We said farewell to our friends with a lunch on Lago Trasimeno. Our big, beautiful lake. We chose Sottovento. All seafood. A good lunch. We had storms brewing and much wind. When we left the restaurant, it was beautiful sunshine and also storm clouds.

We are now home for the foreseeable future. Time to do all those things we have been putting off. Like doctor appointments and checkups. I also have about a bazillion pieces of art that I want to frame, not to mention decide where to hang them. I bought a new cordless drill and a set of bits that I can use on these masonry walls. Hanging pictures is no easy feat here. I managed to hang a small coat rack as my first try at the drill thing. And golly! I did it!

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Today I met up with Irma, our architect for coffee at Vivo, a coffee, pastry, pizza, and restaurant next to the river. Big space. Nice. We are beginning our adventure to renovate our guest bathroom.

All of the bathrooms here, there are three, are — can I say horrible? Yes they are horrible. Old, dated, with many parts that no longer work. Tiny showers with plastic doors. Or worse, no shower at all, as in our main bath…just a tub and squirter which, to use, you need a set of pliers to switch the water from squirter to faucet. 😳 All have toilets with tanks up above your head which either shout at you when you flush, or you have to stand next to them to be sure they won’t keep running. Faucets that don’t work. Garish tiles. I could go on!

So off we went to visit a store with all the toilets, sinks etc. Also the tiles and stone for the walls and floor. So many choices! Actually too many. I am a person who wants to make the decisions and get it done. No looking back. So if you present me with too many, it makes me crazy. But then, there is the pleasure of looking at the beautiful Italian design. People all over the world buy Italian designed and made things. I am so lucky to live right here among them.

So, we decided on the suspended toilet. The kind where you can clean under them and you see the whole floor. They also have toilets where the seats slowly lower themselves. I have to have that! We picked brushed steel faucets, shower, etc. I also picked the color of my fixtures. I decided the walls and floors will be neutral (but with textures) and the fixtures will be the focal point. I won’t tell you the color yet…you have to be surprised!

Next we walked around the corner to a place that cuts and polishes stone for kitchens, baths, and more I’m sure. Giuseppe was the owner. All the people, artisans really, that I met were just so proud of their work. Their products. Giuseppe showed us pictures of a kitchen he did in London…a mega kitchen. It was as if he was showing us pictures of his grand children 🤣 His place was incredible.

The stones were beautiful. So many textures and hues. Marble, travertine, granite, etc. I guess he networks all over the world. Look at some of these beauties!

This one is natural stone but I could hardly believe that it was.

I was leery of the cost. I don’t want this to be a showcase bath, I just want it pleasing to look at and functional. And not cost too much. Irma assures me it is comparable in price to the manufactured stuff. I am skeptical. If it is I would be happy to have some in the bath, in combination with man-made stuff. Irma will make some more drawings and show some ideas for these different finishes.

As we walked back, we were right next to the famous Rometti Ceramics factory so we said, what the hey, let’s go in. There is history here. Many of the pieces are displayed in galleries in Milano. It is that kind of famous. And it is here, in Umbertide of all places. The modern ceramics are designed by individual designers. They are all very different. There isn’t a brand per se. The second picture below is really the closest there is to a brand. The black and white, sometimes with an additional color. Very 1930s art deco.

Then we were invited into the back room which is the factory. There were many workers smoothing the unfinished pieces, painting, glazing etc. We met some of the artisans and again, so proud of their work.

Irma and I both saw together, a bowl and urn that we loved. A rich green with a bamboo looking rim. So beautiful. We learned that some of the ceramics are inspired by haute couture in Milano. Or maybe vice versa. I wasn’t sure. We saw the beautiful green gown to which these pieces were similar. I told Luther, should he want to get me a gift, one of these would be it.

It was a productive morning. I will continue to post about it as we move forward.

Buon fine settimana a tutti!