A MAGICAL MYSTICAL ITALIAN REAL ESTATE TOUR.

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.”

Paulo Coelho

Hey, call me delusional- but trying to believe the hell out of being beautiful/abundant/successful… it can’t hurt! And never has this particular Universal directive been so directly effective than on an Italian villa-buying adventure…

Believing in a God that is much, much more than the sum of all the love, connection and possibility we can imagine… And believing in miracles and in the ‘like-attracts-like,’ law of attraction, has taken me on many a fine quest- both academic (degree in Religious Studies), and speculative (Ashram, cave-meditating in the Himalayas). And surprisingly- even to the remnants of the cynic in myself- it was also very helpful on my quest to find a place to call ‘second home.’

Like many of life’s pivotal moments- this love affair was unheralded, unexpected- and preceded only by particularly banal bandying around of words such as ‘investment,’(eek), ‘return’ (huh?) and ‘retirement,’ (blagh). Really the mastery is in pretending to be interested- let alone understand such things. Leaving husband- all furrowed brow and number crunching- to work out “where we could afford,” it was time to get some real work done. Eyes closed and mind open, allowing myself to go to a place that ‘felt’ how I wanted to feel… smelt, tasted, looked. You get the idea… there was Tuscany, all historical and green- all vineyards and oozing olive oil. (Fabio the plumber, downing his plunger to proffer a platter of perky pecorino and an opened-bottle of red-black Brunello, did not enter the picture. I swear!) Not letting the fact that I’d never been to Tuscany- or knowing that one’s other, more practical-half, would say ‘way out of our budget,’ hinder us... we were going!

Before Italy, there were plenty of places that rocked my world- but nowhere that stopped it completely. That all changed standing on a hilltop in Cortona, with its medieval façades and vibrant cobble-stoned piazzas whose life grows out of foundations that date beyond B.C, to the elusive Etruscans. In the distance Lake Trasimeno shimmered watercolour through misty morning light. I swear violins began playing- OK- probably in my head. Smitten, struck by the veritable lightning bolt from the blue- it was love! Like a bear with a honey pot (an alcoholic with wine, my children with pizza) I gobbled up the beauty of that view- gorging until my belly was fat with colours and light; bulging with distant Umbria’s hilltop-villages, basking cappuccino-creamy in the sun. I wanted and needed that day to sustain me through the famine of city life.

That was just the beginning- it was to be an adventure that would lead down roads-less-travelled the length and breadth of Tuscany and Umbria. Like the best of adventures, it was not all plain sailing... My husband, budget in hand, did his best to convince me (poor guy) that Northern Tuscany was the place for us. Knowing he was motivated more by 'bang-for-your-buck" than bolts-from-the-blue, I did dutifully abseil down mountain passes and orienteered remote goat tracks to view houses, until he finally conceded: until this chic got the house with a 'click,' time was wasting! Finally (and somewhat suspiciously) a small "Call me" advertisement in the Financial Times caught his eye. It was the hidden clue! He found our fantastic agents Francesca and Titti, at The Italian House (www.theitalianhouse.com). They lead us to the perfect holiday home- would you believe it... right back to Lake Trasimeno- actually Umbria- hey- I’m a flexible kinda girl...

There is only one thing I know for sure- there is more to life than meets the eye(s)- especially when you’re a stubborn git whose got them open!