Our Italian Adventure: Dealing with the cold weather in Italy

PART 117: It might be interesting to share how we pulled off living in Italy for part of the year. I will post some steps and what we are learning along the way.

We love every minute of it, and what was once a dream is our life!

We live in Tuscany in the Fall, then back again in the Spring, and in California for the rest of the time (in a previous blog, I explained why we live in Italy only part of the year).

Step 1: As we explore areas in Italy, we discover some gems worth sharing. Some of these are well-known tourist magnets; others are lesser known but always amazing.

This week let's stay closer to home and try to not freeze our butts off in Tuscany.

Step 2: From California to Tuscany

We're Californians! What can I say? When we viewed our future house in Tuscany, it was summer. We knew it would be cold when we returned to take possession of the house in February, but we didn't realize it would be so cold inside our house. After all, we are used to southern California weather!

Step 3: Our pellet heaters

When we first viewed our house, we noticed two pellet heaters, one in the kitchen and the other in the main bedroom upstairs.

The kitchen pellet stove occupied much floor space in one of the room's corners, so we removed it. We were planning on addressing the heating situation later.

We opted to keep the pellet stove in the main bedroom since there was ample space, intending to learn how to use it when we returned in February.

Step 4: "It's fuc—ing cold!" my partner said as we stepped into the house in February. "It's warmer than usual due to climate change," everyone kept telling us. "There is very little snow on Monte Amiata, a popular ski area," locals told us.

It didn't feel warm to us. It felt fuc—ing freezing.

Nevertheless, we made it inside the house, poured a bag of pellets into the upstairs furnace, and turned up the heat. The effect wasn't immediate, but the room started to warm up after about 30 minutes.

Step 5: The rest of the house

We managed to keep the main bedroom warm, but the rest of the house was another matter.

The kitchen/living room had a pellet heater in it, so when we removed it, there wasn't any heating source. We thought we could live with it until we figured out a more comprehensive solution, but we were wrong.

The room was cold, and the window glass was thin (we are replacing those). We finally got a space heater, but it kept shutting down the electricity because of too many watts. Finally, I got an electric blanket and wrapped myself in that when I needed the room for writing or studying. When my partner came down for dinner, we shut down the electricity upstairs and turned on the space heater for a bit.

Our second bathroom was under construction, so we had only the main bathroom, which was the temperature of a walk-in freezer. At least, it felt like that to us Californians. So when one needed to use the bathroom, well, it wasn't fun. We found an oil-filled plug-in radiator that operated at a lower wattage. Keeping that on next to the toilet helped. Since we had a tiny hot water heater then, we didn't shower at the house but went to the gym for that.

The last room was our second bedroom, which doubles as an office, with a second bathroom under construction. It had no heating, and the radiator wasn't strong enough to heat the room. So we just avoided using it.

We need solutions.

Step 6: Solutions

Living in the house during the renovation and winter was challenging but ultimately a positive experience. It allowed us to better understand the improvements needed to make the home more comfortable. Here are the heating solutions we implemented toward the end of our stay:

For the kitchen/living room: We currently have an electric log set in the fireplace, which creates a pleasant atmosphere and provides heat. We plan to use this as a temporary solution for the first year. If it doesn't provide enough heat, or running it gets too expensive, our contractor suggested a low wattage heating system that involves a slab or stone mounted on the wall. It's heated from behind and creates a warm and cozy atmosphere. We intend to invest in this solution if the current one isn't sufficient.

We found that electric towel racks emit enough heat for the two bathrooms to warm the rooms. The main bathroom's towel rack has a small heater and fan built into it, which we found on Amazon.

We decided to keep the pellet stove for the main bedroom, as it works well, and we've grown accustomed to its comforting flames.

As for the guest bedroom, we're still considering alternatives. We're looking into a less expensive version of the stone slab heater, made of metal and mounted to the wall, which plugs into a socket. Another possibility is running a pipe from our existing pellet stove to the second bedroom to distribute the heat. We'll decide on the best option as we use the room. Since we plan on living in our Tuscan house in the Spring and Fall, the milder weather may indicate that we don't need to install heating in that room, but use the plug-in radiator if there is a chill. We will see.

Step 7: Outside

We have already discussed how we manage the cold weather inside our house in Tuscany. But what about outside?

Locals have repeatedly mentioned that this has been the warmest winter they have experienced in a long time. We witnessed this when we saw people skiing on Monte Amiata, where they had to use artificial snow.

However, what felt warm to the locals felt freezing to us, coming from southern California. We made sure to bundle up and blast the car heating whenever we ventured out of the house.

One day, after the gym, we drove to the neighboring town to inquire about getting WiFi at our house. It was a cold, windy day. While my partner stayed in the car, I went to the tobacco store, which also served as a point of sale for WiFi service.

I usually wear an outback-style brimmed hat, and as soon as I got out of the car, a gust of wind blew my hat off my head, landing about half a block away under a truck. It was in the middle of where the truck was parked, and I didn't want to risk crawling under it. I informed the driver about what happened, and he kindly pulled his truck forward. However, in doing so, he ran over my hat.

I wanted to curse the wind, but what good would that do?

So I put the battered hat back on my head and went to the tobacco store to discuss internet service.

It was a frustrating day, but over the following weeks, we noticed that the longer we spent in Tuscany during the cold months, the more we learned how to navigate it. We began going on leisurely drives, in our heated car, through the beautiful rolling hills, taking gravel roads and ending up at wineries, restored castles, or panoramic views. Sometimes, we stopped to explore on foot; other times, we enjoyed the beautiful drive.

We realized that the cold weather didn't have to limit our experience of exploring the magical land of Tuscany.

Step 7: The path forward

We haven't figured out all the details of our adventure of living in Tuscany, but learning along the way is part of the experience. Navigating the cold weather while renovating our house was tough, but it also helped us find ways to enjoy our time living in this incredible place.

Step 8: An update

We found that the electric hearth/log in our living room quickly heats up the room, even on the low wattage setting. So that solution works well. The bathrooms are toasty warm with the towel rack heaters. The pellet heater in the main bedroom continues to work well. We now have double pane glass for our windows, which keeps in more of the heat all over the house. For the second bedroom, a small space heater on the low wattage setting heats up the room quickly.

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