Ciao e benvenuti! To get to the point of being able to say that here on this website has in many ways been very quick, but in others it has taken a lifetime.
If you've already read our story, you'll know how we ended up here. What you probably don't know yet is much about the monastery itself.
Sitting in the Umbrian countryside, the building has stood here for around seven centuries. Over that time it has served many different purposes, adapted to changing needs and accumulated layer upon layer of history. Like many old buildings, it reveals itself slowly.
At first glance, it is easy to focus on its scale. The thick stone walls, the vaulted ceilings, the arched windows, the achingly beautiful courtyard, the outbuildings and perhaps more intimidating - the land that surrounds it. But what has fascinated us most since taking ownership are the details...
Old repairs made by previous generations. Doors that have been moved. Walls that have been altered. Materials that tell a story about how the building has evolved over hundreds of years. Every visit seems to raise more questions than it answers. That is one of the reasons we decided to document the project.
There are countless renovation channels online that focus on dramatic transformations and quick results. While we enjoy watching them as much as anyone, that isn't really what this project is about - this is as much about a new way of life as it is a new house.
There will be discoveries, surprises, setbacks and more than a few difficult decisions to be made. We are certain that many of our assumptions about the building will prove wrong as we learn more about it, and that's fine.
For now, though, this first episode is simply an introduction. An opportunity to walk through the monastery as it exists today, before any work begins. We've not even vacuumed yet. Because once the restoration starts, this moment can never be recreated.
Over the coming months we'll explore the land surrounding the monastery, the history of the property, the practical realities of funding and restoring a building of this age, daily realities of our new life abroad, our plans for the estate and, of course, the restoration work itself.
This is the monastery at the beginning of its next chapter and we're glad you're here to experience it with us.
- Dominic
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