Today is Friday. We have had Luca with us all week. He finished the bedrooms and bath and next week he will move on to the big living area, hall, bathroom and kitchen. This next week will be more disruptive. We will need to figure out how to keep ourselves and the cats out of the way. Here are the finished bedrooms and the hall outside. We still need something on the walls and eventually curtains. The first is the guest room. The next is our room and the last is the hall outside. The walls look so clean and new!
We had a call from the kitchen people yesterday, they are coming next week! First on Monday to do the gas. Then later in the week to install the kitchen. Very excited! You don’t know how tired I am of washing dishes in the bathroom!
Yesterday was very exciting. At 4:05 in the afternoon, we had a terremoto…an earthquake! It was 4.4 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was only 5km from Umbertide Centro, about 3 miles. Because we were so close, we were really rockin’ and rollin’. Luca came out of the bedroom area, I had been walking across the living room. I had to hold on to steady myself. It was immediately recognizable as an earthquake. Several things fell. It didn’t last too long. Luca’s wife called him immediately. Everyone I know was checking in with everyone else.
Luther has always seemed to miss the earthquakes we have. We had a big one in Virginia and he missed it because he was driving. This time, he was jogging. He came back and exclaimed that people were all outside of the buildings all along the streets. I told him what had happened. He was disappointed he hadn’t felt it.
Then at 8:05 and again at 8:15 we had two more. One 4.6 and the other 4.3. Again, the whole building was swaying back and forth and there was a persistent deep rumbling. The glasses in the cupboard were clinking, the TV bouncing up and down. The cats were scurrying. THIS time he felt them. They again we’re short. They say you should get under a table. I didn’t even have time to think about getting under a table. There was no damage in Umbertide. The town just south of us, Pierantonio had four houses condemned due to damage. There were no injuries that I have heard of. Since last night it has been quiet.
The upcoming weekend we plan to visit the Saturday market. I’m pretty excited about the kitchen and I hope week after this I can resume buying veggies again. Saturday we think we will go out for dinner at the Enoteca which we have never tried. We have heard it is good. The weather should be superb on Sunday and I have a friend coming (maybe) so we can go for a walk and she can see our new place.
Buon fine settimana!
Hi Noel,
If you look at the map the Apennine mountains go right down the middle of Italy. generally, that’s where the most seismic activity happens but all of Italy is somewhat seismic. There is no way you’ll be “sure” not to have a quake in any part of the country. I’ve been here 9 years and there was only one significant set of quakes back in 2016. Those were in the big mountains east of Spoleto. They killed 300 people in Amatriciana (Lazio) and destroyed the town. Then two months later there were two more big ones that destroyed Castelluccio and badly damaged Norcia (both in Umbria near Abruzzo). No deaths. We felt those quakes here because they were very strong, but far away. The ones on Thursday were close so they felt quite strong although on the Richter they were small. No damage. Abruzzo is much more seismic than this part of Umbria because of the mountains. But the really mountainous part of Umbria and also Marche are all more seismic than here. I don’t worry about it. The older buildings (like our last house) are more susceptible to damage. The newer places are built to anti-seismic standards. Don’t write off Umbria. Just stay out of the big Apennine mountains!
Wow, a terremoto! I usually forward your posts to my wife, but I may have to withhold this one from her. She’s very afraid of earthquakes – to the point that we may have eliminated Abruzzo as a final destination if/when we move there due to the temblors. I’d hate to have to take Umbria out of the mix too! 🙂 Glad you’re safe and the house looks amazing! Btw, we just pulled the trigger on a two-month rental in Spolete for mid- August to mid-October. Non vediamo l’ora di venire di nuovo a soggiornare in Italia!
Hey Matt! It was quite exciting. And three in four hours! Italy is super Seismic. Almost the whole peninsula. The farther you get from the central spine of mountains the less they are. And less severe. But I’ve seen them happen in the Po valley plain. No way to know.
Luca is an excellent worker. Really tidy and no muss no fuss. But he is a one man show so it takes alot of time. Next week won’t be fun.
Wow, so much excitement!! Luca seems like a keeper – house looks great. Sometimes I forget how earthquake-prone Italy is. I was once on the beach in Sestri Levante and felt a jolt. No mistaking it, but I was surprised to feel it outdoors on the sand. Watched the news later to confirm. The epicenter was quite far away. Looks like you dodged a bullet.
Hi Nina, yes, I’m sick of it. I am making do with the instant pot to cook, but there is nothing I can do about the lack of a sink! Crossing my fingers it will be soon! Thanks, I love the clean white walls
Hi Phil, it felt very strong to us and I am sure it was because we are so close. This building was really swaying but no damage. We weathered the 2016 quakes in our 400 year old place, also with no problem. I don’t think they can predict the quakes! I wish they could!
Washing dishes in the bathroom! Poverina! Can’t wait to see your kitchen. The painted walls in the bedrooms look lovely. Enjoy.
Hello Nancy. 4.5 is pretty strong when you are near the epicentre. It is a good thing you bought a modern appartment. We had our first quake since 2016 last week. I suspect we might get a few more before the year is out. I heard Tesei on the Rai radio saying tutto sotto controllo. I am not sure how she knows that.