Rustic Italy - Stay with Us - an update

SIMPLE LIFE

No More Hiding Out…. let’s meet up in 2018

It feels like a new phase of our life here in the valley is underway at the moment.

A positive feeling of accomplishment, moving forward and creating new dreams.

Most of our concern to date has been creating an income of some kind. We are living on the funds from the sale of our last renovation in Australia, this won’t last much longer.

Our aim is to create a way that we can travel and enjoy our life here in the valley using the internet to build an income.

I’d love to build a community of fellow dreamers, those who want to take the dream to reality.

I never thought we’d be able to come so far so fast, and with such little funds.

We finally got to view our episode of House Hunters International.

The DVD arrived last week on Sam’s birthday which was perfect timing.

It’s such a strange experience seeing yourself on TV, we had no idea how they would edit the five days worth of filming into a half hour show. I’m happy to say they did a brilliant job, not missing anything and showing us in a good light.

We all cracked up at the end with Luca’s catch cry, just brilliant.

Yippeeeeee Dooodle………PRICELESS

If you didn’t get to see the episode leave a comment below and we’ll try to work something out.

Although it’s been messy it looks fantastic.

Work has progressed on ‘Casa Bianca’ and so much has been happening here in the Borgata. Sam has removed the front of the building on one side. It was an awful job and parts were falling off, just tapping the surface showed how easily it would come down. Now the face of the building looks more authentic. Claudio is going to sandblast the remaining concrete away to expose the original rock.

Our lovely ‘Turin Guy’ who has bought part of the Borgata (including the small house directly opposite our big double gates) plans to take the exterior wall down and have it rebuilt in September. The original road will be closed for a short time while the work is done. At the moment it bows out a bit and needs some TLC.

It seems like the Borgata is coming to life, getting a little facelift and gathering new people.

In the meantime we continue cleaning out the sheds, the house and getting ready for future visitors.

We hope one day you’ll be able to stay with us.

Why did we wait so Long?

Recently we bit the bullet and created a Host Page on Workaway. If you haven’t heard of Workaway it basically links up those wanting to work in exchange for three meals a day and a place to sleep. Our very first work away person arrived last Friday, we picked him up from the train station after having a brief conversation on Skype the night before. He will stay with us until September.

He’s been fantastic, he and Sam have been out each day working in the borgata. Together they have built a wall, and pulled the front render from ‘Casa Bianca’. They have also done some cleaning inside ready for later painting, and done a bit of renovation work in the entrance. I wish we’d done this when we first arrived.

Workaway is a brilliant idea

One I would have used back in my 20’s when I was backpacking if only it were available then. I wonder how many people would like to stay with us here through Winter and experience the snow, celebrate with a white Christmas and really get the full idea of life in the mountains.

Our Workaway chap (I’ll pop his name in once he’s okay with that) helped Sam ‘dispatch’ the rabbits ready to go into the freezer. Funnily enough he adores animals and our cats and the dog just radiate towards him.

It’s been great having someone to chat with in English, and the locals in the Borgata are a bit perplexed by the whole idea. I can envision a whole team of Workaway people coming to stay once the locals cotton on.

We’ve got more done in the past few days than in the last six months.

It just helps to motivate us having someone here, Sam loves the company and I love the conversations at meal times.

I’ve also continued with my love of ‘personal development’ and I’ve been rethinking how much time I give to the most important aspects of my life. Where I need to spend more time and where my passions are.

Now it’s more time for the kids

We take a walk together most days and I’ve been cutting back my time online. I now try to check in on our Renovating Italy Facebook page (my big passion) only a few times through the day. I’d rather be out living life here with my family, creating new projects, and then connecting online again in the evening.

How about you?

are you heading towards or away from your dreams?

What are they…… Carpe Diem xx

Save

and the gang x

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48 replies

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bonnie melielo says:
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Didn’t get to see the House Hunters episode, hoping to find it on you tube. 🙂 Love your stories and pics. I don’t think anyone else out there is really renovating and restoring like you all are doing. Fascinating!!! Sorry to hear some people were put off by the thought that you eat animals you raise. Can’t please everyone. Stay true to yourself!!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Hi Bonnie, I’ll see if we can work out a way for you to see the episode.
  I often laugh as most others seem to be renovating by calling in other people to renovate for them. Ours is a bit more hands on. It’s been wonderful getting so much support for what we are doing and why, the number of comments re the vegetarian issue was fantastic especially those saying that we remind them of their grandparents or parents doing the same. xx
Pecora Nera says:
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Hi Lisa,
Your house is coming along fantastically. We have 2 or 3 workaways each year, Mrs Sensible tends to treat them as guestaways and I treat them as drinking partners. So very little work gets done.

Boun Ferragosto
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  That’s so funny ours is a bit of both but he has been getting lots done with Sam. Although ours does like to drink tea and even bought along a pack of Tetley…..heaven….drinking partner lol x
- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  ps did you know that if you put the https:// in front of your website details when you comment it puts a link to your latest post here with your comment. It’s called Blog Lovin x
Joanna says:
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Keeping it real with all you do, brilliant!

I started using Workaway this year & it has been brilliant for me, loads has been accomplished on my property, good choice, in fact I am on a catching up with family holiday in UK for my mums 90th birthday while a Workawayer is house/dog sitting for me in Bulgaria & doing work on my house too 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  It’s been really great Joanna, and they have really moved our project along. Also good company and I’m so glad we decided to give it a try. Workaway house sitting sounds like a great idea as well.
Andreana says:
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That’s wonderful Lisa! Looks like everything is coming along wonderfully. Can’t wait to see the finished work and how you decorate it. 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  At last it feels like things are moving in the right direction. I’m looking forward to the decorating stage, lots of ideas Andreana x
Wynne says:
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Wow – such progress with your Workaway visitor! I’ve been reading through that site and I LOVE IT!! I hope to use it perhaps next fall. It’s fantastic!

Question: Where do you take the wall pieces that are removed from the outer wall? Is there a place in town for that kind of refuse? And all the rubbish from the interior – where does THAT go?

Love to everyone and kisses to all the furry (and feathered) family members! xo
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  It’s really been wonderful having someone to help out. You’d love doing workaway I think.
  We can have the big rubbish picked up by the commune, we are waiting for our Turin friend who is also renovating here and then we’ll call them.
  
  love to you of course, hugs and big squishes xxx
Anne says:
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I think it is great that you and Sam bit the bullet and signed up for workway! And much better is that you all get on, he seems to being Sam wonders .. Amazing and well done. All seems to be fitting in and coming along great . You are all doing fabulously , such a change from a year ago.

Take care xox
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  It’s been a big success for us with workaway so far. I know we’ll have others here when possible although Carina wants her room back. Things are really coming along now, still much work to do and an income to find but I know we’ll work it out.
  
  sending love xxx
- Charmain Giuliani says:
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  when Cas Bianca is finished the workers can stay there
- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  When Casa Bianca is finished we’d love to do another lol x
Lisa Wood says:
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Oh my – I so wished we could travel there right now! I have always had a dream to see a white christmas…and David is so clever with building!!
My dream is on hold for the moment, but its okay because family {like you said} comes first and we are here in NSW for our boys 🙂
Love that you have someone staying with you all who can help Sam and someone to talk with Love the pictures, mind you the rabbit is not something I could eat 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Well when you’re ready for that white Christmas you’ll have somewhere to stay brrrrrrr.
  Family first always, I know what you mean and now I’m taking time out just for us and not being hooked on every share on fb.
  The rabbit was delicious, it’s such a strange accomplishment to say we are now eating our own home grown meat. Hmmmmmm never thought I’d be saying that.
  
  sending love to you and the ‘boys’ xxx
Jenny says:
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Lisa, it looks as though you are making fantastic progress. Congratulations.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  At last we are getting ahead, and I loved your Paris tram in Milan, now on my list for sure xx
karen says:
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Lisa, we live in Melbourne, can I get your House hunters programme up online or where do I view it?
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Hi Karen,
  if you shoot me an email at admin { @ }vertexinfosolution.com/renovatingitaly I can help you out x
Meri Mancini says:
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Great idea guys. Wishing you every success. Who knows? We may end up there next year ourselves.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ahhh that’s what I love to hear, next year isn’t far away right xx