We officially met our landlord and his daughter when we signed the contract. I wasn't quite sure what to make of him. The daughter was very warm and chatty, but her father didn't say anything in English or hardly make eye contact. He's a lawyer, and when we asked the workers about something out at the house, their reply was, "He's a lawyer" as if that explained everything. Yesterday he was at the house, puffing on a big pipe. When we arrived, he literally bounded to my van door, smiling and saying "Buon Giorno!" (typical greeting like Ciao in Italian). He wanted to know all of the names of the children and kept exclaiming over how bella (beautiful) Rosa is. His name is Andrea (On DRAY uh).
Chiara told me Thursday that they had an extra chandelier that we could hang in the kitchen (remember in Italy, there are usually dangling wires, but no fixtures!). I was totally excited, having seen the baroque-style chandeliers at a friend's house! They aren't really my style, but so Italian! The kitchen is really the only option for placement, since there's no ceiling fixtures in the living room or dining room. But when we arrived today, her husband had told her it was too bruto for me and she kept saying it was "grande" (big). We finally went over to their house and got to go in the shed next to the house to look. It's jammed full of old stuff. I could've spent hours in there just looking! Maybe I'll have the chance later? From the very back on a huge pile of stuff there was a rusty, old chandelier. I love it! Chiara said it's ancient, and it looks it. It's extremely simple with fishhook-shaped pieces coming off of the common center. Each fishhook has a candle fixture on the end that will hold a light. Andrea kept asking if I was sure I liked it...but it's rusty...you sure? I think it's totally cool...I'm going to find a long string of clear crystal beads and drape them around it. He said he'd have the cleaning crew wipe it down and the electrician will hang it up for us!
Their "country" house is very rustic. Built in the 1940s, it has a lot of stone and tile -- cool in the summer, I'm sure. It's larger than ours, but not ridiculously large. The kitchen even has a stone fireplace in the corner for cooking! They have a kiwi tree and a grape arbor there, as well as a picnic area and just a lot of trees and pretty grounds. We are free to wander all around in there. The decoration inside is very comfortable and warm feeling -- very different from the baroque, elaborate things we've seen in the city. When I was calling my kitchen cabinets "bruto," Andrea said something like, "it's good here...we call it...country."
So once again I can see Heavenly Father's hand -- rather than just landlords, we seem to have acquired Italian grandparents.
Chiara told me Thursday that they had an extra chandelier that we could hang in the kitchen (remember in Italy, there are usually dangling wires, but no fixtures!). I was totally excited, having seen the baroque-style chandeliers at a friend's house! They aren't really my style, but so Italian! The kitchen is really the only option for placement, since there's no ceiling fixtures in the living room or dining room. But when we arrived today, her husband had told her it was too bruto for me and she kept saying it was "grande" (big). We finally went over to their house and got to go in the shed next to the house to look. It's jammed full of old stuff. I could've spent hours in there just looking! Maybe I'll have the chance later? From the very back on a huge pile of stuff there was a rusty, old chandelier. I love it! Chiara said it's ancient, and it looks it. It's extremely simple with fishhook-shaped pieces coming off of the common center. Each fishhook has a candle fixture on the end that will hold a light. Andrea kept asking if I was sure I liked it...but it's rusty...you sure? I think it's totally cool...I'm going to find a long string of clear crystal beads and drape them around it. He said he'd have the cleaning crew wipe it down and the electrician will hang it up for us!
Their "country" house is very rustic. Built in the 1940s, it has a lot of stone and tile -- cool in the summer, I'm sure. It's larger than ours, but not ridiculously large. The kitchen even has a stone fireplace in the corner for cooking! They have a kiwi tree and a grape arbor there, as well as a picnic area and just a lot of trees and pretty grounds. We are free to wander all around in there. The decoration inside is very comfortable and warm feeling -- very different from the baroque, elaborate things we've seen in the city. When I was calling my kitchen cabinets "bruto," Andrea said something like, "it's good here...we call it...country."
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| Pianogurl's photo of the well |
So once again I can see Heavenly Father's hand -- rather than just landlords, we seem to have acquired Italian grandparents.
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