July 2017: The children are all at camp and the two of us are exploring Italy. We wanted to see if we ever wanted a house abroad, that could be Portugal or Italy. We first went to Italy, and later we would also visit Portugal.

After a disappointing visit to a ruin that we had already spotted in the Netherlands, we continued to look for other houses to view. That was quite difficult, but luckily Lamberto, our B&B host, came to lend us a hand and pointed us to Subito.it. And there was our house, what a picture to see. We will only view the house, but not buy it. Look, look and don't buy (the Dutch way).

We immediately fell in love, just by looking at the stairwell, but had to go on holiday to Sri Lanka with the children 2 days later. During the travel events we couldn't stop talking about the house, so we decided to make an offer. After some back and forth we bought a house that we had seen twice. The adventure had begun!!

Fortunately, we had asked a befriended contractor Rob to take a look at our house. He was pleased with what he saw, the roof had to be replaced, but the house would last another 200 years. Negotiating at a distance with an Italian family will not go so quickly, we expected. Nothing could be further from the truth. The spokesperson turned out to speak English and wanted to get rid of the house, so in November 2017 we were already at the notary. Things are a bit different than in the Netherlands.... after sitting there with the whole family for about 3 hours, the key was finally in our possession. That had to be celebrated with the entire Italian family and an extensive lunch.

And there we were, now what? The roof was leaking, all the pipes were closed, in short, the house was uninhabitable and we had no idea how to find an Italian contractor.

By now we found out that we needed a Geometra or Engineer, you can't enter the town hall without a title 😉. Inquiries yielded a party that only wanted to take anti-seismic measures (earthquake area....) for a multiple of the value of the house, which did not help us. With a lot of question marks we sat in a pizza place in Alba Adriatica after skiing where we came into contact with Franco in poor Italian. He did know a Dutch woman (Imelda) who owns a petrol station in Giulianova. Kim still thought "what good is that?" The next day, at René's insistence, we paid a visit and got acquainted. And it really works that way in Italy, you have to get it from your acquaintances. Because Franco knows Imelda and Imelda knows Paolo and let Paolo be an engineer who speaks English and specializes in renovating old houses! Paolo arrived at the gas station within 15 minutes, had our humor and there was an instant click! Step 2 could be taken - the renovation.

With Paolo by our side, in May 2018 we finally found the 3 contractors who wanted to renovate our house. We wanted a house with rooms to rent out as a B&B. So everything must be solid and good. There will be new electricity and water pipes, but also air conditioning and, to top it all off, a new roof.

Well that means we have to get to work, because after building a huge scaffolding in September 2018, parts of the marble floor were gone in no time and the roof was off. Then it suddenly starts to look like a ruin and it got even worse when the pipes were also milled into the walls. What a battlefield and then you have to keep your mind to it. Fortunately, René had made all kinds of drawings in advance about how things should turn out. Remove a door here and build it again there, close a wall and open another and so on.

Did it all run smoothly, you're probably wondering? Well not exactly, it often went differently than planned. Then the drawings had to be adjusted again and that was not always the fault of the contractor, I can tell you. In retrospect, Kim and I also had our wishes. The kitchen and bathroom were slightly different. With the roof we made a good decision to replace it. Several beams turned out to be really bad and when dismantling the wall turned out to be not so strong anymore, so more costs and more replacements than expected. The advantage is that it is no longer necessary to replace the roof for the first fifty years, no more renovations.

And what about communication? That literally involved hands and feet and many drawings on site to understand each other. And then suddenly the workers are not there for a while. Why? Another job in between or.....? Well it was a combination, there was another job, of which it was clear what had to be done and with us there was quite a bit of noise on the line. From a budget point of view, some choices had to be made. We agreed to discuss this with the contractors at Paolo's office. That was a long morning with a lot of talking and sometimes a bit of irritation, but together we managed to work it out through Dutch, English and our limited Italian. At the end of the morning, white smoke finally appeared.

Reason to ask the men to go for an extensive lunch and they gladly did. It remains Italy of course, you have to celebrate everything with way too much food! The contractors had to reschedule some appointments (now you also understand why some agreements are not fulfilled / postponed 😉).

In May 2019 the time had come, we were able to sleep in our own home for the first time. Now you shouldn't think that it was a luxury right away, because the contractor was still busy and still had to deliver and finish everything. The first night we slept on an air mattress with only a working toilet (luckily). We brushed our teeth downstairs in the old dusty garage where 1 tap worked. Unfortunately, our air mattress was leaking and we ended up lying on the cold floor, you have to put in some effort if you want something nice. In the days that followed, we finished some things with the contractor, so that René, his sister and our son could also stay. At the end of the first two weeks there, we had a functioning kitchen and a bathroom with a bathtub - what a luxury!!

The contractor still had a lot to do and it took until after the summer to complete everything. The house was painted, the rough bathrooms were completed, the doors and walls were in the right place and the sewer system was equipped with wells, making inspections and such easier to do. Now it was up to us to do the finishing, but there was still a lot to be done. All walls had to be plastered again and the bathrooms still had to be tiled and finished on the 2nd floor. The indoor painting, refurbishing furniture, etcetera..... 😅

With only our short vacations it took us another 20 years to complete all the jobs - yikes!! So we looked for some help - first the plastering had to be tackled. We asked 2 different people to do a room, without us being in Italy. Mitik delivered a perfect room at a rapid pace and at normal costs, while the other took much longer with a pitiful quality. The choice was clear: Mitik can also do the rest of the house, even when we are not there. What a pleasure to come back to Italy and find clean walls!

And we didn't sit still, of course. We were there every holiday. While Kim takes care of painting, cleaning and furnishing, René starts work on the first guest bathroom on the second floor during the summer holidays. That was not finished at the end of the summer, still too much hassle around it that also had to be arranged and also a woman who suddenly thinks that you should tile your first bathroom in herringbone ... Then finish it during the autumn holidays, the first time tiling was successful with result! With all the arranging around it and all the other jobs that also had to be done, such as wallpapering, assembling the kitchen, etc., we also decided to look for someone who could tile the other bathrooms. And how lucky can you be if it turns out that Mitik can also do this very well. The choice was made quickly!

And that wasn't all the help. Many friends have come along and helped with whatever needed to be done:

Heavy front door - father Tony (79 years old)

Tiles kitchen - old neighbor Peter

Intermediate doors 1st floor - friend Sander

Skirting boards/lighting/kitchen cabinet - whirlwind Herman

Painting old cabinet - colleague Ine

Prime kitchen - Anita

Chipping out terrace tiles - Misja

Furnishing rooms - Carola

And then all the Italian neighbors and friends who help us a step further every time:

Ornella & Claudio: if you need anything, call them, they will arrange it (and speak excellent English!)

Anna: Need advice about running a B&B or who can help you renovate, Anna knows what to do.

Vincenzo & Nadia: the sweetest neighbors ever, lots of advice and super cozy (and Nadia is the best cook in Italy!!)

Germano, Mariella and Berto: it is impossible to describe in words how they are there for us every time.

Giorgio & Patrizia: also lovely neighbours, always willing to cooperate with our wishes.

Nando & Alessandra: dear neighbours, made the back doors for us.

Mitik & Carmen: they have conquered a very special place in our hearts. The hospitality we receive from them is unparalleled. Mitik has golden hands and Carmen is super creative, so they support us with everything :-)

We are privileged!!

At the beginning of 2020 we are about to go to Italy and then it turns out that Corona has broken out and we are not allowed to go to Italy. That also meant that Mitik could not continue, because very strict rules applied and it was not even allowed to travel between the villages, you can all stay in your own village. As a result, 2020 flies by and not too much happens. Although, in the meantime we manage to go for a few weeks in the summer and Peter and Anita also come to help for a week. With the help of some neighbors and ropes, Peter helps to get a 4-meter kitchen counter whole on the second floor. Too bad we didn't film that...

In the course of 2021 we will pick up the thread again and we can go to Italy more often. Mitik finishes the plaster work and also ensures that the tiling in the bathrooms is finished and also paints all the walls and ceilings in the house.

René is now busy wallpapering the 2nd floor and Kim is refurbishing furniture, doors and other important matters. We conclude that it is not actually finished yet and there is still work to be done everywhere. We decide to work in a more structured way and finish room by room. This also gives Kim the opportunity to really complete and furnish a room without having to drag the furniture back and forth.

I would almost say, that goes well, but we are asked if family of the neighbors can spend the night with us. Well actually we are not done yet, but yes the bathrooms are functional and a few beds can easily be put in. We also agreed that Sander, Mirjam and the kids would come and stay, so those Italian families can also join us. And there came Peter and Anita for the second time for a few nights. Those golden hands of those guests were more than welcome. We even managed to do a few jobs in our own apartment. 💪

At the end of 2021 we have the feeling that the rooms of the B&B are almost ready, at most hanging some stuff and other trifles.

If we really want to open up, a built-up swimming pool and a garden that doesn't look good is not good advertising. The requested quotes make it difficult for us, because the costs no longer fit into the budget. Kim and René have to make choices and make concessions. Hmmm they are not very good at that, René decides to do the work on the swimming pool himself. From the Netherlands he searches the internet for solutions to meet the wishes as much as possible. He does the purchasing of the materials himself and also assembles the swimming pool with all pipes and equipment. Excavation, tiling and sticking the liner in the pool are outsourced. Time to request quotes.

After a lot of chasing after everyone and bothering our neighbor Berto many times to help translate (he is the only Italian in the area who speaks good English and always wants to help), we managed to find contractors for the jobs. The work can start immediately and can (wishful thinking in Italy) be ready in April 2022.

Kim and René have arranged a 7-week stay in Italy, of which we are free for a few weeks and also have to work in the Netherlands for a few weeks (online, the only good thing that Corona has brought). Work will start in mid-March, a little later than expected. The hole is dug and René places the drainage pipes of the swimming pool. The cement floor is poured and René can continue to build the swimming pool. Together with the contractor, who is often not there, the pipework is laid in the ground and the earthwork can be further completed.

Misha and Carola also drop by in between and Misha ensures that a concrete floor is demolished. Together with Carola he puts up a bed and they hang up all sorts of decorations.

Not all the work is finished at the end of April and Kim and René go back to the Netherlands and the agreement is made that it will be finished at the beginning of June. Unfortunately, that goes wrong, the Italian way, and we decide that the total delivery will be postponed to July. Then we will be in Italy again for 7 weeks and René can finish it off with the man who will install the liner. The results are impressive. Together with Mitik, the walls of the garden are then also placed, so that the garden can be made safe again with the fencing in 2023.

At the end we actually have nothing to complain about when I read this back. Agreements are otherwise fulfilled, but fulfilled. We have made many friends over the years and found people everywhere who are willing to help. What a rich life we have got through this adventure, I can recommend it to everyone!!!