Until Now - Renovating our Lives

INSPIRATION

Until now – renovating our lives

With so much happening recently I thought it a good idea to catch you all up.

The Sydney Morning Herald

After some conversations with a journalist we were recently featured in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Yes we bought a bargain abroad and I still can’t believe the price we got our house for. I wouldn’t think many could say they got a cheaper liveable house in Italy than ours. After the story went live we had many new visitors to the blog and I’d like to welcome you if this is your first time here.

Journalist Christine Long…

Lisa and Sam Chiodo have done more than dream about buying European property. The Australian couple and their two children moved to northern Italy in March after they snapped up a ”liveable” three-bedroom house for €8000 ($11,500). Lisa says they found their mountain home on an Italian website while they were still in Australia, by tapping ”cheapest house in Piedmont” into a search engine. Although the Chiodo’s are old hands at the renovation game – this is their 12th project and their second in Italy – they found buying in Italy isn’t straightforward.

”In Italy the majority of houses are sold privately and often with only a sign saying: ”Vendesi” to let you know the property is for sale,” Lisa says. ”Often it is through word of mouth and most locals know which houses are for sale.” As she shares on her blog, Renovating Italy, it helps to have a local who can negotiate for you.

Visitors…. Mum’s …and the Trattoria

Since my last post we have had two lots of visitors from Australia, all long time friends and it was wonderful to be able to show them our little corner of the world. This has meant a stop to the renovations so we are a little bit behind.

We are still waiting for the window guy to come back and remeasure, if he doesn’t get these windows done soon we are seriously going to freeze through the winter. The heater is still to be installed but at least it’s in the room, it’s starting to get cold here in the evenings with extra blankets on the beds and a hot water bottle for me (I feel the cold).

We’ve also had a play date after school at a new friend of Carina’s. We spoke English all afternoon and I realized how strong my Australian accent is, it was a gift beyond words to be accepted and included by the Mum’s and asked around for the afternoon.

This was something I did many times in Australia and I missed having conversations with the other Mums about the kids and school life. Especially with Luca having the Autism and the drama and mix up with Carina those few days before starting school this was such a gift for me. Moving to another country is wonderful but it takes some time to feel like you fit, especially when children are involved.

I also had lunch this week with a lovely Canadian friend Marj at the Trattoria in town run by a fabulous woman who has been here many years from England. Seeing her always gives me hope that one day I’ll be an old hand at all this, know everyone by name and be at ease conversing in Italian. I’ve been walking up and down the mountain to be with the kids at lunchtime, so am getting fit and love the sense of independence I get just from having broken conversations along the way.

Both our children have settled well into school, the teachers are kind and I see them giving hugs as the kids come in the gate. It’s a very small school and classes are much more personal than we had back in Australia. Everyone knows who we are and I often hear the word ‘Australiani’ as I pass, this is usually followed by someone stopping us to say ‘ciao’ with lots of smiles and nods from both sides.

The trip to France

Last week Sam said ‘Let’s go for a drive’ and we ended up over the border and into France. The drive was incredible, and once we crossed the mountains it was as if we’d landed on another planet the contrast was so stark. We spent the day at a fortified city, Carina and I took to the back streets leaving the boys to follow along behind us.

Incredibly beautiful and just so ‘girlie’ it was some much needed Mum and daughter time, and a chance to share this beautiful country with my little girl who has a French soul. That night we ended up meeting our Aussie friends in Pinerolo for gelati and a night market, I feel as if I haven’t stopped for weeks.

Now it’s time to knuckle down and get the house sorted before Winter sets in, to get some routines in place for the school year ahead, and to focus on my writing. Oh and restore that gorgeous chest of drawers x

I hope you’ll come along with us as we create this new life in Italy,
we’d love to have you.

Save

and the gang x

17 replies

Leonore Raab says:
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Hello Lisa,

Hope you don’t me reaching out. I have just stumbled upon your blog and I think your story is amazing! I am currently working for a company called Betty TV which is based in London and we are looking for people who have bought and renovated their property for very cheap across Europe. This seems like the perfect story and was wondering if you would be interested in featuring on the show and please get back to me via email.

Kindest Regards,

Leonore
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Hi Leonore,
  
  Sounds fantastic just shoot us and email through our contact page and we’ll get right back to you, thanks so much
  lisa
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Leonore Raab says:
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Hi Lisa,

I have just stumbled across and I love your story – It’s so inspiring! I am contacting you from a production company called Betty TV as we are doing a programme about properties around Europe that have been bought for cheap and renovated.
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Lisa Wood says:
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Gosh Lisa – when do you get to sleep? Your lives are so full on busy, yet sound so magical. I have said it before but I will say it again, You are living where you were born to be.
I love your style, I love your renovations, I love your photos.
I never ever realised how cheap your house was!! Incredible bargain, and it will be so beautiful when you and Sam finish….
You so make me want to move to Italy 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  I tell you what Lisa, I always feel like I have a million things on the go at once and rarely get them finished or stay on track. I constantly beat myself up over the blog, the kids, my marriage, my looks etc.
  Moving here is giving me a lesson in letting go and living in the moment, right now luca and sam are engrossed in a game of angry birds and are doing lots of hi 5’s and laughing…priceless. I know you understand what i mean and yes our house was incredibly cheap, we couldn’t go wrong xx
  sending love to the gang x
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Julie collett says:
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Glad the children have settled in , and getting fit is a bonus . Your home is taking shape I see lots of love there , hope your windows and doors come soon as yep we are getting warmer and the cold is coming to you . Love to all xxxxx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  With so many delicious things to eat it is easy to put on the weight here Julie. The kids are loving school and I am writing right now from a wonderful place that is putting on afternoons for the kids from the school. They are singing songs in English and I am out in the foyer typing….life is good. xxx
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Krista says:
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Your Mum and daughter time sounds exquisite, Lisa!! I love that you take time from all your hard work to go on adventures together. 🙂 So beautiful. XO
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh how funny you were in Cleveland, we lived nearby at one stage. Loved your photos of the red beach, we are mid Autumn now and the leaves are falling. Our Mum and Daughter time is something special and I see how little we have when these few hours were so outstanding. My Carina has a French soul, and my Aunt tells me she has french blood in her veins from a great great grandmother so no wonder, that must mean I have as well lol xxx
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Margaret | Destination Here&Now says:
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If the Veravo house is around the same price as the one in Bobbio Pellice, get your people to ring our people 😉
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Hey Margaret a bit more but could be worth a chat….at 45k xxx
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Francesca Muir says:
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Gosh you haven’t let the grass grow under you feet – and it’s all so exciting. So glad the children are settled – that is so important. Hope you get the place warm and toasty for winter – loving you posts and your photos as fabulous – love the vintage feel. F xx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  I feel like I have been on the spin cycle in the washing machine for the longest time. Although we’ve only been away from Australia six months it seems like we’ve always been here. With the kids settled at school Sam and I are starting to regroup and think of ways to create an income lol . I’m hoping the house is toasty, it depends on our ‘window’ guy’s schedule at the moment. We want to keep everything as rustic as possible. Sending love and I’ve been loving your posts x
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Paul Lancia says:
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Excellent and makes me yearn to visit.
There is nothing like a simple country life filled with productive, satisfying work. I have a friend here in Finland, Seppo 70 years, who will occasionally say that there is nothing better in life than those special, simple moments with friends and family. When I read your posts, that saying always seems to float into my thoughts.

All the best!!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  We are learning this each day, even here I see how much time I spend on the computer when I could be out doing other things. I can agree with your friend Seppo, and see many older people here out working each day. I’m happy to know these thoughts float about when you are here, how lovely thank you xx
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Ingrid says:
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Fantastic Lisa – you really haven’t had to look back have you! You all seem to have found your own niche and are embracing the new life and finding the challenges and dealing with them along the way!
My house is in Phase 1 – floors (my lovely marble floors) being demolished for earthquake strengthening, roof removed and replaced, terrace (whats left of it) demolished and reconstructed plus other things – the scaffolding was supposed to be going up last Wednesday – can’t wait to get back and see what is going on! Baci, Ingrid
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  What a difference a week can make, so much has happened since this post that I can hardly take it in. We are slowly getting ourselves sorted out.
  I’m so excited for your house getting underway at last. I’ll be following along, often you think nothing much has happened until you look back to where you started. Can’t wait to hear about the progress and how the house develops xx
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