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.

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.