The Montalcino House
Name-calling and new-old ceilings as progress is made at our Montalcino house.
If you are just tuning in, check out our past newsletters to catch up on our adventure of finding, buying, and restoring a 100-year-old home in Montalcino.
Questo Farabutto!
We have a group chat on WhatsApp with our geometra, Gabriele, our general contractor and Gabriele’s uncle, Massimiliano, and our plumber and electrician, both conveniently named Marco.
Massimiliano had messaged the chat, asking Marco (the plumber) when he could schedule the plumbing rough-in. We weren’t surprised when Marco didn’t reply; we knew from prior communication that he was on vacation in Tunisia. Stefano messaged Massimiliano separately to let him know that.
Massimiliano replied:
“Questo farabutto è andato a caccia di tordi!”
Farabutto… I thought to myself. I’ve heard that term before, but I can’t quite place it. So I looked it up.
farabutto [masculine] noun.
/fara’but:o/ (also farabutta [feminine])
English: rascal, scoundrel, scallywag
Ha! We had assumed that Marco was taking a winter beach vacation in Tunisia, on the northern shores of Africa.
Massimiliano, knowing better, clarified that “the rascal” must be off on a hunting trip. The plumbing rough-in would have to wait until Marco was back in town.
There's nothing new there; this whole project has become an exercise in patience. Don’t tell our contractors this, but we’ve almost come to appreciate the slower pace—it gives us more time to make design decisions and squirrel away savings for the ever-growing project cost.
Stefano joked that Marco would owe us a plate of pinci with a sauce from whatever game he’d hunted when he returned and asked Massimiliano how everything else had been going.
Massimiliano replied that good progress had been made on the upstairs ceilings.
New Old Ceilings
If you’ve followed past updates, you may recall that the house's roof was recently replaced—a huge plus. The downside is that the underside of a new roof doesn’t have the pretty, exposed wood beams and terracotta tile characteristic of historical Tuscan homes. Instead, our ceilings were covered by a plain white false ceiling.
When discussing options, Massimiliano told us that we could demo the false ceilings and install reclaimed wooden beams, joists, and terra cotta tiles, making the ceilings appear original. The cost was notable, but we decided it was worth it and gave him the green light to get started.
Massimiliano said the ceilings were almost done and sent several pictures. Even in their unfinished state, they looked beautiful, and we were so glad we’d decided to proceed.
We also realized what hard work it must have been. We have experience installing drywall to ceilings and know it’s not fun. These were big, heavy, 5-meter/15-foot-long solid chestnut beams that had to be hoisted to the ceiling and fixed in place. Then, the smaller chestnut joists and hundreds of terra cotta tiles needed to be installed.
When the time comes, the ceilings will be carefully sandblasted to remove dirt, old paint, and finishes. Then, a natural finish will be applied to protect and enhance the wood, and a sealant will be applied to the terra cotta tiles to protect them from moisture and stains.
Splendide notizie
Ciao Cara, buongiorno. Ho delle splendide notizie! Ieri sera è arrivata l’autorizzazione paesaggistica. Ci fanno fare tutti gli interventi.
Ciao Cara, good afternoon. I have splended news! Yesterday evening the permits were issued for all of the exterior work. They approved everything we requested.
The WhatsApp message was from Mirco, another geometra in Gabriele’s firm. It was splendid news, indeed!
That means that we can open up two new windows, convert a third window to patio doors to the terrace, and reclaim the two original archway entrances on the garden side.
We can finally go ahead and order our windows! Well, on January 7th, we can, once the window company re-opens from its three-week winter break.
About Montalcino
Montalcino is a medieval town of approximately 6,000 residents, located about 25 miles south of Siena, 85 miles south of Florence, and 145 miles north of Rome. Perched on a hill in the heart of the world-class Brunello di Montalcino wine-producing region, Montalcino has scenic views of the olive groves and vineyards of the surrounding countryside. Visitors come from all over the world to enjoy the town’s cultural events and to experience its wine tourism. It’s long been one of our favorite places to visit.