Sept 21 in Italy - Carrara on the road again...

Arrival once again in Roma. This time I sleep en route, thanks to a very kind United agent. A beeline to the espresso bar for a well-deserved doppio, then through the maze of moving sidewalks to my "boys in blue" at Maggiore car rentals. This time a small, sensible, gutless Fiat Punto. Grey, no less.

I break a personal best by making it from Roma to Firenze in 3.5 hours, following my nose and slowing down traffic (but no ones honks!) to Lastra a Signa. Outside of Firenze, it is near one of the referral agencies for Carrara's fractional homes.

I'm still babbling in jet lag Englian, but stumble across the threshold of Villa Saulina and into bed for a couple of hours. But, as usual, food and Internet beckon.

Because a lot of the initial check-in babbling was about my business, the proprietress asks me to explain. I launch into my two-sentence Italian pitch. She chuckles while reading my flyer…saying that the things that I say about Italy are "sweet". I'm hoping that is a good thing. She gives me flyers from two nearby agritourissimi for sale, and wishes me good "house hunting". Then she sighs..."summer is over. Che piccato! (it is over 80F outside).

I'm pointed to a local eatery called "La Luna", in a town called…La Luna. Of course. Monday night most restaurants are closed, and the night finds me with 2 other tourists, and a staff of 10 (including Pino, above), so it sounds packed! It is early, obviously. Later a lively crowd accumulates.

Arugula, Parmesan and Braseola Carpaccio. Yum. Margherita pizza from the wood burning pizza oven.

I'm getting pulled in, yet again. My own personal version of gravity. I'm here to attempt to view 40 homes in 4 days, and the marathon begins tomorrow.

A wonderful ending to the meal. Pino has just brought me two cantucci. "I made it myself, he tells me. Warm, fresh-baked. I make a mean cantucci myself. His are drier and softer (the better to dip them in Vin Santo, my dear) and more....flavorful. Vanilla?

My goals:

- 4 days

- 0 lb. weight gain

- 40 homes

- 4 agencies

- 1 attorney

Yes, I stole the concept….but I'm tired. And it fits my well-disguised Type A tendencies. (If you know me, you can stop laughing now).

* Ristorante Pizzeria "La Luna", Lastra a Signa

** Villa Saulina, Lastra a Signa, www.villasaulina.it.

About Carrara, LLC

Carrara partners with owners of luxury vacation homes in Italy, managing the conversion and marketing of these beautiful homes to fractional, shared ownership vacation properties. We also represent buyers seeking the lifestyle of a European home and the convenience of a professionally managed, shared investment.