UMBRIA BOUND PART 4 - DOING THE DEED

Well - its time for me to recount the day we finally completed the purchase of our apartment in Citta della Pieve. I'm feeling a bit annoyed with myself as I started this last evening and wrote several paragraphs which I then deleted by mistake. How irritating!! Anyway - at least the thoughts and information are still fresh in my mind.

After breakfast at the Vannucci Hotel we checked out and left our bags with the porter to collect later on. Our first stop was to be the apartment itself where we had made arrangements with the Professor's sister-in-law, Jackie, to have a final look at the place and make sure everything was in order which we knew it would be. She had stayed in the apartment the evening before with her youngest son, Chris and we were all to visit the notary's office together later in the morning. It was good to get some fresh air before arriving at the flat and we strolled through the medieval streets of the old town wondering how the day would go. In contrast to the dreadful hail storm of the previous evening, it was a bright sunny morning and the main street bustled with activity as the locals went about their business. It seemed only a matter of minutes before we were ringing the apartment bell and climbing the stairs to the flat. Our inspection took only moments and we were soon sitting down for a chat in the small dining room with the full length doors flung open revealing the amazing view outside. As I gazed out over the Tuscan hills and the Chiana valley I knew this was why we were buying this particular apartment and I couldn't help looking forward to later in the day when we would be returning there as the new owners. Jackie and her son had arrived from London via Perugia airport the previous afternoon and had been entertained by the estate agents that evening. They seemed a bit sad to be leaving everything behind, though I know it was a relief to Jackie to finally get the complex legal work concerning the Professor's estate finally wound up and the and sale of the property completed. I was touched by the fact that she'd left me all the Professor's books on the medieval and Renaissance periods in Italy and many other historical works and travel guides too - most of them in English. There were some interesting looking novels I hadn't read as well. This was a nice gesture and I thought of lots of pleasures to come going through them and selecting stuff to read.

Together we strolled over to the estate agent's office to meet Laura who was to accompany us to the notary's office for the official signing. After we'd all squeezed into her four wheel drive vehicle it took about an hour to get to Perugia and it was interesting to discover this particular notary had his office in a relatively new looking modern building above a coffee shop! We ended up arriving a bit early for our appointment so you can guess where we ended up - downstairs in the cafe where there was time for quick cappucinos all round. Then we headed upstairs to the office on the first floor. In Italy the notary is a respected individual and there is some degree of ceremony involved in any business done in his or her presence. When we had bought a villa in the Costa Blance in Spain several years ago and then sold it again a few years later we had been through a similar process with a notary so we sort of knew what we were in for. It made me think about how this particular role had evolved in the Mediterranean region and its a fascinating vestige from the institutions and offices developed by the Romans during the Republican period.

RELIEF SCULPTURE OF A ROMAN SCRIBE
TOMB OF FLAVIA SOLVA c 500BC

WAX TABLET AND VARIOUS STYLII
THE TOOLS OF A ROMAN SCRIBE

When the Romans were setting up civil institutions during the early phases of the Republic 'SCRIBAE' had been appointed to record facts and various legal proceedings and as transcribers. As the value of such written records became more and more apparent so the role of these individuals grew and became professionalised. They were valued for their education and learned background and became more and more important in both public and private affairs. Some became attached to the Roman Senate and to the courts of law and recorded all the proceedings to do with these important institutions and supplied magistrates with legal papers, registered decrees and judgements.In the century before the Rupublic converted to an Empire many scribae became a NOTARIAE and used a new form of shorthand involving specially developed marks and signs called 'notae' to record events and proceedings. Later still the title  and role of NOTARIUS became associated exclusively with registrar's attached to important government officials including provincial governors of the Empire.

When the Empire dissolved in the 5th century AD the notary continued as an important official in many parts of Europe and during the medieval period in Italy, when the civil law became once again an important organ of many sovereign states and governments, notaries became inextricably involved in those institutions connected with legal matters. Today, in those countries which have legal systems descended from Roman models, including Italy of course, the notary is an important and respected figure.

15th CENTURY PAINTING OF A CIVIL LAW NOTARY
BY ARTIST QUENTIN MASSYS

 Gordon Neale in his book "Buying a House in Italy" defines the role of a modern highly qualified Italian notary as follows:

                   "The notary is a representative of the State and it is his/her duty to register all contracts deeds and titles in the appropriate registry office; collect all appropriate taxes and duties on behalf of the state and be responsible, if in default, for making good any deficit from his/her own pocket."

When we arrived in the office of our notary in Perugia we were shown to a room with large glass windows overlooking the street. It was pouring with rain outside. The furnishings consisted of a large white topped oblong table with a number of stylish black chairs round it and all modern conveniences for projection of documentation on to the wall at the end of the room. Jon and I sat with Laura on the street side of the table and Jackie and her son sat on the opposite side. Soon the notary, a jovial, good humoured fellow in his late 40's, joined us and sat at the head of the table facing the wall where our documents would be projected for us all to check. Everything had been translated in to English so both parties could absorb the detail and after a brief introduction of the purpose of the meeting by the notary proceedings began. Each page of the contract document, in Italian and English, was projected on the screen and read out by the notary; we were asked to comment on any errors or mistakes regarding each page. Essentially it consisted of a title deed with a detailed description of the apartment and the legal matters of title relating to it. When all of this had been gone through and minor matters concerning the odd spelling mistake and correct naming of individuals had all been put right, we were then presented with paper copies to sign. In Italy it seems to be common practice to sign every page of any legal document so a good number of individual signatures can be involved as was the case here. When all of this had been done - it was time to present the cheque drawn in sterling for the balance of the purchase to Jackie and the deed was done. We all shook hands and we were now the new owners of the Professor's apartment in Citta della Pieve. The whole business had taken less than an hour and the sun had come out in the meantime! A good omen surely?

After leaving the notary's office we all went off to Perugia railway station so Jackie and her son could catch a train to Rome and then eventually board a flight back to Gatwick. It had been a pleasant experience meeting them - and so different to purchasing a property in the UK; the almost ceremonial experience of getting everyone round a table to do the business did feel as though it had roots in centuries gone by. I am always intrigued by understanding present human cultural practises in terms of the past and there couldn't be a better example of this notion than this. Meeting and doing business with an Italian notary is to make a direct link with business done in the Italian peninsula over 2000 years ago - fascinating!

Jon and I returned to Citta with Laura, picked up our bags at the Vannucci and we then walked  back to the apartment to start our new life there. It had been an interesting day and we were finally alone in the flat for the first time. It seemed huge and rather cavernous, despite the fact we had inherited all the professor's furniture including everything from knives and forks to clean sheets for the beds. We were lucky in that respect and all we needed to do was to go out and buy some provisions at the shop nearby so we could have a glass of wine with a special toast, some home made pasta and enjoy the sun setting over the Tuscan hills - our first true taste of  la dolce vita!!

PS. The estate agents we used, Apolloni & Blom, have their office in Via Vannucci, the main street of Citta della Pieve. We found Krister Blom and Laura Valdambrini incredibly helpful through all stages of the buying process and recommend them warmly. Check out their web site - www.apolloniblom.com  - and have a look at the wonderful array of properties they have for sale in this part of Umbria.

You might also like to look at www.casatuscany.com which is the website where our search for a property in the area began.

FROM THE UK TO ROME & CITTA DELLA PIEVE BY PLANE, COACH & TRAIN

In a couple of weeks time, on Friday May 31st in fact, it will be a red letter day for Jon and I marking the first anniversary of the purchase of our holiday home in Citta della Pieve, Umbria. It's caused me to think back and remember the eventful weekend we had when we went over to sign up for and take possession our Umbrian apartment.

We could only afford to make a quick weekend visit to Umbria so for the first time we decided to try flying out to Rome to take the train from there to Citta della Pieve. This proved to be a sensible decision because our usual carrier, the renowned Ryanair, had a flight at a good time of day to Rome's second airport Ciampino - which lies 12 kilometres to the southeast of the city centre just beyond the greater ring road.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF ROME'S TWO MAJOR AIRPORTS
CIAMPINO LIES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE CITY CENTRE JUST
OUTSIDE THE OUTER RING ROAD

Opened in 1916 to operate as a military base it eventually became Rome's main airport until 1960 when it was overtaken by Fiumicino. After a long and gradual decline in scheduled traffic Ciampino's fortunes have improved in recent years as budget airlines like Ryanair have started to use it. It had over four and a half million passengers travel through it in 2013 and its now Italy's fastest growing airport. I'm hoping it doesn't get too big though and spoil what is at present a good passenger experience. Additionally, anyone who has been to Rome's main airport will know that it's vast and can involve doing a minimarathon from check in to departure gate and vice versa on landing there. Ciampino on the other hand, because of its small size, is easily negotiable and the distances involved from stepping off the plane to getting to the arrivals hall takes only moments - and you don't have to trudge through the endless malls of boutique and overpriced shops which you do at the other place. People say that size matters and I would applaud this sentiment wholeheartedly in this particular case where small is definitely better! With no hold luggage on this particular journey it took only minutes to arrive at the bus stop where we took a coach to the main railway station in Rome.  At just six euros each the fares seemed a bargain.

ROME'S CIAMPINO AIRPORT AND AN ARRIVING RYANAIR JET FROM THE UK

Back in the 1960's and whilst a pupil at secondary school (that now seems an awful long time ago!!) I became attracted to Geography as a subject area - largely due to the excellent teacher I had at the time. His name was Mr Butler and he was young, good looking and extremely enthusiastic in all his lessons; we used to call him the "welsh wizard" on account of his pronounced accent. His influence on me as a teacher proved to be profound, however, because I would later move on to study the subject at 'A' level and then study it as an honours subject at University. Anyway the point of this memory is something he taught me and my fellow pupils to think about when making any journey by private car or public transport and I've never forgotten it.
It's a good replacement for the well known cliche "Are we nearly there?"!! He argued that any journey through a landscape, be it urban or rural or a combination of both is a source of fascination for the curious mind. It can be viewed as  a sort of "transect" which can be looked at and observed, recorded, and thought about in geographical terms. Any trip can thus be easily thought of as following a map and as I think of this I am reminded of those eighteenth century now antique English strip maps which highlighted towns and villages on coaching routes between major destinations in England. It's easy enough with a bit of practice to envisage a route mentally in these terms and I still take pleasure today in thinking of a journey in this way. So moving from an airport to the centre of the urban area it serves and onwards by train to the final destination can become an intriguing experience and so it was on our journey from Rome's Ciampino to Citta della Pieve in Umbria. Here are a few of the highlights.

ANTIQUE STRIP MAP OF THE ROUTE BETWEEN LONDON & DERBY
REMINDING ME OF THIS JOURNEY FROM CIAMPINO TO UMBRIA 

After leaving the airport precincts passing by the usual dull looking car parks and other anciliary service areas the coach joined the main route which led to Rome's outer ring road - an especially busy traffic zone on a late Thursday afternoon. At the major nodal junction many of the bustling and typically mad and jostling vehicles were heading either northeast towards Florence or southwest towards Naples and Calabria. The road we took towards the city centre - the Appia Nuova - was surprisingly light in traffic - most of what we could see through the coach windows was heading out of the city centre rather than towards it. Once inside the ring road we then appeared to be in a modernish (ie 20th century) district lined with numerous blocks of apartments with businesses of various kinds on the ground floor.

VIA APPIA NUOVA

 The road was eventually punctuated by what I discovered was the Piazza Re di Roma - a green area with trees and the San Giovanni metro stop on the red line linking it with the city centre at Roma Terminii and even the Vatican. It turned out this whole area was part of an ambitious early 20th century city urban planning scheme initiated by the mayor to accommodate Rome's expansion in a controlled way outside the ancient city walls.

OLD PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PIAZZA RE DI ROMA ON THE APPIA NUOVA
 - SAN GIOVANNI DISTRICT OF ROME

Essentially a roundabout with seven branch roads the tram system, which travelled up and down the Appia Nuova, cut it in half, but when the metro station opened in 1980 it was turned in to a park with trees and play areas - a breathing space for the San Giovanni neighbourhood; though quite how the residents put up with the traffic pollution and presumably poor air quality today remains to be seen. Still a green space with trees is better than no space at all. Today the area is busy and 'Roman' in the sense it is way off the tourist trail and some have dubbed it as being "on the other side of the tracks" because of its location  outside the 'old' city.

THE PEDESTRIANISED PARK THAT IS PIAZZA RE DI ROMA

Just to the north of this large roundabout Piazza the urban landscape starts to get really interesting. On the left hand side of the coach I spotted the impressive facade of a Roman church which turned out to be of major significance and its an impressive sight. The church is the Archbasilica of San Giovanni Lateran - and the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome - ie. the Pope. A bit of further research revealed it to be the oldest and thus the first of four papal basilicas in the city. As such it ranks above all other churches in Rome - even St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

THE ARCHBASILICA OF SAN GIOVANNI LATERAN

This hugely impressive classical facade, designed by architect Galilei and completed in 1735, was essentially a new screen over an older building elevation. The latin inscription in the frieze beneath the pediment reads "CHRISTO SALVATORI" and is a dedication to Christ the Saviour. Surmounting the pediment if a figure of Christ flanked by sculptures of the apostles.Though outside the Vatican in geographical terms, the church has extraterrestrial status in terms of the Italian state; this being guaranteed after the resolution of what was known at the time as the 'Roman Question' which led to the signing of the Lateran treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy in 1929. Inside there are evidently no less than six papal tombs. Until 1870 all Popes were crowned in this church and today the Pope conducts a Maunday Thursday mass here and an annual blessing of the people. A return journey to see the interior is already in my Roman "to do" list and I look forward to reporting on it in a future post.

Just round the corner from St John the Lateran the coach windows gave our first glimpse of the surviving and significant remains of the twelve mile in length Aurelian walls which have protected the city of Rome since 275AD. They took five years to construct by the Roman army during the reigns of Emperors Aurelain (hence the name) and Probus and enclosed all of the seven hills and the Campus Martius. The coach views revealed they were built of brick and faced with concrete. Originally built to a height of 26 feet they were raised in height 52 feet in the fourth century. They were especially important in the 3rd century AD, providing the city with protection from invasion by barbarian tribes which broke the German frontier and flooded south towards Rome. Interestingly the walls have defined the boundaries of the city until the 19th century after which time development started to take place outside them. In places they are remarkably well preserved and I found views of them through the coach windows very impressive. Evidently there were 18 main gates into the city and it was fascinating to see and then pass by one of them on our journey into Rome.

The gate is called the Porta San Giovanni and named after the nearby Archbasilica and it was built to commission for Pope Gregory XIII who was involved in improving the flow of traffic near the papal church - and designed by an architect called Gaicomo del Duca. Inauguarated in 1574 the classical structure (which has never looked particularly defensive in character) frames a single large arch. The gateway marked the end (or beginning if you like) of an important Roman road - the Via Campana; the Via Appia Nuova which we had travelled along from the airport had followed the line of this significant road out of the city.

PORTA SAN GIOVANNI AND THE IMPRESSIVE AURELIAN WALLS 

On the other side of the arch it was time now for the coach to makes its way through the older part of Rome to its final destination - Roma Terminii.

PART 2 - FROM ROME TO CITTA

I've always found railway stations fascinating places and this interest started as a boy when I travelled the length and breadth of England chasing steam trains. The large railway termini in London such as Kings Cross and Paddington I found particularly alluring, partly because of their grand architecture and sheer size and also the capacity each had to deal with thousands of passengers daily. Acting as huge conduits for arriving and departing travellers there was never a dull moment at any time of day. Rome's main railway station - ROMA TERMINI (dedicated to Pope Paul II in December 2006) follows this vein and it was an exciting if somewhat daunting place to arrive at when we got off the coach from Ciampino last May. The bus disgorged its full load of passengers in the huge Piazza dei Cinquecento in front of the station building and whilst we all stood about waiting to collect our bags from the luggage compartment, it was a great place to get bearings in a part of the city I'd never been to before. Immediately I was struck by the juxtaposition of ancient and modern in this amazing urban environment. Behind me the travertine modernist post war facade of one the largest railway stations in Europe and in front of me just across the road - a  significant part of the ruins of the famous ancient baths of Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Today the whole area operates as an impressive, integrated transport hub, As well as the huge station with 29 platforms and trains departing to and arriving from every Italian city and from and to international destinations as well, there is also the huge bus and coach station to the front of it. On top of that Rome's two metro lines, A & B, also cross at this point, with platforms for both lines beneath the station complex. It's an interesting and coherent solution to modern problems of the mass movement of people. In London, when the railway infrastructure developed piecemeal in the 19th century, major railway stations which still operate today, developed at various points round the core of the capital and a similar nodal system operates in Paris too. Here in Rome its one major complex serving almost all needs.

There's been a station complex here since 1863 when Pope Pius IX opened a temporary station replacing two pre-existing stations and to facilitate the opening of another line. Construction of a replacement new terminus began in 1868 during the last few years of Papal rule in Rome and it was completed in 1874 by the government of the new Italian state. A black and white photograph shows the front of the station in the late 19th century. The station was further developed in the late 1930's as part of the infrastructure development in the city for the impending 1942 World Fair (which of course never took place because of the second world war). The old station frontage was taken down, but all work stopped in 1943 when the fascist government in Italy collapsed and it would be 1947 before the project was resurrected and developed in to the form we seeing it in on the day of our arrival.

A VIEW OF ROME TERMINI STATION IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY

Two teams of architects were selected to complete the station frontage - Calini and Montuori and Fadigati et al. In front of the plain travertine Bauhaus inspired facade of the main station structure the pedestrian concourse is roofed in by a spectacular undulating reinforced concrete and glass structure canopy which almost appears to defy gravity. Most people are totally unaware of it as human nature encourages us all to look ahead rather than upwards. The world looks a different place when one goes around looking up but you have to remember where you are going and not mind if others think you are jay walking!

PIAZZA DEI CINQUECENTO IN FRONT OF ROME TERMINI STATION

THE ELEGANT REINFORCED CONCRETE ROOF OF THE ROME TERMINI PASSENGER CONCOURSE

Outside, as the canopy projects forward from the travertine frontage and running along its edge, is a most interesting anodized aluminium sculptural bas relief of abstract form which is often overlooked. It explores the theme of the sound and speed of trains.

AMERIGO TOT'S ALUMINIUM FRIEZE FRONTING ROME TERMINI'S STATION CANOPY

It turns out it was designed and made by a Hungarian born sculptor called Amerigo Tot (1909-1984) who I had to admit I had never heard of. Tot studied in Budapest from 1926 - 1928 and later on in Germany he was tutored at one stage by famous Bauhaus professor Laszio Moholy-Nagy. After the rise of the Nazi party in the early 30's he moved to Rome and made a living sculpting memorials with the aid of a stipend from the Hungarian Academy in the city. The Termini station commission resulted from his competition entry for the station sculpture in 1949 and it was finally installed in 1953. Tot seems to have been a bit of a character in his later life by aspiring to be an actor with some degree of success. He played the part of Bassetta - Michael Corleone's bodyguard and the executioner of Johnny Ola in The Godfather II!!

PHOTOGRAPH OF HUNGARIAN BORN AMERIGO TOT ON THE SPANISH STEPS, ROME

After spending time looking at all of this intriguing modernist architecture and outdoor "art" it was time to seek our 7.12pm train to Chiusi. We collected our prepaid tickets from dispensers on the station concourse and a word of advice - if you ever buy a ticket to travel on an Italian train make sure you validate it for travel by getting it punched by one of the green wall mounted machines!! If you don't you risk a penalty fare when the conductor comes round to check travel documents. Looking up at the departures board, which I always love to do - I was taken by the fact we were due to travel on an early evening train from Rome to Vienna - though not exactly the Orient Express it impressed us nevertheless. It turned out to be a sleeper/couchette train so most of the carriages were for this purpose - only the front two being for seated passengers.

We were soon seated in a coach with what seemed to us to be old fashioned compartments - reminiscent of British rolling stock of the 1960's which I'd always rather liked. As we sat drinking our luke warm cappucinos from cardboard cups and chewed on our overpriced pastries the train pulled out of the station on time to head north. There's not a lot to say about the first part of the journey as we passed by lots of graffiti endorsed buildings and dull looking apartment blocks in the Rome suburbs. Our journey to Chiusi would take about one and half hours with only one stop - Orvieto - another place I'd never been to and only heard about through my art historical studies - its site and situation was to be another revelation.

For several years I have used an item from the cathedral in Orvieto to illustrate a point in a general lecture on the history of the decorative arts. The said object is a magnificent silver reliquary of gothic architectural form with enamelled panels illustrating scenes from the bible. (More about this in a future blog). The object was made in the medieval period and perfectly illustrates the cooperation between craftsmen skilled in different areas working together to make a work of art. Commissioned by the church elders is formed a repository for a relic relating to a saint involved in the history of the city and the cathedral. Beyond knowing that the cathedral it was housed in was one of the most magnificent in Italy I knew little more about the place.

ORVIETO STATION

About 50 minutes after leaving Rome an announcement from the guard indicated we were soon to stop in the town. I looked out of the left hand window of our compartment and couldn't believe the spectacular setting of this renowned Umbrian settlement. The old town sits on top of a spectacular steep sided  rock outcrop with a flattened top. Formed from the remains of a volcanic rock material which the Italians call tufa it must have provided early settlers with a wonderfully defensive site overlooking the nearby Chiana river valley and it is here that the ancient medieval town and magnificent cathedral was built. I was excited to see it to say the least and having recently visited the town on more than one occasion I'll be back with postings about it in the near future.

THE MEDIEVAL UMBRIAN HILL TOP TOWN OF ORVIETO

After stopping for a few minutes at the station the train moved off again and gradually picked up speed as it made its way northwards along the Chiana valley towards our destination - Chiusi. As we approached our stop I looked outside to see that dusk was beginning to fall and that strangely the valley landscape looked white as if it had been snowing. Was this possible in May I asked Jon? As we drew in to the station it became evident there had been a storm prior to our arrival and what we were seeing was the result of oversized hail - some of the stones almost the size of golf balls. What an unexpected sight! Outside the station  our taxi driver managed to communicate to us that if we'd arrived a bit earlier he wouldn't have been able to take us up the hill to Citta della Pieve 7 kilometres away. Anyway - driving along slushy roads and with the level of darkness increasing every minute, we soon arrived at the Hotel Vannucci. It was about 7.30pm and we were exhausted, but on reflection I said to Jon that I thought it had been a memorable journey. It was one which inspired us to vow to go back and visit several of the places we'd seen en route. After a supper in the hotel we settled down to chat about the completion of our property purchase the following day.

THE PROFESSOR'S APARTMENT, CITTA DELLA PIEVE

Its time to return to our eventful weekend in Citta della Pieve in February 2013.

The hotel Vannucci, named after Citta della Pieve's most famous son, the Renaissance master Pietro Vanucci  and better known as Perugino - turned out to be a gem of a place to stay right in the middle of the old town. It had been booked for us by Laura our estate agent - she'd previously worked there several years ago and was able to get us a good rate. This thirty bedroomed boutique hotel, with every modern convenience and a wonderful setting right in the middle of town, is still privately owned. It was intriguing to discover that the core of the hotel (as opposed to the more recent extension at the back) was in fact a late nineteenth century villa set in private gardens, built for no other than King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1887. It was to be a holiday home for himself and his mistress. The hotel still reflects some of that late nineteenth century aristocratic charm and ambience and it wasn't difficult to understand why the site was chosen, sitting as it does, in a private landscaped garden overlooking the old town. It was easy to shut one's eyes and imagine balmy, summer evenings to be spent sipping wine on the terrace of the villa admiring the lovely view. It must have been a perfect retreat from frenetic Rome and the summer heat of the capital at the end of the 19th century. Today, it provides a quiet retreat for all who choose to savour its charms and we warmly recommend it.

THE HOTEL VANNUCCI - CITTA DELLA PIEVE

After our first night's stay at the hotel in a quiet room at the back overlooking the winter landscape of Umbria we enjoyed a wholesome breakfast and contemplated the itinerary for the day. We were to meet our estate agent at 9.30am and revisit a couple of the properties we'd liked in the previous visit and one or two new ones as well.

DINING ROOM AT THE HOTEL VANNUCCI

We went back to the village house (still liked it but it felt removed from where we now wanted to be) looked at the house with the three studios (still a very interesting property but decided it was too much work) and looked at a couple of other properties out of town - one in an amazing palazzo that had an impressive entrance hall and staircase and a wonderful loggia - but totally without a view! Back in Citta we looked at a town house that had splendid valley views but seemed pokey and another that had been renovated to a high standard and had the same view of the apartment we'd visited on the last trip but seemed expensive for what it was. Finally, I asked Jon if we should go back and look at the two bedroomed apartment we'd liked last time but dismissed it for being too big. Krister said yes this was possible and told us that it had in fact gone under offer since we'd been there last time, but had fallen through because of legal difficulties relating to the timing of its sale - it was thus back on the market. We took the short walk back to what we'd nicknamed the professor's apartment and our agent opened up all the windows so we could see it again in the glorious daylight of a sunny winter afternoon. We were both taken it with it again - just as we had been on the first visit. After a thorough look round we thanked Krister and walked back through the atmospheric narrow alley ways of Citta to the Hotel Vannucci on the other side of town. Co-incidentally Krister was going off to meet from the airport the lady who was one of the beneficiaries of the professor's estate and dealing with sale of this flat.

THE PROFESSOR'S APARTMENT - TOP FLOOR WITH THE CREAM PAINTED BALCONY

Over a cup of tea, we got down to reflecting on what we'd seen and  the business of discussing what we should do - if anything. We seemed to be left with one obvious choice - the lovely flat we had just seen. Though a wee bit tired - it hadn't been occupied for nearly a year - it seemed a natural thing to do to make an offer and we decided to ring Krister and try making an offer in pounds sterling which we knew it was possible to do given the beneficiaries were all based in England.  He said he'd speak to the vendor and get back to us and we assumed we would hear the news the following morning.

That evening we decided to eat in town and about 6.30pm made our way over to a restaurant Krister had recommended called Serenella which he said was a well kept secret and much frequented by locals and those :'in the know'.

TRATTORIA SERENELLA - Citta della Pieve

Tucked away down a narrow alley between the Via Vannucci and the main square of the town, this unpretentious little trattoria was another interesting discovery. Krister had told us that it is run by two hard working, not so young sisters, one doing all the cooking and the other serving the customers in the small two roomed establishment. We soon discovered there was no menu - just a list on a blackboard near the counter in the first room. We ordered pasta with ragout sauce which turned out to be wonderfully home cooked, robust and delicious - so much so we couldn't face a main course so we had tiramisu instead. We were just thinking about leaving and had paid the very modest bill, when in came Krister, Laura and the lady called Jackie who was over from England to deal with the legalities involving the flat we'd made the offer on. To cut a long story short - she'd decided, on behalf of all the beneficiaries, to accept our pounds sterling offer if we were prepared to sign the legal documents before she left for England. By this time we'd decided we definitely wanted to go ahead with the purchase of the apartment so we said yes, on the proviso we could visit it again the following morning and also get a survey done the following day as well. This was all mutually agreed and we all sat down in the little restaurant to celebrate. We'd made the big decision and things were moving forward quickly - unless we changed our mind overnight.

The following morning we hadn't changed our mind and we went back to the flat to have another look round and to meet Jackie again. It turned out she'd also invited a couple, Michael and Fran, who'd looked after the apartment for the english professor during some of his time there. We all got on well and decided to go out for a coffee in the town. Krister had organised the survey with a geometra for early that afternoon. By 4pm we had the preliminary results. The surveyor had been up on the roof as well as in the roof void - everything was fine with the flat. So the upshot was - we went to the estate agent's office at 7pm that evening and did the deed - jointly signing the preliminary contract to purchase the apartment - we to purchase it and Jackie to sell it to us. The documentation had all been translated into English for us and we went through it slowly, page by page; each time we all had to sign the page that had just been read. We agreed we would pay the ten per cent deposit to the sellers as soon as we arrived home and that a completion date would be set, probably in May, as soon as the professor's estate had finally been settled on the Italian side. It was a done deal as they say and I'm pleased to say that though we felt we'd been just a weeny bit reckless in the way we'd approached it all - there were no second thoughts. I now feel sure it was the best thing to do - recognizing that if we'd gone home without agreeing the purchase we'd probably have talked ourselves out of it and done nothing. After the hour long signing session we all went to another restaurant near the office for a joint celebration paid for by Laura and Kirster. It was a raucous and fun evening enjoyed by us all.

VIEW OF THE CHIANA VALLEY FROM OUR "NEW" APARTMENT

The following morning we felt slightly hung over but we were ready to meet Krister and Laura who  picked us up at the Hotel Vannucci to take us to Perugia airport to catch the flight home. It had been an eventful weekend.

QUOTATION;

"Once more on my adventure brave and new."

ROBERT BROWNING (1812-1889) from "RABBI BEN EZRA"

FLORENCE - A LATE WINTER VISIT

It's February 12th 2014 and once again the weather here in the UK is terrible! As I look outside my study window it's raining heavily and windy to boot. The media are telling us this has been the wettest winter for 250 years and the Thames Valley and Somerset Levels are flooded - thousands of people are either suffering water drenched homes or being evacuated to safer places! Not surprisingly my thoughts keep drifting back to Italy and I realize its exactly a year this coming weekend since we made our second journey there to contemplate the purchase of a holiday home. It's a good time to report what we decided to do during that eventful weekend. 

Once again we decided to travel to Umbria via Stanstead airport, but this time we thought it would be a change to fly to Pisa and to take the shuttle bus into Florence from there. We had a good Thursday afternoon Ryanair daytime flight and arriving in Pisa it was a delight to once again realize we were at a small airport with no marathon walks to undertake to get out of the place. The shuttle bus into Florence cost the modest sum of 6 euros each and took about an hour, dropping us right outside Florence's main city centre railway station - Santa Maria Novella. We'd booked in to a nearby hotel for the night deciding to journey down to Umbria the following day, so first we decided to have a quick look inside the station to get our bearings for our train trip next day.

The site of Santa Maria Novella Station in central Florence

The front facade of Santa Maria Novella station in Florence.

Inside there is a vast top lit, wide and airy concourse giving direct access to the terminus platforms and plenty of information about arrivals and departures. I'd read back home that this is one of Italy's busiest stations dealing with approximately 59 million passenger visitors a year and if this afternoon was anything to go by then I could easily see that to be the case! There were trains listed on the boards destined for Venice and Naples and I had to pinch myself again that we were here at this Italian hub where we could, if we wanted, travel the length and breadth of the country.Architecturally the building is quite interesting, the front part of it being designed in 1932 by the Mussolini approved "Gruppo Toscano" - a consortium of Tuscan architects. It was completed in 1934 and replaced the former Maria Antonia station. Books dealing with Florence's 20th century history indicate the building was a work of the Italian modern movement and it certainly does have that plain but functional simplicity about it. I liked it a bit less on the outside where its stark, flat and austere front elevation face the back of the nearby complex of buildings which form the basilica of Santa Maria Novella. After looking backwards and forwards from one to the other and thinking of the centuries dividing them, it was time to set off to check in to our nearby hotel just a few minutes away.

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The interior of Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence

After dinner an evening stroll took us to the piazza directly in front of the church of Santa Maria Novella - the basilica which had lent its name to the railway station we'd been in during the afternoon. We'd visited this church on one of our previous trips, but it was a pleasure to call in on it this particular evening and see the flood lighting illuminating the beautiful medieval/Renaissance facade. A quiet evening like this was perfect for a contemplation of the detail of the amazing black and white marble design. I found myself thinking that I never seem to tire of coming to Florence to see these text book sights and once again it motivates both of us to think we are right to come back for this weekend. 

Evening view of the front facade of Santa Maria Novella church in Florence

The church was named "novella" (new) when, in the early 13th century, the decision was taken by two Dominican friars, to build a new church and cloister on the site of the 9th century oratory of Santa Maria delle Vigne. When it was largely completed in 1360, only the lower part of the marble clad front facade had been finished. The semi-circular arches which characterize this part of the front elevation, are essentially Romanesque/ early medieval in character and its interesting to contrast this part of the frontage with the upper section which is later in date and completed between 1456 and 1470 - almost a hundred years later. This was designed by Renaissance architect Leone Battista Alberti, sympathetically also in black and white marble, and following a commission from textile merchant Giovanni Paolo Rucellai. Here, paying respect to the lower section, it is more classical in its proportioning and detail and it pays homage to Alberti's interest in reviving the precepts of design advocated by classical Roman writer Vitruvius. The pediment and frieze are inspired by classical antiquity and other details, such as the flanking scrolls which contain billowing sails - emblems of Alberti's patron Rucellai - can be found on many other later churches all over Italy. Its a good comparison to make on just one elevation.

After a comfortable night and a hearty breakfast we had time  for another walk in the morning sunshine before returning to the station. We decided to amble over towards the the 19th century market hall near San Lorenzo which is always a fun thing to do. Outside the building the narrow street is always lined with tightly packed stalls selling traditional and brightly coloured leather goods of one sort and another and its a great place for people watching as tourists try on leather jackets in the street, or attempt to make a selection from the hundreds of handbags on offer. At the end of the street we walk across the Piazza San Lorenzo and I cast a sideways glance at the front of what was the parish church of the Medici family during the Renaissance. I imagine them taking the short walk from their Palazzo just across the road. Its fascinating to compare the front of this building which has a plain, rough stone appearance with that of the elaborately decorated Santa Maria Novella facade for it was never completed. Originally it was intended it would have a frontage designed by Michelangelo. Where the churches are similar, however, is on the inside for each has a magnificent interior stuffed with outstanding Renaissance works of art - lots of material for discussion in future posts. We stroll up the side of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and walk across another block to the east for I am looking for a shop we discovered just a few weeks earlier when we were in Florence for Christmas; its a small speciliast shop called Tissoti which sells beautiful paper and hand crafted stationery. (I was shocked to discover in January this year that it was no longer there!) I'm a sucker for this this sort of stuff and we spent the next hour making a selection of items to take back to the UK. By the time we'd finished it was time to get back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head for the train station. 

The rough stone facade of the basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence

Back on the busy station concourse we checked the time of our train and picked up some things to eat on the train. I admire one of the sleek red and silver bullet trains bound for Bologna on a nearby platform and wish we were getting on such a glamorous mode of transport, but we are destined for a Trenitalia local train heading, stop by stop, for Rome where we will be getting off at Chiusi - about half way between the two cities. The expected journey time is 1 hour 35 minutes. This was the first time we'd done this so it was interesting watching the train leave the station  and starting to make its way north and then south. First stop was the recently constructed mainline station in the Florence suburbs where the high speed bullet trains travelling between Milan and Rome stop and then its out into the countryside first crossing the Arno and then following its valley for the first part of the journey. There are several station stops between Florence and Chiusi and after about 40 minutes we arrive in the broad Chiana valley famous for its beef cattle from which the equally famous Florentine beefsteaks are derived. I know we are getting fairly near Chiusi when we stop at Arezzo. At this point I have little knowledge of Arezzo other than that the oldest painting in the National Gallery, London, an oil on panel of a madonna and child with saints, was done by an artist from here and it is also renowned for its contemporary monthly antiques market. I will definitely be coming back here. A little further on and we stop at Cortona. The old part of town sits high up the mountain side to the left of our direction of travel and once again I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of new and old as this alluring and ancient hill town, which I'd read about in Frances Maye's books and studied in connection with the artist Pietra da Cortona, made me want to explore there soon. 

The hill top town of Cortona, Tuscany - visible from the train on our way to Chiusi

Another half an hour or so and we were ready to get off the train at Chiusi, the nearest town to our destination - Citta della Pieve. It had been a good experience and now, not having the luxury of a hire car, we had to take a 20 euro taxi ride to our destination a few kilometres away. We knew the route and where the hotel we were booked in to was, so it was annoying not to be able to make our driver understand exactly the directions we were giving him  and even more so when we knew at the top of the hill, that he took us the long way round the town to rack up the fare! No matter, we had arrived and this hotel had been booked and recommended to us by our estate agent Laura, so we were looking forward to finding out what it had to offer. 

PLEASE NOTE: IF BY ANY CHANCE YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG FOR THE FIRST TIME - YOU MIGHT WISH TO CONSIDER TRYING IT FROM THE BEGINNING WHICH INVOLVES GOING TO THE ARCHIVE AND STARTING WITH POSTING NUMBER 1. - THANKS, - IAN

A MAIOLICA RENAISSANCE POT TURNS UP IN A HOUSE IN SOMERSET, ENGLAND

After returning to the UK from Italy after our January house search we had talked over and over about what to do next and still had the three properties we'd looked at in our sight line to the extent we decided to go back and have a second look with the prospect of making an offer on one of them. Jon went ahead and booked for us to fly back to Italy during February from Stansted to Pisa. 

Italian Maiolica Dish - c1540

I'm passionate about the history of ceramics and have indeed been lucky enough to have written several books on the subject. I was thus looking forward with anticipation to being able to research and write about Italian ceramics. It's strange how when you become involved with something that all sort of co-incidences occur which bring related items and subjects together. So it was on the morning of February 16th last year when I picked up a stray copy of the Daily Mail during my morning commute in to London. On an inside page there was a picture of an Italian Renaissance ceramic dish of the type I have only ever encountered in major museum collections like those of the Victoria and Albert Museum or the Wallace Collection in London. The illustration was accompanied by a short article entitled "THE RENAISSANCE COMES TO SOMERSET". Here was a story to cause salivation in abundance for anyone interested in Italian pottery for this piece was a rare and important dish.

It was made from a type of ceramic ware called tin-glazed earthenware and it was hand-painted in a colourful Mediterranean palate with a narrative scene. A representative from Charterhouse auctioneers in Sherborne, Dorset had visited a Somerset cottage in November 2012 to do a general appraisal and found this dish hanging on the kitchen wall by a slender wire the likes of which gives anyone with an interest in historic ceramics palpitations! The valuer knew he had made a massively important find and immediately told the owner, subject to confirmation, that it could be worth as much as £100,000 at auction. The dish was subsequently examined by an Oxford museum curator who confirmed it to have been made in Urbino, in about 1540. Measuring 16.5 inches across the dish's colourful subject matter was also identified by the curator as being biblical - the story of "The Feast of Herod" and probably painted after an engraving made by a German print maker, Sebald Beham (1500 - 1550). The piece was in excellent condition apart from a single re-stuck chip to the rim. 

Detail of the chip on the rim of the 16th century dish

The dish was finally put up for sale by the auctioneers in their Dorset rooms on February 14th 2013 in a single lot sale. It sold for the magnificent sum of £460,000 plus 19.5% buyer's premium taking its sale price overall to £587,000. It was bought by a Bond Street specialist. This wonderful dish had turned out to be a very special and important type of pottery known as "istoriato" maiolica made in Renaissance Italy in the mid 16th century and owned by the likes of the powerful Medici family. How on earth had it ended up on the wall of a humble cottage in Dorset, England? No one will ever know the answer to that simple question.


Well - that's a small introduction to the subject of Italian ceramics and I'll be back with more about this topic in another posting.