June 15 - The Well.

Now, I forgot an important detail. When we arrived on Thursday, the owners of Casi di Sotto had arranged, at our request, to have a deeper well drilled so that we could work on landscaping and plans for the pool while I am here. The equipment was impressive (inspiring dire consequences to the child who played on or near it), and although it was planned to have the well completed before we arrived, they were still working on Friday, and nothing really happened over the weekend. The new well goes down to 200 meters, so we are all excited, but the kids want the temporary pool set up, so we spend the weekend buying a truckload of water for the pool, and we all get a chance to cool off.

Before I go further, I should point out that these are the adventures that novels like "Under the Tuscan Sun" are made of…..the Italians, as do many European cultures, have a way of dragging things out until the only way to deal with it is to shrug, open a bottle of wine and say, "force domani..." (maybe tomorrow...).

So on Monday, as we discover that they have not found the water that they had hoped for. All is on hold today while the well-guy figures out what to do and how to get paid (given that he has a guarantee to meet!). This, my friends, is part one of a 6-week saga. Since I am writing this post-trip (the Internet issue was never resolved), I will say at this time that the new well is now running strong and clear. But it is a shame to pass up this storyJ

So, the well-guys destroy and leave. Our well-tended garden will have to wait. With a shrug. And a…"a domani" (tomorrow). Hah!

Also on this day…we go into Castellina for an errand….I have to meet with my banker. The guys find a butcher, and we girls buy rucola (arugula), parmeasano (du h) and various other sundries. When we get home we make a fantastic Tagliata di Manzo on a bed of rucola with shaved parmesean. The trick, it seems, in grilling the meat, slicing it, and tossing it quickly in hot olive oil with garlic. Wow.

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.

June 14 - Our new Volpaia house

Early in the morning I call Nik, who is representing the house in Volpaia. I want to take a quick look at the furniture to decide which items to request in the purchase. Nik is from Munich, but has spent much of his life in Italy, and is known to all in the real estate business here. We have met before but it is good to be doing business together now.

Volpaia is a favorite personal place, but it never ceases to amaze me how virtually everyone who has toured Chianti feels the same.

I drive up with my friend from Milano, her husband and my family will join us for lunch. Nik has arranged for us to pick up a key, and my favorite housekeeper is waiting in the Piazza. The seller will arrive later this week. We peruse, ponder and drool. It is such a unique and wonderful property.

Nik has given me a book about Volpaia's history and I have just cracked it open. I will ask the villagers about the house and history. In the meantime, I have my list, text it to my partner back home, and we meet for Debbie's birthday lunch, overlooking the Chianti valley below Volpaia. There is an old villa that has an ostentatious facade that was added in 1914…on a previous trip we dubbed it "the Alamo", and can't help singing "Davey, Davey Crockett…." every time we pass. The table breaks out in song when we see it in the distance. Carla, the owner, gives us an indulgent smile and shakes her head. Americans. Luxembourgers. What are we at this point? I am about to become a Volpaianata, I think.

For some reason, we decide to head off to Siena in the heat of the day. But….you have to love Siena. Lots of shops, restaurants, and unique window displays...

The children climb the tower while we sit and sip Prosecco and beer. I consider this week a part-time work-week (too many birthdays), so I drop off cards and introduce myself at every rental and sales and tour office.

We try to tour Il Duomo, but it is closed for the day. We drop into a tie store so that my son can try on a tie for his father's birthday. He ends up spitting on a high voltage light near a display…I clean up and we skulk out. Dr. Science can be a hindrance at timesL

On the way home we stop at Monte Bernardi, one of my favorite wineries, and introduce our friends from Milano to Willie, the father of the vintner. After superlative hosting and tasting, Lucien buys a truckload of wine and Debbie and I part with birthday bottles of Vin Santo, the local sherry/dessert wine. It is said that farmers have it for breakfast. I can't speak for the farmers, but….

At home we are hoping that the Telecom truck will come and we will have Internet!

Ciao for now.

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.

June 13 - Sunday Market & Making Friends

We wake up early enough to get to the weekly farmers' market in Panzano. Situated on and above the Chianti Strada, where some of the most recognizable and lovely Chianti wines are produced....Panzano is a busy town that appears as a mere bend in the road if you don't pay close attention. It spreads over the ridge and up the hill to an older "Centro Storico".

I make a vow to walk up into town on another day, but today I am distracted by fruit. Fresh, plentiful, with proud signs on the produce that is "locale". And they mean it. In Tuscany, fruite and vegetables from "Lazio", just to the south, are seen as an imports. We buy fresh figs, peaches that you have to bend over when you eat them, they are so ripe. Beautiful melons, and all the basics...including fabulous ripe tomatoes and a basil plant.

We then move over to the purse cart, where my friend buys a nice practical number and I eye the bright yellow backpack for 20 Euros! Great fun!

We unload the groceries and haul everyone out to Osteria di Panzanelle for my delayed birthday celebration (the Game, took precedence last night). My daughter makes friends with an Italian girl her age (they both speak Nintendo:), and my son explains Greek mythological monsters to our friend.

I have my required Tiramisu….without doubt the best I have ever tasted. I leave several brochures and cards and we head back home to relax and watch another game.

Tomorrow it's time to start serious work. I will view a house in Volpaia that Carrara will be representing….to identify potential needs and brainstorm design ideas.

It's been pleasant but not hot yet, a few light showers. It's surprising to find Chianti so green in mid-June.

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.

June 12 - Recovery and World Cup Madness

Noon at Casi di Sotto, and everyone is still snoring. It's a beautiful day, and I realize that my birthday is half over! Wake up everyone!

We drive into Radda and find that a favorite bar is still open for lunch. A celebration of Prosecco and fresh-squeezed orange juice, a nice salad, and we are off to the alimentari for some groceries.

Friends are driving down from Milano to see the house. It's a World Cup Day, so everyone is buzzing about the game and their favorite team, Italia, of course.

I am treated to a nice pasta meal at home on the terrace, while people run up and down the stairs to check on the score of the game playing upstairs.

The fireflies appear, and the children run around catching them in Tupperware containers. A magical evening and wonderful start to our visit.

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.

June 11 - Arrival at Casi di Sotto

I arrive at Casi di Sotto near Gaiole-in-Chianti mid-afternoon Friday with my family. Everyone is wiped out, crabby and hungry, so we make a bee-line to Volpaia, where I know that "Proscuitto et Melone" await me and my husband, along with fresh pasta for my 10-year-old twins.

Bar-Ucci does not disappoint. Neither does "Pizza Pie" later that evening. I receive a warm welcome from Gina and Luigi both.

The birds at Casi di Sotto sing my song. The flowers are in full bloom. The air smells of jasmine and an approaching summer rain.

The twins clamor to select their rooms, and I sit on the terrace. Breathing deeply.

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.

November 29 - Preparing Carrara's First Listing

Huge, philosophical question: What in the world was I thinking when I booked a 6:00 am flight to Rome the Sunday after Thanksgiving? It sounded so logical. Good fare. One-stop. Early arrival in Rome with a whole day to get up to Chianti and have 2 meetings in the afternoon. And it's not that early, after all, right? I always seem to block out the dreary details....that for a 6:00 international flight I must rise at 2:00. Finish packing. Shower and leave the house at 3:30. Brutal. Sensible, but brutal. And did I mention I was doing all of this on crutches? Yes, 2 weeks post hip surgery and I'm going to Chianti. My partner says I'm masochistic. He exaggerates.

But....the trip couldn't be more exciting, because I'm going over to supervise a photo shoot, surveys and an inspection of our first fractional listing, and it's a beauty. I'm also meeting with a landscape architect and collecting quotes, doing an inventory and brainstorming exterior improvements and interior spotlights. I will be able to "feel" the house over several days. See the sun rise and set. Meet the neighbors and other contacts supplied by the amazing owners. Truly. We could not ask for more cooperation and commitment. Dream clients.

This project is going to be fun!

So here we go. 22 hours in coach. Ain't business travel romantic?

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.

Sept. 24 in Italy - Badia a Coltibuono Revisited

I made a good decision on the way home from Orvieto this day. Starving after a full day of evaluating potential fractional ownership homes, I decided to see if one of my favorite restaurants, Badia a Coltibuono, was open early (7pm is a stretch in Italy).

Getting there from the Autostrada is a bit cumbersome. I'd been driving for so long that midway I had changed shoes to relieve the shooting pain in driving leg (no cruise control, alas). Winding up the hill takes longer than I expected and of course the signage is "tutti directioni"...meaning, essentially, "if it's not the next town, or the end of the road, it will not be on the sign and you should assume it's "every other direction".

Arriving as night falls at the wine and olive oil outlet for the former abbey, I am perflexed by how badly I'm limping until I get in the shop, and notice, to my horror, that I am wearing one flat slip-on Privo and one platform sandal. You have to be able to laugh at yourself...but really.

I was ushered into the ristorante and treated like a familiar friend. This extremely classy, romantic restaurant has, on the terrace, like many places in Italy, a play structure for the children off to the side. Parents can relax over dinner with friends and the children can knock themselves out. Next to the restaurants on the beach in the French Riviera where your table borders the beach and they have a lifeguard on duty so the kids can play in the surf, it's a great idea that still has not caught on anywhere but McDonald's in the U.S. Go figure.

This restaurant is full of tourists. A bit off the beaten path with a reputation for being expensive. But it's always worth it. The famous Lorenza di Medici cooking school is responsible for the food, and the Badia is breathtaking.

I had a wonderful meal, then ask for a dessert recommendation. Waiter #2 says, "the Mousse, or the Creme Anglais, or, if you must eat light, the Ricotta Crostada with fresh berries. The mousse is made with olive oil, according to the recipe, and sounds interesting but....I see this "Crostada di fichi et noci". How can that be bad? So I call over Riccardo, waiter #1. He says, duh, the other guy is not even Italian. Why would you take his advice? Certomente. Of course. Of course.

(I long ago decided that 50% of phone calls and much of everyday conversation is composed of a variation of "certo". Si certo. Ah. Si, certo. Si si, certomente!)

The quartered fresh figs are warmed slightly. The walnut crust is crispy and thick. There is a marmolade of figs in between. Local honey drizzled on and around. Si. Certo.

A resident kitten appears at the open window and is gently cooed and coaxed away.

I love the cities and the towns here, Lucca is now a special must-do place. But the countryside state of mind still draws me in.

I'm starting to eat and sound like Julia Child again. Audible moans of culinary delight as I officially abandon the 0 weight gain goal.

* Ristarante Badia a Coltibuono, Localita Badia a Coltibuono, Gaiole in Chianti. +39 0577 749031, www.coltibuono.com.

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.