The Montalcino House
How long is this going to take???
If you are just tuning in, we invite you to read past newsletters to catch up on how we found the Montalcino house, got it under contract, closed the deal, and began renovation planning.
We woke up early to two WhatsApp voice messages from Gabriele. Hopefully, he had a progress update to share! We got up and took turns at our Gaggia espresso maker. Then, caffeinated and alert, we listened to his messages.
Gabriele is our geometra, the one leading the renovation planning for the house we just bought in Montalcino, Tuscany. He was reaching out to propose a video meeting to review la bozza dello stato modification della casa - the building plans and renderings of the home per the renovations we’d discussed.
Gabriele first suggested meeting on Friday morning. Then, realizing that morning in Italy is the middle of the night in Minneapolis, he messaged again and proposed Thursday afternoon, which, he noted, “is morning in Ameri-ha.”
We smiled. In Tuscan dialect, the hard “c” is pronounced like an “h.” I’m sure we’ll get used to it, but for now, it cracks us up every time.
It’s been over a month since we closed on the Montalcino house. We’re back in Minneapolis, up to our ears with work and immersed in our usual routine. Some days, we have to stop and ask ourselves, “Did we really just buy a house in Montalcino?”
Renovation progress has been slow but steady.