There's no downside, I say firmly. "The waterfall of problems...the financial worriers, the language barriers, the hot water in the toilet, the layers of gunk on the beams - there is nothing compared to the absolute joy..." (Frances Mayes on restoring a villa, in Under the Tuscan Sun)
A PASSION FOR ALL THINGS ITALIAN Can lead you down the most unexpected paths. Like finding yourself a home owner in Italy, for example - though "home" may be a misnomer for many of the original structures that pass for habitable dwellings; rubble, cave, farmhouse in tragic ruin would be more apt descriptions. But for the twenty-two home owners profiled in Restoring a Home in Italy, courage, commitment, patience, and an ability to imagine the future allowed them to transform these pieces of the past into magical places to live today.
In evocative text and lush photographs, author Elizabeth Minchilli and photographer Simon McBride let us in on the beauty and charm of these homes throughout the country: hillside houses in Puglia, farmhouses in Tuscany and Umbria, attics in Venice, apartments in Rome, even former convents and caves. And though this is about Italy, where it is said there are no rules except what guides your heart, there are some obstacles along the way. Undertaking and expensive project in a foreign language, with a foreign bureaucracy and mountains of regulations - not to mention an alien sense of time - requires solid information an down-to-earth advice, all of which are here as well, as owners and designers explore the nuts and bolts of turning that crumbling set of walls into a warm, inviting home. A list of sources and terms will complete any would-be home owner's education.
So if you're seriously contemplating renovating your dream home in Italy, or are content just dreaming of it, Restoring a Home in Italy is the perfect guide. BACKCOVER: Owning and restoring a home abroad is one of life's most enduring daydreams. Here are twenty-two real-life "restoration dramas" with very happy endings.
