Capitolo Due: Our Inherited “Treasures”
If you’ve just come across this post and have an interest in our haphazard adventures in property renovation in Italy, check out Chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be more of a show-and-tell of all the things one stands to inherit when buying property in Italy.
One of the most unusual things we found out when looking into the purchase of property in Italy is the normal practice of leaving behind furniture, household items, and really, all things the sellers just don’t feel like moving out of the property. You can of course negotiate to have certain items removed or left but if your offer is unclear, there will be a lot of surprises when you unlock your front door.
In Italy, it’s also common to have appliances removed by the sellers as they take them to their new homes. If you aren’t careful, you could buy a place full of the previous owner’s junk, dirty dishes, ancient and unmoveable furniture, but missing critical items like a fridge, stove and washing machine.
When we moved in, we knew the stove would be absent and the functionality of the other appliances was uncertain. Since we had no furniture ourselves, we were willing to take a chance on furniture left behind. What we actually inherited was in one part helpful (i.e. two solid bed frames that could be refinished) and another part completely astonishing to us (i.e. a 1993 football trophy).
In this vein, I thought I’d share some of our inherited “treasures” in case the practice of leaving behind junk is equally as unheard of in your country. There were so many treasures left by the sellers, but these are some of our fav gems.
The laundry list of unusual “gifts” includes:
- the aforementioned trophy,
- a plastic bust of a woman with whimsical hat,
- two non-working tiny clocks one of which bears a lovely photo of the Colosseum,
- a framed Pink Panther completed puzzle,
- An impressively huge soup tureen (odd for a region of Italy which is hot most of the year),
- oh so many framed photos, artwork inclusive of a gold metallic Virgin Mary.
Woah. Some photo evidence so you can enjoy these gems too!
Additionally, we inherited some kitchenware, most of which we’ve tried to salvage and use. Among my favourites are a large collection of I ♥ MILK mugs and a beautiful set of colourful plates with freshwater fish depicted (obviously we are still eating off of these).
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention all the tilework we also inherited. So, so many different tiles in various hideous colours, shapes and sizes…all for us! Every window frame, floor, wall, fireplace is covered with a differently selected tile. Some have “neat” patterns on them such as the bright blue tile on every inch in the bathroom which has a 3D image of a splash of water – meaning no matter how dry the bathroom floor and walls are, they always appear wet. Some only have a design on one of two iconic tiles in the room, like our farmer tiles. None are esthetically acceptable by 21st century standards.
It’s not all bad though, thankfully. We were able to donate many items to others in need and several trips to the garbage dump and recycling centre left us with a bunch of ancient furniture, fairly new but damaged IKEA style cabinets and all that tile to makeover. We are salvaging what we can for now, refinishing pieces that still have some life in them in an effort to save money and reduce waste. A little furniture paint and countertop paint can go a long way!
“Piano piano” as they say here, “slowly slowly”. It will all come together in the end, but not without a lot of hard work, patience and creativity.
More to come on Under the Puglian Sun: Adventures in Renovating Our Italian Villa. Don’t miss a post, follow the blog below!
Stay tuned for Chapter 3: One Step Forward, Ten Steps Backward.