October 8, 2009



More than eight years after purchasing my little house, I will finally get the chance, in a few weeks, to sleep in the tiny bedroom and make morning coffee on my little stove! The prospect is not only thrilling but likely to be chilling as well; my trip is scheduled for November 11th, a time of year when, as Judy says, the "Umbrian killer chill" takes over the region. With no radiators, I need to purchase a "stuffa" - a sort of space heater - a down blanket and serious sweat socks in order to make it through the night. Despite the fact that the dollar is at an all time low and airfares at a record high, I've decided that I need an Italy fix, and, more importantly, I need to break in my miniature villa, my petite palazzo, my rustica. I need to spend a night there.

In order to legally "inhabit" the house, a certificate is required, one that can only be issued through a geometra. Fausto has paid a visit to Carlo, whose wife has informed him that I owe them money, apparently for the horrific, poorly constructed staircase leading from the terrace to the garden; a staircase that was built, but the cost of which was not included in the original estimate. I consider what might happen if I don't pay up: a penalty, a serious fine, the rest of my life in prison? Will anyone know if I spend one night or perhaps two at the house? This is Italy! Amanda Knox has been on trial for more than a year. Yes, yes, that's a murder trial and this is potential construction code violation but I'm a foreigner and this is a country that takes its real estate and its draconian customs seriously. The commune rules!