We have been home for four days and our minds and bodies are
just now shaking off the effects of the trip.
These are not only the inevitable jet lag that comes from nine hours of
time change but also the abrupt change in our surroundings.
It is always a mind blowing, soul numbing transition as we
move from Orange County to the mountain and back again.
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| Tissy starting the dishwasher |
One moment we are watching plumped up Newporters pushing shih
tzus in strollers and the next we are fetching our water from the fountain to
wash the dishes. This is both the appeal
of our little village and also the thing that creates doubts in our minds.
This trip especially we struggled going in with many
questions on how we could balance our lives and achieve the dream of living
part of the year on the mountain and building this bridge between two distinct
cultures.
We are now officially two years into our “project” and the
novelty of the idea is wearing off. The
“investment” so far has been five trips, the purchase, continued withdrawals
from our savings for materials, one broken shoulder and more than a few late
night conversations.
Our estimated time and cost to completion, while more
accurate than last year at this time, is still a very general range. Not the kind of thing that 50-somethings like
us enjoy as we plan for our last big push of work before some form of
retirement.
On this trip, our
imported work crew consisted of Linda, her sister Tissy, my brother Ken
and family friend Sam Pontillo who is 18 and just finished his first year of
college.
By the time we landed in Milan, we were tired and the
excitement of the trip was mixed with more than a few questions in our
minds. Could we complete the project
without affecting our retirement? Would
our family want to visit us in the future half way around the world? Could we
really build a little tourism business that would work? Were we up to the physical challenge this
type of construction requires?
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| Isole Bella, Lago Maggiore |
We piled into our little Fiat and began to make our way
north in the intermittent drizzle that was giving way to heavier rain. The plains around Milan quickly gave way to
the hills that become mountains leading to the Alps. Snow was covering many of the middle
peaks from the late Spring. We decided
to stop at Stresa which is a town on the Lago Maggiore, one of the deep Alpine
Lakes that on the way to Veglio.
A few cappuccinos and a walk through the farmers market
started to change our attitude. We arrived at our temporary home in Canova and
settled in.
As the week unfolded, we were once again smitten. The beauty of the land, the warmth of the
people. The enthusiasm that is building
from the locals as they see the potential beginning to unfold.
Our work crew when we are not there consists of Andrea and
two other local people. The work must fit between Andrea’s day job in
Switzerland and also the weather that is quite wet in Spring as the moist
Mediterranean air meets the immense wall of the Alps that are over 12,000 feet
in this part of Italy.
Our visits provide a much needed boost of energy and labor
that helps the project maintain momentum.
On this trip, we wanted to first and foremost confirm the layout of the
final designs of the rooms. In addition,
we wanted to complete the last small sections of wall and tower, dig out the
water and sewer lines and place the large roof beams.
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| Andrea and Sam awaiting "cemento" buckets |
Despite three days of very hard rain and very sore backs, we
pushed on with the tasks. Good fortune
of the rocks in the just the right places and the herculean efforts of Piero
accelerated our work ahead of schedule.
By week’s end, we had reached all of our goals and also
opened up two new doorways, cleared the creek, cleaned out the old bread oven
and continued the demolition of the old interior plaster.
Standing back on the final day of work, the old house began
to reflect its transformation. We could
clearly see the flow of the rooms, the placement of the windows, the stairs and
layout of the kitchen. No longer was it
just a dripping pile of rock and rotted beams, but actually began to look like
a stone home that could be brought to life with the sounds of children’s
voices, cooking and music.
Every successful project has a tipping point when the trough
of disillusionment makes way to the confidence of completion. While we will have many difficult moments,
both Linda and I now can feel that this dream will be possible.
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| The last section of stone on the tower |
We also continue to learn that our work is not just about
the stone and mortar, but about the opportunity to bring people together to
live and learn. Italians and Americans,
young and old, city dwellers and farmers.
This was most evident during our last dinner on the mountain
this trip. We decided to throw a little
pizza party for our family and also many of those who are working on the
project and in the village. Since Papa
John’s does not deliver in Veglio, we had to come up with Plan B.
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| Pizza maker, Arrianna and Sam |
There are three ancient ovens in Veglio. The largest and newest is about two hundred
years old. It is in good shape and is about 8 feet across. Historically, it
served to make bread for much of the village for the entire week. Likely several hundred loaves over a 8 hour
baking time.
We decided to clean it out and fire it, which was last
heated about five years ago. The heat
was immense and I burned the top of my hair and both Sam and I have fewer
eyelashes that when we started.
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| Smiles all around |
It was well worth the risk.
We made ten pizzas and served them around the table in the old
house. Even though just a few words of
common language were shared amongst many, the visible smiles and raised glasses
signified success. Crazy Americans
bringing pizza to the Italians but we hope much more.
We are hopeful that we can continue to bring that most
American of values, optimism and a can-do spirit to this village that continues
to teach us so much.
