PART 108: 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 are discovering some gems worth sharing. Some are well-known tourist magnets, and others are lesser-known but always amazing.
This week, let's explore our return to life in Tuscany.
Step 2: As you read this blog, we are currently in our car, driving from the Rome airport to our place in Tuscany.
We lived in Puglia for about a year and a half before finding a house in Tuscany last September. We made an offer, purchased the house, and took possession of it in February of this year.
We then spent several months renovating the house in Tuscany before returning to California in April.
Now that most of the renovation is completed, what will be different as we return to Tuscany?
Step 3: Transportation
As we usually stay in Italy for about three months at a time, we have been avoiding typical daily rate car rental agencies as they can be too expensive. Initially, we used a car leasing company, Renault (https://www.autoeurope.com/short-term-car-lease-europe/ ), which worked well for a few years. However, the prices eventually skyrocketed, and it was no longer a good deal.
Through word of mouth in Puglia, we discovered a company that rents out used cars. Although this option sacrificed some reliability, the great rates made it worthwhile, and we used this company for a few stays.
This time, we decided to try something different. While in Rome, we approached every second-tier car rental company at the central train station with the help of a local friend. We found that many offer off-season month-long rental packages for as little as 400 euros per month, including insurance. Since these packages start on October 1, we are doing a daily rate rental until then and then switch to the month-long rental until we leave in October. I will share an update on how it goes in a follow-up blog post.
Step 4: Renovation versus stability
We lived in our house in Tuscany during the winter while it was being renovated. We had no working shower, little hot water, and dust everywhere. Some days, we just wished to return to California.
A few days before we left Italy in April, the bathrooms were completed, the new kitchen was installed, and the new furniture arrived.
The house needs painting inside, and then it will be all done.
We will be in Arcidosso later today and are looking forward to enjoying the house, a greater sense of stability, and not having to constantly worry about supplies, work completion, and timelines.
In other words, this visit will have much less stress, if any.
Step 5: Our first international road trip
One of our goals is to use our house as a base to explore Europe, and we will go on our first international road trip.
In October, we will jump in the car. Six hours later, we will be in Monaco in the south of France. We will continue to Nice for an overnight stay and then to Lourdes for a few days. We plan to circle back to Nice, meet my sister and brother-in-law, and spend a few days exploring the area. After that, we will drive south along the coast and stay in Liguria before returning to Monte Amiata.
If it sounds like a fantastic adventure, imagine how I'm feeling! Yes, I will get a blog written on it once we complete the trip.
Step 6: Visitors
We are expecting our first visitors from abroad this Fall. A good friend from Oslo will stay with us, followed by family from California.
Being able to share our incredible experience of living in Italy increases our sense of amazement. We keep looking at one another, asking, "How did this happen?"
With visitors in town, we will probably stick to our regular routine: gym, breakfast at our favorite café, and a field trip to a new area or town.
Step 7: Experience life as a local
We are excited about experiencing local life this time. Feeling stable or enjoying the moment during our renovation project was challenging. We had a lot on our minds, with many errands and unexpected situations while renovating a 16th-century house. So, being able to wake up, calmly drink coffee, go to our local gym, greet our friends, have another coffee, and then get in the car to explore... all of that sounds heavenly.
Insights:
As we drive from Rome to our life in Tuscany, we look forward to a new chapter where we can feel more established, have a greater sense of belonging, and be willing to make this an adventure.
More next time.
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