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Godzillavilla

~ The ongoing saga of turning a crumbling Italian ruin into a home

Godzillavilla

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Friends

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by Shelagh in Community, General

≈ 4 Comments

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friendship

Of all the things I feel I’ve gained through having this insane villa project, the most important one has to be a much deeper appreciation of the value of friends. Old friends, good friends, new friends, even just friendliness in general has been a consistent theme since the get-go. People of all stripes, and their willingness to help and cheer and commiserate, have been instrumental not just to our progress, but to the richness of the experience along the way.

Neighbour Dino helping to finish off the bathroom when we needed man-strength.

Heather, who showed Marcia and I such fantastic hospitality although we were total strangers, giving us an impromptu (and delicious) cooking lesson.

My neighbour Monica and her Mom, who run the bar. Monica’s husband Alberto, who has the advantage of machinery as well as muscle, has been so helpful over the years.

Our local grocer, maker of so many scrumptious things, always makes me feel like I’ve come home.

And I can’t leave out Dino’s dog Rudy, who has an instinct for knowing when we’ve pulled out the chaises and have our laps ready for a visitor.

There are lots of others, some of whom I’ve already spoken of and some as yet unsung. Even the unmet help: fellow bloggers who have encouraged me, facebook fans who help me understand just how wonderful an opportunity I have.  They all mean the world to me.  Having a finished villa someday would be lovely. But even if it never gets to completion, having all this warmth and openness sent my way over the journey is even more precious.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cheating on Godzillavilla

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Shelagh in General

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

home reno, italy, Liguria, restoration

Well, only in my mind. On a walk along the Alta Via, just up the hill from Godzillavilla, I found myself hankering to fix up this heavenly old house. It’s not the first time I’ve given it a meaningful glance. I’ve met the old owner on previous walks but it’s looking pretty boarded up now. Could a sale be imminent?

Perched along the Alta Via, with the most divine views.

Stunning from all angles.

And that magic sense of how good it would feel to walk through the door and say I’m home…oh my!

As if I don’t have a sufficiently insane project in Godzillavilla…but as many of us know, this falling in love with ruins thing is a real addiction.

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Crazy Cantamaggio

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by Shelagh in Community, Culture

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Italian music, italy, Liguria, living abroad

I’m happy to report that some things turn out to be every bit as good as we hope. I’ve waited years to be in Scurtabo for the first of May to celebrate Cantamaggio, a tradition that dates back, according to my sources, ‘since forever’.

Finding it was a challenge. The conversation went something like this:

I’d like to go to the Cantamaggio celebrations. Do you know if they’ll be on today?

Yes, certainly they will be.

Do you know when?

They started this morning.

How long will they sing?

All day. But not right now. (it was close to noon)

Later, then?

Yes.

Do you know where?

(gesture) All around.

Will they be at Scurtabo this afternoon?

Yes.

So if I go up there now and wait, they’ll show up?

Yes. But why would you go up now? They won’t be there.

One of the singers.

It was about then the penny dropped and I realized the event was like Mummering – you can’t possibly predict when or where, you can only put yourself in their general path and keep asking and waiting. The whole valley celebrates, with several bands of roving troubadours moving from house to house – and bar to bar – throughout the day to sing traditional songs, play the accordion and spoons, dance with whoever is willing, and generally have a rollicking time of it.

A super fancy tour bus for the band – yes, they pile in the back.

They did indeed arrive at the bar in Scurtabo, much later in the afternoon. It was pouring rain so everyone was packed inside. A large, covered truck drove up and out piled a dozen men in varying states of wobbliness. They’d already been going since 9:00 in the morning, drinking and singing, so they were in fine form.Spumanti was passed around, the accordionist started up, and the classic first of May song was belted out by the whole crowd. There’s a part about a donkey where everyone is supposed to jump up and down; my friend Marcia and I were instructed in this crucial bit and hauled into the throng to hop along. That was just the beginning.

One of the ‘band’ members played the spoons – really well. He solemnly swore to me that his instruments had been given to him by the Conservatory in Piacenza…

It’s not Italian without an accordion.

Willing, if not quite able, to try a whirl on the dance floor.

Somehow space was made for dancing, we were crazy enough to say yes to various wild-eyed singers looking for a partner, and they were uncaring enough not to be fazed by our total ignorance of the dance steps. We proved beyond a doubt that while Canadians may be good sports, they’re no match for Italians –even tipsy ones – on the dance floor.

So much fun. I’ve left out the more embarrassing photos, and the ones I have are poor due to the light, but I think you can get the idea!

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Triumph of the Sledgettes II

11 Friday May 2012

Posted by Shelagh in General, Structure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

demolition, home reno, italy, renovation, restoration, villas

Continuing in our mission to prove how much can be accomplished by a determined woman with a tiny sledgehammer, our new acolyte Marcia amply demonstrates that nothing can stand in the way of a will to destroy! Flush with our victory over the ceilings, and restless because the riding trek we’d planned for the day had been cancelled because endless rain had ruined the paths, she decided to have a go at that bathroom we’ve been wanting to remove off the side of the house.

First a sleepy resident salamander has to be given the bad news about his home.

Wielding our weapon of mass destruction. Shock and awe!

Removing the plumbing fixtures requires something more than a sledgehammer, but the concept is now revealed.

You may recall, this view of the future kitchen used to look into the bathroom. Think french doors and (perhaps) a wider opening.

View from the future kitchen sink. Except we’ll remove the bidet. Probably! The Supplicant Angel is under the cherry tree beyond.

I spent the day with a machete, massacring the humungous vines that smother everything on the property. To each his own! More about that later.

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The Joy of Destruction

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Shelagh in General, Structure

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

home reno, renovation, restoration, wood ceilings

What wonderful friends I have. First Friederike helps me banish negative energy, and now Marcia has helped me banish the rotten ceilings, revealing the beautiful beams of the new roof above. Actually, ‘help’ is not quite the right word – once she got that crowbar in her hands, she was a one-woman show of destructive force. My job was to pitch them out the window and stack them up below.

Getting started, showing fine crowbar form

Looks benign from this angle, but the animal scat up there was disgusting.

The finished product; the beams came down easily in this room because they were rotten, but were too heavy for us in the others.

Bath ceiling is particularly pretty as it’s the hipped part.

Above the master, the hall ceiling will remain in order to have a little place for accessing the roof through the window (for repairs).

The nails are so old they’re hand-made, square ones

Caber toss championships

Boards in space!

The landing deck

Neighbour Alberto has kindly offered to take them away and burn them. Only a few boards were salvageable, this pile is all rotten.

Reward time!

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