SIMPLE LIFE
Stepping back in time – we return to Borga Nari
It seems so surreal to be returning to Borga Nari after all these years, time stood still while we were away. Snow drifts gently onto worn rock and our children delight in the tiny flakes. Friends both old and new have welcomed us with warmth and kindness.
So now it’s time to begin creating our Simple Life here in Italy.
A place to stay, a temporary home for the Australians. The house we just bought in Bobbio Pellice has no heating, furniture and needs a quick repaint inside before we move over. In the meantime our friends offered their holiday place at Borga Nari. So we are back where we began for the time being.
The constant question is ‘why would you leave Australia for Italy?’
Our new courtyard, woven balcony and snow soft as powder. Snowballs fly and faces flush with pink. I know in my heart that we’ve done the right thing for our family. Wilma asks me what I think of the place and my beaming excited response convinces her that yes I love it!
Our wood delivery arrives and the rock walls absorb the warmth and radiate it back like a hug. Carina and I learn the fine art of wood stacking and the value of a roaring fire when the temperature is at zero. Sam and I walk about eyeing off the wood piles much like Homer Simpson with his donuts.
Rediscovering our old home is a sweet delight I hope you enjoyed. We made it, we fought hard and long for our dream and here we are. Now the adventures really begin, little money and a lot of heart….lets see where it leads us all.
and the gang x
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hi guys, sorry i didnt get your facebook message, i dont use facebook….can you email me on your current email address, ive got a hundred of your old ones, dont know which one you use these days……
hey Mills it’s admin (at) renovatingitaly.com
xxxx
Che belli con Vilma e tutta la famiglia!! 🙂
yes a beautiful family for sure and so thankful to them for letting us stay here it’s great to be back at Gambasca. x
Oh how gorgeous – Love the feeling of being where you are meant to be, the feeling of it being right!!!
Love the idea of snow, and returning back in time. Gorgeous. Happy that you have made the right decision for you and your family. Looking forward to following your journey.
Lisa you always inspire me to follow my heart when it comes to my family and what we feel is right for us. Yes it is where we are meant to be I just know it, and we are slowly learning to be a family again xxx
Oh Lisa your smiles radiate with warmth in the snow….you look and sound so happy! Love and Hugs from Paris Carla x
much improved now we are in bella Italia Carla xx
Bellissimo! I truly wish you all the best – but I have a feeling things will go smoothly for you all. There is so much love in your words. Enjoy! Xxcat
Well I am the tranquil lake to Sams stormy seas so together we balance each other out. I am loving your take on life, you’s is always a post I look forward to reading x x
You’ve done it Lisa. This is it. You’re in it, living it. and I couldn’t be happier for you. It’s so beautiful and your photos just speak volumes. All my love,
Janine
at long last Janine, it took something but we got here! sending love x
Fantastic Andreana and how wonderful to be all the way to California! Who knows what the next dream will be or how we’ll achieve it. We are all dreamers here! x
How wonderful Lisa! Many good wishes from us in California and I can’t wait to follow all the renovation posts. Everyone looks so happy and rightfully so!!! Congratulations on following your dream.
Sorry, I am confused. Is this the newest property you JUST bought or the older one you left to move back to Australia?
Whatever it is, I can see that all are very happy!
Apologies for the confusion Caterina and I changed the post a little to try to explain our whirlwind adventures since we arrived. We bought a house in Veravo Liguria but as it needs a fair amount of work (and money) we needed a place to stay. My husband saw the house in Bobbio Pellice on the net while in Australia and when we got here we went straight to look at it. We fell in love with the place and the ancient Borgata so bought it. We can’t move in until it gets heating etc so are now staying at a friends house in Borga Nari ( the Borgata where we renovated our first Italian home). This will just be temporary and it is strange being back where we began. Hope this makes sense?? ciao ciao lisa
Your dream and realization of it, is such an inspiration.
Congratulations on having a good old crack!
Hope your husband’s ticker is feeling better.
Thanks and yes Sam’s ticker is much improved thank goodness. Talking about ‘good old cracks’ seems appropriate given the age of the places we find LOL x
Lisa, I’m happy for you and your family. It takes a lot of courage, skills and endurance to take up such tasks. How how much I wish I could do what you do!
Well you’re always welcome to come and give it a try Rosaria, we hope to turn the house in Veravo into a community project so stay tuned LOL x
Lisa, how I love that first photo especially–everyone looks SO happy! 🙂 As always, sending you lots of good energy as you reunite with your dream…it must be wonderful. Hard work ahead for sure but how it will be worth it…
Bisous,
Heather
So sorry I missed this one dear Heather, and yes we are happy here in bella Italia. Thanks for your gorgeous energy and I have been enjoying your beautiful images at the blog. Lots of hard work but we can take our time for a bit as we are here for a while. ciao xxx
Love love love this, Lisa! The grins on your faces, the wood piles, the snow on the rocks, the old wood doors. Che bella avventura. xxxxxxxx Baci & buon coraggio.
Now all we need is the bedding airing out on the balcony and we’ll be set Jann! Finding our feet and loving it all x
love lisa
Hi Lisa,
I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and it’s great to hear you’re loving being back in Italy. My husband and I are in the process of buying a house to renovate in Piemonte (we sign the ‘atto’ tomorrow – eeek!), and are constantly getting the ‘why would you come to Italy’ question from the locals! (http://livinginthelanghe.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/youre-moving-to-italy-are-you-sure-thats-a-good-idea/ ).
Best of luck with everything, look forward to hearing more about your adventures!
Allegra
That is so exciting Allegra and now we are ‘neighbors’ we’ll have to get together somehow. I’m looking forward to following along with your adventures also, hope all goes well with the legalities ciao lisa x
Thanks Lisa, it would be great to meet up. We’re really excited about getting started!
Thanks for following us, and look forward to reading more of your updates x
So happy for you Lisa, and all your family. How exciting! This is your dream, and you will grab it with both hands – plus! So looking forward to sharing it all with you. Good luck, keep warm and take care. XXxx
Keeping warm thanks Susan and thanks for your kind words of encouragement (we all need it sometimes). ciao ciao lisa x
Lisa. Welcome home. Sorry I haven’t written sooner, but believe me, I have been following your progress back to Italy. I often get the same questions…”Why Italy? Wasn’t life good in San Francisco?” My answer varies slightly, but the essence of it is always “I loved San Francisco, but I just prefer Italy.” No need to explain. My friend Brian advises: just say the truth: “I like it.” Punto! You home is beautiful. I am proud of you and I know what it took to get back here. Congratulations.
hugs. toni
I totally understand Toni, it’s not that I don’t love Australia just that right now my soul is here in Italia. Thanks for all your support and generosity through this long voyage back to Italy. I have been to San Francisco by the way and loved it! It’s hard to keep up with everyone but know I also follow along with everyone as much as possible xx sending love lisa
You, your kids and your husband will forever cherish this moment in time starting over. No matter what happens in economic space. Italy is still a beautiful country. My heart is definitely there.
It certainly is Joyce, and I can understand your heart being here x
Just read this Lisa, love the pics and the commentary. What an adventure- good on you xx Corrina. PS we are just stock piling our wood in ready for the coming winter here- however I think the coldest it gets here during the day is about 14 degrees and definitely no snow! Love a good wood pile. xx
How funny Corrina we forgot just how cold it can be coming straight from an Australian summer in tropical Queensland. We are now noticing every wood pile and hoping it won’t become an obsession x ciao lisa
Ciao Bella – how lovely to see your beaming smile – the stress has gone from your face and you look wonderful. This was definitely the right move for you all. Enjoy – love from Australia xxx
Fran this place has a way of making us feel totally alive. Even with them many glitches and hic ups we are encountering I am in love and happy with the lifestyle change we have made. xxx