspired me to take hundreds of photos. My favorite was Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, it just sang to me and I could imagine a little artists apartment here one day.

Carina made friends with all the local cats and we got chatting to Mario the man in the image above and heard all about the Castle and how it was sold to a private family. Even so the village called me to wander and with the kids following Laura and Sam I was able to have a rare solo walk imagining a different life here.

I feel rejuvenated, ready to take my health in hand, ready to embrace a slower life, start writing again, create a home, welcome visitors, and spend more time with the kids, learn Italian finally, time to live the dream life and just relax. Life is good, and life in Italy almost perfect. I’ll continue to add to our favorite Italian Villages as we discover them, would you like to see more images?

I can’t imagine living anywhere else now. I’m happy to always take you along or one day welcome you to our house for a vino, cup of tea, or coffee which ever takes your fancy. Here’s to friendships both new and old. xxx

and the gang x

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25 replies

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Belinda Hutchinson says:
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Oh sounds a dream! To buy this Veravo house and live by the see in Italy … Sigh. Just beautiful.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  I know and it’s a hard one to give up….but my weekend down in Genova was so wonderful and now I see how easy it is to jump on a train and get some quality woman time with friends. xx
Krista says:
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I’m so glad you were able to get away for a solo walk. 🙂 Those quiet strolls are balm to my soul as well. XO
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh Krista I got away for a weekend with wonderful women, and it was rejuvenating coming back to reality is the place where the ‘work’ begins. To start communicating again and create the joy for our family that I so long for. xxx
  Balm to my soul I like that, I plan to do it again as I returned even more committed to having our simple life and growing old together. xx
Anne says:
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I love these villages too.. such a shame about them being left . If I could buy your house I would .. it is the renovating that I would find hard. ..:-( love the door photos too. Have you seen my latest post ? .. take care Lisa. When your up to it. Would you like another Skype chat ? Xx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  OH I’d love that Anne, just settling back into home life after a great weekend away. I’ll pop over and see your post. I dont’ get email notifications and I’m sure I subscribed…..hmmmm will check it out and re subscribe. xxx
Andreana says:
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Thank you so much for posting this Lisa. I had such a great time going to your links and learning more about these towns. We were in Ventimiglia last year for a few hours when we missed our train to Milano. Such lovely people and beautiful place to be. Now I need to save up so that next year I can visit some of the other places you shared with us.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Most welcome Andreana and it’s a work in progress sharing the places we visit. Always so much to do and never enough time lol x
  Keep saving it’s so worth it xx
Anne says:
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Hi Lisa , I love Liguria too , as you know, will be back one day . So who is Laura? I thought she looked liked a family member , yes they sure did bond well , and I am sure Carina had lots of fun with her , xx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ahhh Laura is the daughter of friends of ours, Sam and I met Gerry at a networking lunch and then his wife Donna. They are such a lovely family and Laura is certainly getting the whole Malpertus experience including killing the chickens and rabbits. She and Carina are like sisters and I know they’ll have that life long bond. xx
- Anne says:
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  How lovely that Laura has come to stay with you.. She seems to be having a super time, and yes I can see that Carina and Laura have a very close bond already. Carina is certainly coming into her own ♥
- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  She has certainly seen a different side of Italy, not the one most tourists see. Carina is missing her so much and is growing up right before my eyes xx
jann says:
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Lovely, Lisa! Wonderful photos–especially love the one of the red scooter & man. I cannot keep track of all your houses (!), but hope the one you want to sell goes quickly. Sellers down in Sicily are having a bit of a hard time–hope it’s better up there in the north. baci xxxxxx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  LOL I can’t keep up with the houses, and we had over a dozen different ones in Australia as well. Mario the man in the photo had the most wonderful sparkly eyes and lots of stories. I think we might end up having to think way outside the box for the house we want to sell, if we can create an income we may have other options. I just did a weekend workshop with Di Mackay and Helen Kerrison and it was wonderful. Can you believe all this time I’ve been using my little canon point and shoot digital. I took Sam’s digital SLR and finally know how to use it, just having another woman explain it made it so easy and I already had the technical understanding of photography from Collage. Can’t wait to get out and start using the SLR xxx
Kaye Bonato says:
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That was a lovely little trip, I enjoyed it…….hope the house sells! Yes, pictures…..more pictures, I just love seeing Italy through your eyes.
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Kerrie says:
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Sounds like you have had a lovely time, I think the beach and the sea air are very rejuvenating! Wish I had the spare cash to buy your Ligurian house!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Maybe we’ll create a community project at the house, that was always my dream to have people come and actually live and work within the renovation. Just getting away sometimes makes a huge difference to the soul Kerrie xx
- Andreana says:
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  Have you heard of Work Away? http://www.workaway.info/#home-video About a year ago another blogger somewhere is Bagni di Lucca mentioned that they use it every early spring to get their agriturismo ready for their spring-fall visitors.
- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  sounds perfect for us Andreana and a friend of ours at Bella Baita has ‘woofers’ come to stay in Summer to help out. I’m sure we’ll get around to organizing something like this soon xx
Wynne says:
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Your trip down to Liguria sounds just fabulous. I envy Laura the leisure of three weeks with all of you to explore like this.

I think I might prefer the Cinque Terre locale to the mountains, but frankly, would likely be happy just about anywhere in Italy! I loathe the really hot weather of summer (prefer below 80 degrees F), but I don’t know if I’d want to be chilly much of the time, either. Such a conundrum!

Always love the photographs and videos. Keep ’em coming!

Love to you all…
W.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  The cinque terre is wonderful but so touristy now. You’ll have to stay down South for the warm weather and the people are wonderful. Laura is certainly getting the whole experience.
  
  lots of pics coming just trying to keep up with them all arghhh
  
  xx
Linda Rhyne says:
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Yes, more pictures! Glad you are feeling better! Slowing down sounds like a good idea!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Lots of photos to share and feeling so much better. Slowing down has done me the world of good and connecting with some great women on the weekend at a workshop has me reinvigorated.