[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 24 - House-Hunting in Umbria
Today seems less like time off and more like a work day. Dieter and Hildegarde went off to explore Perugia, Todi and Gubbio. John and Suzanne wanted to come along on our house-hunting excursion in the afternoon, so the four of us spent a lazy morning reading in the sun.
By 11 it was time to go to work so we drove to the supermarket in Umbertide and restocked the refrigerator. Among the additions, a 5-liter jug of Tuscan red wine ... for 6.70 euros (about $8 US!) We figured that, at the price, we couldn't go too far wrong. It turned out to be quite quaffable!
So it was another picnic lunch and then off to Panicale to meet Katia, our friendly local real estate agent, who took us to see three different houses. The first was a joke. The second was more interesting but small. The third had some real possibilities. (In re-reading this, it sounds a lot like a Three Bears story!)
The third house is newly renovated with a view of Lake Trasimeno and Castiglione del Lago. There is a two-bedroom apartment on the lower level and another on the upper level. There is nothing material that either unit needs although there are a few changes we would make to the upper apartment to make the space work better.
The units could each rent for $600-700 a week and if you figure only 20 weeks of occupancy a year, that easily covers the cost of the mortgage. The idea of owning property in Italy is interesting but I can't see making any real decisions before we see what is available in France ... and even then we may decide to pass.
Katia had a couple of other possibilities to show us, but we had to run. We had dinner reservations ... at our house! Sandra, the housekeeper at Gudiolo, was cooking dinner ... and what a fine cook she is! Last year we learned not to schedule her to cook two nights in a row. The sheer quantity of leftovers was more than we could handle. So this time we have her coming in on Monday and Thursday.
For 25 euros a person she provided appetizers, a pasta course (cheese ravioli with lemon and salvia), roast pork loin with roasted potatoes and two vegetables, and tiramisu for dessert. Oh yes, and she even provided the wine!
© 2006 Restaurant Doctor