Walls Come Down, Windows Open Up and a Very Slow Train to Milan

Sunday is our day to check on the progress inside our apartment. We really can't complain--if anything, the Sunday walk-throughs just prove how hard the crew is working. Six days a week! They must really be feeling the deadline crunch.

This week's surprise: the guest bathroom is now mostly demolished. In the photo below, we're standing in what will eventually become the laundry room / utility closet, with the new front door just to my left.

Demolished Guest Bathroom

Here's the same space from the opposite side of the room. The front door is now on my right, bathroom on the left. This is the most open this area will ever look; once finished it will hold the guest bathroom on the left, the powder room on the right, and a hallway leading to the kitchen.

Foyer

Foyer Rendering

From there we walked into the kitchen / living room to check out the newly opened window. Exciting! It's finally starting to resemble the rendering. I'm always amazed at how thick these  walls are. And why on Earth did they close up the windows in the first place? 

Newly opened window

Front Room Rendering

Window opening

There wasn't much change on our floor otherwise, so we headed up to the attic--and found it open. The section above the guest bathroom and front room was full of roof tiles. 

Attic directly above the guest bedroom

The very first time we saw this property, we glimpsed part of the attic, but never the section above our master bedroom and bathroom. Today, that area was open and surprisingly, it was finished (like someone had lived there at some point). The view from up there is amazing: you can see the Torre de Candeliere, the Monteregio castle, and the Sienese walls. The metal cage over the window is probably to prevent anyone from reenacting a rooftop chase... which instantly made us think of Quantum of Solace, filmed in Siena--just an hour away from Massa.

Attic space above master bedroom and bathroom

View from the attic window

From the attic level you also get a great bird's-eye view of our terrace. Eventually this view will be blocked by the elevator shaft, but for now, it's fun to see it from above.

Bird's Eye view of our terrace

That wraps up the apartment updates. When we stepped back into the square, we noticed the cathedral door was wide open and no one seemed to be inside. We took advantage of the quiet moment and wandered in to see The Ark of San Cerbone. Tell me I'm not the only one who's mind immediately jumped to Indiana Jones, well, maybe it was just me.

The ark holds the relics of San Cerbone, the patron saint of Massa Marittima. It's a stunning Gothic marble masterpiece by Goro di Gregorio, signed and dated 1324. The urn is decorated with beautifully detailed high-relief panels depicting stories and legends of San Cerbone, surrounded by figures of the Virgin, saints, and prophets. It sits behind the high altar.

Ark of San Cerbone

Upon leaving the church we continued walking outside the piazza, when I noticed people heading down toward Santa's Village. Of course I jumped at the chance to peek inside. 

At the entrance is a letter from Santa, which roughly translates to:

As I travel the world to meet you all. I'm happy to stop here in Massa Marittima, in this welcoming house decorated with joy. Come visit me, make decorations, and hang them on the tree. If I'm away when you visit, you may leave your letter in the mailbox. I will read them carefully, and together with my elves, make your dreams come true.

Letter from Santa

Enroute to Santa's Village

Door to Santa's House

I'm pretty sure this is where Santa--and maybe Mrs. Claus--would greet the kids, but they weren't in at the moment. And to be honest, after we walked just a bit further, they closed the door behind us, so we may not have been officially allowed in. A lucky little sneak peek before the crowds arrived.

The next day we caught a ride with Melissa to Follonica for our Italian lesson. I had planned to grab a panino for the train, but because it was a holiday they were serving brunch instead. So Ira and I split a brunch plate so we wouldn't be hungry during the trip. One of the staff members we've met before is Brazilian, so the beans on the brunch plate made total sense. We finished with pancakes topped with frutti di bosco or fruits of the forest.

Brunch Plate

After brunch and our Italian class, we walked to the train station. On Melissa's advice we booked a route with no train changes. It's not fast, since it stops at nearly every station, but avoiding a transfer is worth it. 

And as it turned out, it absolutely was--because we never would have made a connection anyway. The train was delayed by a full hour. The delay was so long that when we finally pulled into Milan, the railway staff handed out courtesy kits: a cookie, a salty snack pack and a bottled water. 

Stay tuned for Milan posts.