It's Saturday and we planned a stroll around town in hopes that more of the shops would be open. Not only were the shops open but the streets had a sprinkling of additional tourists and the piazza was buzzing!
A friendly older gentleman greeted us as we were walking by a clothing store. I'm not sure I understood everything but we managed to let him know we were from the U.S. I've decided it's just easier than explaining I'm from Canada. When I was able to convey that we were shopping for a house in Massa it was like we had told him he won the lottery. He immediately took us inside to meet his son, the owner of the clothing shop. Alessandro was as friendly as his father, as was his employee, Giulia. Her parents own the bookstore or libreria next door. I just love that!
Serena and Emanuela were waiting for us in the piazza. Serena explained that this was a "blind date", which meant that neither of them had pre-viewed the house, which was their preference. So it goes without saying what we nicknamed this property.
As it turns out, we had walked passed this property several times on our walks to the Coop. It was steps passed the Torre del Candeliere, a 28 meter high watchtower that was built in 1228 after Massa Marittima gained autonomy from the rule of the Bishop.
The main room when you walk in.
This was a nice room, with very high ceilings and a potentially grand fireplace, unfortunately it wasn't functioning and would need some work.
The remodeled kitchen
The one bathroom, which if you had ever seen the inside of our kitchen cabinets in our first house in Las Vegas, you would understand why we would call this color "Lavish Lime"
The second small bedroom was up the steps from the kitchen.
With another few steps to the attic where you could add a study and possibly another bathroom.
This was a nice property, but the only bathroom was too small and it would have taken a lot of work to make it function for us. Plus it was just outside Cittavecchia which meant cars were able to drive in front, which depending on how you look at it could be a positive or a negative.
Our last viewing of the day was one we asked to see because it was in the building next door to "The Gallery". We're calling it "The Big Kitchen" because it had the largest one we've seen so far.
Just beyond the kitchen is the living space and dining area.
With a similar view of the countryside.
The one bathroom is split in two, the first with the sink and the toilet, no bidet.
And the second room shared the shower and the laundry and another sink.
Not pictured was a large bedroom and study on the street side.
On our way out, Serena and Emanuela pointed out these photos taken in Massa Marittima during World War II. The top picture is Piazza Garibaldi and the bottom is the Caffe a few doors down from the Palazzo Malfatti where we're staying.
In the end we realized that the living spaces were too small for us. It was more of a vacation rental than a home. But, it was worth a shot. We wanted to feel sure that we had exhausted all our possibilities, but realized that Serena had already eliminated the properties that didn't meet our needs. So, we agreed again to meet with Nicky Monday morning to discuss "The Wow Project" and possibly "The Bar", assuming the mayor agrees, of course 😉
But before we go, can you guess what this is?
Ciao a tutti!
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