The Adventures of House Hunting in Guardia San Framondi, Italy

Buying A Little Slice of Heaven in Guardia Italy...



View from the Terrazo of my new home

I believe that there are a few moments in everyone’s life that defy all odds, and appear to be almost a magical series of events, and when you look back at those moments, it all seems a bit surreal.  Here is my story, and all true.

It all started in August of 2012, I had started a new job, attempting to revive my career after raising two children and working way too many hours and commuting a long distance to work.  While I was very busy with work and loving what I was doing, a part of me was feeling that the best part of my life was over, and that the rest of my life would just become very routine, and missing the passion for life that I was used to feeling.  I was settled in for the night after a long day of work and came across an episode of House Hunters International.  This particular episode showcased Clare Galloway, a Scottish artist who moved to Italy with big dreams and a small budget.  I was intrigued that she had found a house for under $20,000 and had relocated to a beautiful town called Guardia Sanframondi, Italy.  At first, I tried to google any information on any properties for sale in the town, general information on the town, or the realtor with no success. A voice in the back of my head said “keep trying” After a few days of trying a couple of different searches, I came across a website for Clare Galloway, http://www.facebook.com/clare.galloway.7?ref=ts&fref=ts  artist of Guardia Sanframondi, and contacted her via email asking her if she still was in Guardia and if there were other houses for sale.  I really never thought she would answer back.  I even told some friends of mine that if Clare did respond, that it must be fate to follow through on this dream of owning a small piece of something in Italy.  At this point, it is probably not surprising that Clare actually did email me back right away and sent me information on her experience moving to Guardia and encouraging me to come and see it since episode of House Hunters International did not really showcase the actual town very well and that the houses are all unique and need to be seen in person to actually get a good feel for the house.  Beautiful, inspiring, quirky Clare has been the spark that has started a small fire in Guardia Sanframondi to bring life back to the Centro Historico.

Clare Galloway

Guardia Sanframondi sits in some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen, rolling hills and mountain views from but I am very partial to mountains.  It is what I would call, in the middle of nowhere (between Benevento and Caserta) with Telese Terme being the largest town nearby (about 15 minutes), yet close to everything.


View from Guardia looking down at the valley below

 



Beatiful inspiring rolling mountains and hills and a perfectly timed rainbow

Definately wine country!!, we arrived in the middle of the wine harvest















 I had a small unexpected lull at work and quickly put together a trip to Guardia for early September.  There was another couple from California that was going to Guardia at the same time and we were and staying at Clare (the artist’s B&B) so me and my husband, Steve booked a room at the only other place to stay in town, La Tana Dell’Orso. www.bborso.com/guardia.html   Owned and operated by the amazing Orso family.

Our home away from home at the Tanna Dell Orso

  We boarded our flight from Texas to Naples with a lot of excitement but without a lot of expectations of what we would find on the other end.  I had sold my husband on the idea that if we didn’t find anything in Guardia, that we would spend 8 days sightseeing in Italy, which didn’t sound half bad.   We arrived in Naples and rented a car. The drive out of Naples is not for the faint of heart:  the traffic was crazy,  we didn’t have a good map, and the road signs and tolls work differently.  We got lost a couple of times, so what should have taken 45 minutes to an hour ended up taking us 2 hours.. but, all part of the adventure!!  When we got close to Guardia, I recognized it immediately from watching the show.  The entire town surrounds a medieval castle and sits beautifully on the mountainside surrounded by miles and miles of vineyards. 



View of Guardia as you drive up to it. You can see the ancient castle in the middle



We arrived at the Tana Dell’Orso www.bborso.com/guardia.html before nightfall, and were welcomed as if we were family by the Orso family.  The B&B also has a small café/bar that they operate out of the bottom floor which is a local hangout and a great place to meet people from Guardia.  Our first evening in town, we ended up eating a delicious roasted chicken, prosciutto, pancetta, eggplant, cheeses (there were many) and the wines of the house with the Orso family and some of their friends.  It just goes to show that with some good food and wine, and an open spirit, it really didn’t matter that we did not speak Italian and they did not speak English.. the evening was simply perfect!

The first of many meals wonderful meals and memories we would have with the Orso Family!!

We could see a glimpse of the “Centro Historico” from the window of our room at the Tanna Dell Orso, but we simply could not wait to get up the next day and explore the town for ourselves.  We wandered the unique streets (each one different) and took it all in for hours.  We were quite surprised that the town is actually bigger than what the House Hunters show had made it seem like.  There are actually about 5,000 people currently living in Guardia, with a more modern city with shopping and restaurants circling the Centro Historico.



The view from our room at the Tanna Dell Orso, You can see the castle in the background.  The rest of the pictures are just of few of the wonderful sites all walking distance from the B&B inside the Centro Historico of Guardia

Fontana dell Popalo

The actual house hunting began the next day and was a little unorganized as we (along with the other couple from California, Melanie and Thomas) were the first Americans to arrive to look at houses and they did not have a system set up.  With the help of Clare, we saw many houses through a realtor but were slightly discouraged with the prices and the state of repair that most of the houses needed.  The following day, we met with Roberto Adamo from the Municipio (Office of the Municipality) office and he offered to show us houses that the Municipio is aware of that are for sale.  These houses are still owned by the individual families, but the city has an interest that the ancient houses of Guardia be bought and restored in order to revive the ancient city center.  Roberto, a truly unique and enthusiastic individual is incredibly helpful and full of interesting facts about the history of Guardia, the houses that are available and the vision that the Municipio has for the revival of the town. We also met with the mayor of Guardia, Sindago Floriano Panza, who also took great interest in helping us in any way he could. 


The Castle - Up close



Roberto Adamo from the Municipio giving us a private tour of the Ancient Castle

 

Now it was just a matter of finding the right house.  These houses are not like what we are used to.. They were built 1000 years ago and the architecture and room designs were quite different.  We saw at least 20 houses while we were there and each of them was quite different. Some still had the frescos on the walls and seemed almost palatial while others had so many strange small rooms that I would not even begin to know how to live in such a space. The prices ranged from around $10,000 to $80.000 USD. Many of the houses have large cantinas which we would call a basement.  This is where people stored their wines and olive oil and can be quite fantastic.  I don’t know if you can see how difficult it is to get a sense of these houses from a picture.

Garden view of a fixer upper

Wonderful terazza

This house is in the turret of the old castle



Some of the wonderful things you find in the old cantinas of these houses!!!




Oh the cellar's were spectacular!!





This house had a beautiful Capri (interior) garden



On the second day of looking at houses, I had mentioned to Pasquale Orso, the owner of the B&B that we were not finding specifically what we were looking for since we were looking for a vacation home and most of the houses we had seen were a bit larger than what we wanted and needed a little more fixing than we wanted to do.  Pasquale took it upon himself to make a few calls and mentioned to me   there are other houses for sale in the community by individuals who prefer not to work through either a realtor or the Municipio to sell their houses as they have always sold their houses through word of mouth and they are not in a big hurry to change the way they do things, which is actually a quite nice breath of fresh air, but can be frustrating for outsiders trying to navigate this system.  Business is not conducted very rapidly, and any attempt to do so, really just works against you, (so I’ve been told).   

We were sent to the house of Archangelo Sabiastanelli (who was not really expecting us) who has lived in this house his entire life, and was quite shocked when there were 2 Americans on his doorstep wanting to see his house. He was very gracious about it and let us in to look at it. We were informed that he wanted to sell and move closer to his daughter and we were in love with the house from the moment we saw it. It had everything we were looking for 2 large bedrooms, a large living area, large kitchen and the best part, a terazzo with the spectacular mountain views I had dreamed of!! 

The front door

Street View



View from the Living Room



Steve in the entry way



A fully functioning bathroom

One of two bedrooms

The terrazza off of the kitchen



Fireplace in the Kitchen



Large Kitchen



Cantina full of old treasures

Archangelo in the living room

Yes!!! We were definitely interested!, and as they had warned, Archangelo became a little stressed by the suddenness and was not sure he wanted to sell.  We understood (I have older parents) and we continued to look at houses with Roberto, but I felt that Archangelos house was the one for us.  The day before we were leaving, Pasquale mentioned that he could make a call on our behalf to the family of Archangelo, sensing that he needed a little pressure from the family to make a decision.  And as things go in Italy, the next thing you know, it was back on again.  The very next day, we had to leave for Naples and we had not formalized anything on the house purchase with Archangelo.  I was strangely very sad that I was leaving and felt that I had missed my window to make anything happen.  Pasquale, on the morning we were leaving, encouraged me to write out the offer as it stood in writing (in English) and that he would follow up and see if he could finish the paperwork for me.  He was very upfront with me that he had no experience with selling houses to foreigners in Italy, but he was willing to take up this effort on my behalf, so with no more than a handwritten piece of paper saying we would like to buy this house, we left Guardia.  It was very odd leaving and feeling as if we had left a little piece of ourselves behind.  The people of Guardia are so genuine, honest and kind.. it is a true wonder in this world. 

We drove to Naples but took a scenic route via the Amalfi Coast which is also only 45 minutes to an hour away from Guardia and breath taking with its incredible sea views!!!



Salerno



Arriving back in Texas, we got busy with our lives and I continued to be in contact with Pasquale regarding the purchase of Archangelos house.  There was a lot of paperwork that needed to be done just to file the offer formally, called the “Compromesso” or a promise from each party to the purchase and sale.  I still had not put any money into the deal and did not want to get my hopes up to high at this point because I could only imagine all of the things that could go wrong at this point. 

One day I got the message that really got my hopes up.. The Compromesso is done!!  I received it via email and signed it and returned it via email.  At this point, we were asked to put down a small deposit to hold the sale.  (3,000 euros).  We wired the money directly into Archangelos account (which sounds odd for the way we sell houses in the US but confirmed that this is the way they do it there and the saying is when in Rome…  ).  After the money was received, the Compromesso was finalized and I was sent an official copy in the mail.  The next step was getting the official sale done through the notary.  There were several complicated steps involved in getting all of the documentation ready, the deed has to be cleared, the property taxes had to be up to date, all of the issues of what is required when a foreigner buys a house… At this point, I feel that if Pasquale had not taken this on as mission to get this done, it would not have happened. It seemed that daily a new problem would arise and he would keep me informed as things progressed.  I will probably never be able to repay him for all of the stress we caused!

Archangelo and Pasquale

In the meantime, the other couple, Melanie and Thomas that visited Guardia at the same time we did, decided to buy a house there as well and will be moving there in January. So excited for them!!

In the meantime artist Clare Galloway (and three year resident of Guardia) started a new website promoting the Renaissance of Guardia http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/431574696891975/

 and has generated a lot of interest in the town and surrounding areas.  Guardia is truly a labor of love for Clare, who makes her living as an artist there.  She has spent countless hours of her own time promoting the town abroad and working with the Municipio to present a coordinated effort to foreigners looking to visit or purchase a home there.

And more exciting news, another American came from California to do a documentary on Guardia and fell in love with the town as well and is buying a home there as well. 

So as my job was going 100 miles an hour, I finally got the message from Pasquale that all of the documents were finally ready and I actually had a closing date – December 5^th, 2012.  I wish Steve could have gone with me on this trip because it was truly a one of a kind experience that he should have shared with me.  At the time, we were thinking it just did make sense for 2 people to fly to Italy again to sign on a house.

I arrived in Rome the Thursday before the close thinking I would need to open a bank account and wire monies which ended up not being necessary.  I ended up having to work most of the week that I was there (see my office in the back room at the Bar!!.  My first night back was so exciting, friends showed up to say hello, and I was greeted with a great meal and lots of wine.

My temporary office away from home and enjoying a visit from friends

I thought I would get out more, but some really bad rainy weather made it impossible to get out much and I had a lot of work I had to get done, but on the downtime, they decided that I could fill some of my free time as a barista and put me to work making coffee in the bar, which was great fun for me!  And I think I might have been a little help when it got really busy on Sunday.  Mostly fun though!!  A great way to meet new people and a good backup career!!

Me working the expresso machine, the tacky apron was a photo op lol! I definately did not wear that when working the bar.



At the Christmas market in Telese


Finally Wednesday arrived and everything went just as planned. Pasquale, Archangelo, Sabrina (the translator) and me went to our appointed time at the notary and signed on the closing of the 1^st house in Guardia.  An exciting monumental day!!

The reading and signing of "el acto" in the picture, Achangelo, me and the notary

Celabratory toast after the signing - Sabrina, me, Pasquale and Archangelo

On Thursday, the Orso family threw a party for me to celebrate the purchase of my new house. I am finding a hard time finding the words for how magical this evening was!!  It was going to be just a small dinner gathering, but by the time the evening started, there were about 20 people invited for what I would describe as a feast Orso style!!  Mozzarella, olives, prosciutto, risotto, pasta with clams, sausage, pork... there was more food, they just kept bringing it out, but I could not eat anymore!!.  In addition, there was Italian music played by a DJ which in combination with a lot of wine led to a spectacularly fun evening, that included everyone dancing and laughing and singing Karaoke.  Even the mayor, generally a very subdued man, serenaded me with a lovely version of “Sole Mio” and kicked up his heals and danced.  The evening was such an outpouring of joy and excitement about good things to come!

The Dinner Celebration

The toast - (after which, I think it was declared I am like family to these beautiful people) - Pure joy!



Our musical entertainment - and a lot of laughter from the master entertainer Luigi

I brought Margaritas, chips and queso from Texas, which I brought out for the party

Clare & Carlo

A Margarita Toast! -with the mayor and Clare

So house purchased, it was time for me to go back home. I took the train from Benevento (30 minutes from Guardia) to Rome on Saturday (about a 2 hour train ride to Rome) and was able to do quite a bit of site seeing for half a day. I was again sad to leave the warm blanket that Guardia has become for me, but excited to get back to my family.

 


Roma.. so much to see

The plan now is to have this little house as a vacation home, and possibly use it a month out of the year if my job can accommodate that.  I hope that my 2 children love this place as much as I do.   I guess figuring this all out is part of the adventure and I have not gotten that far in the story. I definitely feel the hands of fate and destiny in all this, and definitely feel a sense of passion and excitement returning to my life that tells me I am on the right path!!!

I am by nature not a writer, but felt that my experience there was so special, that I wanted to document it somehow, so that I never forget and possibly inspire someone to dream big … most of us just can never figure out what to dream for.  

To be continued…