02/09/2025
When I first joined this page, we lived in a 1920s bungalow. Then we sold it and bought a 1950s Cape Cod. All along, I wished for a home that was REALLY old. Now I have one. We are only renting, and we will be living there only part-time. But it's in a 15th-century building in a charming hill town in Umbria!
Experts cautioned us that the wheels of real estate move slowly in Italy, and that my husband and I were unlikely to find something in the 3-week apartment-hunting trip we planned. Then we fell in love with the first apartment we saw! The rent was over our price range, but it had been on the market a long time, and the owner was willing to negotiate. In the meantime, we looked at apartments in two other towns, but nothing came close to the, "this is The One" feeling I had when I walked into that first apartment.
We signed the lease a few days ago.
My husband headed home today, as per our original itinerary. But I've extended my stay a couple weeks, to get the utilities turned on and to buy the few things the apartment needs, though it is quite well equipped. Until it has gas, water, and electricity, I'm in a hotel.
The building has history! It dates from probably the late 1400s, though our apartment is recently renovated. Local lore (but no proof) says Lucrezia Borgia lived there for a while when she was Governor of Spoleto -- when it must have been a fabulous palazzo, rather than split into apartments. And there are actual Roman ruins in the basement!
The place seems to be in great shape, but I'm sure that I will have old-house questions for you all after we start spending time there. The photo shows the exterior of the building, or part of it, anyway. I'll post about the interior of our apartment another time.
