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.

Sept. 24 in Italy - Shopping and the Polizia

I wake this morning at 5:15am, to call my kids before bedtime. The standard ritual morphs into them singing to me, since I am barely coherent. I can only imagine what the occupants in the next room think. Particularly this morning, when I woke myself up even earlier, talking in my sleep to a salesperson about the pair of boots that I did NOT stop and look at when I was in Lucca yesterday with Francesco. I mean, who would be so uncool as to shop for boots when with a business associate? Truth is, he probably would have approved. Deeper truth? Big mistake. BIG. I will regret it this winter, I swear.

So, can I console myself by looking at houses? Si certo! I have un'appuntamente with Johannes in Orvieto. But first, an adventure on the Autostrada.

My theory about the Italian Autostradi is this. As long as you are driving (Sigmar, you can stop laughing), it can be a very relaxing place. I have put on mascara on the A45, photographed Orvieto from the A1, texted to friends on the A12, gotten tendonitis in my left wrist from passing too much. And there was that famous $75 toll on the last trip (we figured that one out, Francesco and I). But I have never been stopped by the dreaded Polizia di Stato. If you have the time, check this out...www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiJXQIQxzcc. Lamborghini, for cryin' out loud. I didn't think that anyone got stopped. There are no maximum speed limits posted, unless it is to slow down. Mainly I just try to keep up.

The A1 is a little congested. Construction. Remember Orvieto? It's a….long drive. But much shorter when you are going very fast. I make two mistakes. I do one thing right.

First. I forget that I am not driving the Audi A4 from the last trip. This time I have my little teeny weeny Fiat Punto with, forgive me, a lawnmower motor under the hood.

Second. I forget that the Polizia drive blue cars, leading me to miss the middle car in a typical Italian formation (10 cm between bumpers), and drive right past in the fast lane, cell phone in hand. I try to ignore the blue light (currently not flashing), stash the phone, and do the Italian thing….I stare straight ahead.

They do the Italian thing….these two hotties in uniform. (You really have to watch the uTube to appreciate. I swear that they are the same guys that stopped me!) They drive pull out of formation, adjust their sunglasses, and drive next to me for a kilometer or so. Then, instead of the blue light, they pull slightly ahead, and the officer gracefully sticks his hand out of the window, and points to the side of the road. Twice. Very slowly. It's like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Roger Rabbit. I'm sorry, but I'm holding back a chuckle, and repeating to myself. Don't speak Italian. Don't speak Italian.

The reason for this is basic. They really don't want to ticket tourists. But they kind of like to harass ex-pats. I'm driving with IT plates. Many thanks to Mike T. for this advice. I owe you.

They stop. Climb out of their car with attitude coming out of their ears. And I shout out "Hi! I'm sorry, but I don't speak Italian!" So they make a big show of not speaking any English, signaling for me to open the hood while yelling at me in Italian. I pop the hood and ask "is there something wrong with my engine?" And they say, essentially, "yes, it is too small". One officer licks his finger and pretends to touch the engine block and makes a hissing sound. The other looks in the trunk for good measure, they make hand signals for me to slow down. And leave.

I know it sounds like being an ugly American, but these are not inexpensive tickets. And the truth is, how fast you can go is determined by the size of your engine. I call Johannes to tell him I've been stopped, he says no problem, and the day progresses. Just another day on the Autostrada.

Orvieto is always a dream. I simply love this area. Johannes takes me to one beautiful restoration that really doesn't need help. It is stunning, and the couple is on their third restoration, and has just gone on the market.

The next is my favorite of the trip so far, and with enough work left to do to make our services make sense. Etruscan caves in the hillside. Nestled in a little valley. I LIKE this place. The next are near Todi, moving inland. I love Umbria and these are close enough to be very viable offerings.

On the way to one I am following Johannes and a dip in the road throws my little car into fits. I recover, and think I've escaped notice...as we stop he says "How was the off-road driving? I saw the cloud of dust." Can't get away with anything.

Status on goal achievement:

- 3 days down, 1 to go

- 0 weight gain (I have hope. Johannes does not believe in lunch.)

- 15 homes viewed, 25 to go (looking scary)

- 3 agencies visited, 1 added, 2 to go

- 1 attorney (definitely a phone call)

Sept. 23 in Italy - Falling in love again...Lucca

Up again, not quite so early, not quite so "chipper". As a result, the early morning walk through the hills around the villa kinda doesn't happen. A quick cornetto and espresso, 5 minutes online. Just like in San Gimignano in July, the staff and guests think I'm crazy for working while here, making jokes about Il Mio Blog. But the social network craze is here as well. Joseph, aka Guiseppe, tries to send me a ring tone of the Godfather theme via Blue Tooth (it didn't work), and I discuss search optimization with Nadia. Yikes. I've become a nerd. Jay (my web Yoda) will be proud. It's not exactly a negative trait for a late blooming entrepreneur.

Today I am meeting an agent to explore homes around Lucca. The diversity of the region is astonishing - easy access, rolling hills, vineyards, beaches, skiing, and of course, the walled city of Lucca itself. I've heard about it, driven by, but have never stopped. At the time we were speeding to make a reservation near Carrara (surprise!). I'm dying to see it.

Francesco and I meet at a McDonald's near an off-ramp and he explains what we will look at today for, hoping to find homes for Carrara's fractional home buyers.

The first, north of Lucca, is a lovingly restored farmhouse with panoramic views and a great pool and irrigated garden/lawn. I am very interested in this one. It feels like a retreat but is only 10-20 minutes (dependant upon the nationality of the driver) from Lucca. I think that it would appeal to many…particularly those who have families that will visit.

We then visit a unique development nearby. In general, meetings that begin with Prosecco are never bad, and this is not an exception. Dennis is charming and proud of what he and his business partner have accomplished. One of the homes is the original farmhouse, restored. They have put a lot of thought into the newly built homes and apartments in the complex, well-crafted details abound. I plan to keep in touch and hope that we can refer clients to one another, at the very least.

The next two homes are on very small lots in a suburb of Lucca, reminding me of the maximum setback homes being erected in many older neighborhoods in California, Oregon and Washington. The owner/builders reside in an expansive hillside villa in the distance. The building site was "in their view" and they didn't want anything ugly to look at. Hmmm. The houses appear well built, but are virtually identical and closely set, an Italian split lot flipover. They seem a little out of place and definitely more commuter/suburban than we are marketing.

As we wrap up the day Francesco takes me for a quick tour and a gelato inside the walls of Lucca. Wow. How do I describe the ambiance? Roma without pickpockets. Firenze without cars. Venezia without canals. A mix of all three. Or just….Lucca. The atmosphere is relaxed, almost festive, the architecture varied and colorful, the shops fun and classy.

The birthplace of Puccini, there is an opera in Lucca every night, which, I am sadly told, only tourists attend. Entirely surrounded by high stone walls, the interior is home to 8,000. Only these residents can drive in and park there. Outside the walls are an additional 120,000 people. I think that Francesco mentioned 100 churches. I did not see near enough. I must return to this city. I'm in love with Italy. Again.

Status on goal achievement:

- 2 days down, 2 to go

- 0 weight gain (looking less likely after lunch and gelato)

- 10 homes viewed, 30 to go

- 2 agencies visited, 1 added, 3 to go

- 1 attorney (this is starting to look like a phone call)

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 22 in Italy - Still on Oregon Time

I rise earlier than I want to, of course. I've talked to the children, lessons on geography and realities of air transportation versus teleportation are covered in depth..."no, honey, I can't come home right now". Since it's late in the summer and still dark at 6:30 I don't feel like tempting the hunters. But at 7, I take a walk down the hill through the vineyards in the misty dawn, and find that the harvest has begun.

As usual in Italy, a female is always reason enough to stop work, wave, smile and tip your hat. The foreman blows me a kiss. What a nice way to start the day!

This particular female is peeking through the bushes trying to get a good photo, so I have to step out, sweatpants and all, to ask in toddler Italian if I can take their picture. What a bunch of hams. Shameless. Enchanting.

Off I go to the hills of northeastern Tuscany, armed with my Italian Canon to take photos for our master designer, a rebel needing one more cause. One of the areas I had wanted to check out, driving to Sansepolcro past Arezzo, is a tad further than I think, but worth the trip.

I meet with another agency to discuss Carrara's project, and we make plans to view houses, narrowing the list down to 3…which is a good thing because I have no idea how I am going to meet with everyone that wants to meet this week (eeek). One owned by a British resident, in 2 separate houses, both large enough to fit our profile, sharing a pool. The second, overlooking a beautiful lake, owned by an American. The third is a bit too large.

Interesting facts about Sansepolcro - it is a 50-minute drive from the eastern seaside. An hour and a half from Firenze and probably an hour from Siena and less to Chianti proper.

Lunch in Sansepolcro at Ristorante Fiorentino is nothing short of awesome. A tiny sidewalk cafe turns out to be a large charming dining room upstairs, with one of those fireplaces big enough to roast anyone you wish. Homemade fettuccine with Fiori di Zucca (zucchini flower sauce), a fresh salad, and then I see (duh duh….duh duh….the great white of the dining experience)…..the DESSERT CART. There is this pink concoction with strawberries on top, that is translated as strawberry biscuit (i.e. shortcake).If that is what it was, I have been making it wrong for years. This is more like a "whipped cream shortcake with a strawberry garnish". The biscuit is delicate and crumbly and has pine nuts in it. The whipped cream has a bit of pureed strawberry folded in. It is layered 3 times.

I stop to see 3 rental villas in the area for sale by owner, or considering selling. Two need a lot of work, one again is too large. On the way back I notice more...the scenery is quite different now than in July. It is still warm, but a soft haze has settled over the hills, not quite foggy, just....soft. Tobacco is being harvested as well. There is a sense of anticipation, and a relaxation. The tourist rush is past, kids are back in school, quiet time is settling in.

After driving 2 hours back to Villa Saulina, I park myself to write, plan and answer email, succumb to jet lag for an hour, and then force myself to sleep walk downstairs for dinner. Home-cooking. Close to, make that AT, home. Cantucci. Skip the espresso and crash.

Laugh of the day….All truck drivers on the Autostrada honk when you pass them. Not an angry honk. Not even a "hey baby" honk. It's more of a "you go girl" honk. You get the feeling that they're flirting but how do they know who's driving? The cabs are higher than here in the U.S. Perhaps the smiling faces in the vineyard this morning has skewed my perspective. Must be.

As I drop off…."Ice Age" in Italian is VERY funny.

Status on goal achievement:

- 1 day down, 3 to go

- 0 weight gain (doubtful after that dessert)

- 3 homes viewed, 37 to go

- 1 agency visited, 3 to go

- 1 attorney

*Ristorante Fiorentino, Sansepolcro, www.ristorantefiorentino.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.

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.

September 3 - Back to Italia

It's just the right amount of time away for me.  Exactly one month since I returned home from my last house hunting trip to Italy.  This time I am armed with all of the paperwork that my marketing partners are looking for...contracts and the like.  It has been a bit of a battle.  Every country thinks that their law prevails, under all circumstances.  Striking a balance is key in these transactions, and we are committed to providing fully-deeded, transferable shares to our co-owners.  Like every contract I have ever presented, the goal is to anticipate all possible things that could go wrong, and put it in a file drawer.  If you do it right, it never comes out of the drawer again.

But I digress.  Italy.  On the schedule this time?  Selecting individual properties in Lucca, Chianti, San Gimignano and Umbria.  I've been attending events (including a 7-course winemakers event at Riccardo's* in Lake Oswego....Falchini** wines and wonderful food and company), marketing our concept, and have dozens of clients looking for properties.  I've teamed with firms marketing fractional homes in the U.S., worked on the website and collateral.  Ah, the life of entrepreneurs.

*Riccardo's....ah yes.  A favorite haunt of Lake Oswegan's in the know.  Great food, both comfort (the lasagna is not to be believed) and off-the-charts gourmet (figs with proscuitto that sent me to another planet), and wonderful service.  And they allow me to butcher the Italian language without complaint!  www.RiccardosLO.com

**Falchini's Vernaccia is a wonderful, complex white wine...to call it a summer wine would be insulting.  It is a delightful wine with a price that had me scrambling for a case.  Their version of a super-tuscan, was a delight.  www.falchini.com/en

August 18 - Missing Italy.

The other day I missed an exit on I5.  I was on the phone, complaining to a friend in Kentucky that I still miss exits in Portland after two years here.....and drove right by. Very....irritated was I.

In Italy, I drove in circles in Poggibonsi and laughed until I thought I would be sick.  I was sure that on one of the corners there were a bunch of old men sitting at the local bar/cafe saying "Look!  There she goes again!  Har har har!"

So what IS it about Italy, anyway?  That makes us laugh at things that cause road rage here?  It wasn't because it was vacation....I was working.

I'm soliciting comments, because sometimes, it's downright irritating.

I'm sure that there are other places in the world as compelling.  But I can't seem to escape the magic.  And I am positive that Italians still living in Italy know what it is.

I know, I know.  I'm obsessing.

The house hunting for Carrara is going well...I am finding that British owners of Italian vacation properties are very open to what we are doing.  It's a win for everyone, but really huge for these owners.  They can access equity tied up in their vacation homes, get help updating and refurnishing, and keep one fractional home interest if they wish.  There are two categories, people who are older and have owned their vacation home for 15-30 years, and are now keeping closer to home.  And, more recent owners who are finding that costs have risen and sharing with other co-owners is a smarter way to invest.  Right now I have several homes lined up to view in September (see above, in Chianti).

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.