Blog – Page 2 – Trullo Genista

August 8, 2020October 7, 2021

Taking a Break

Given that we have missed this summer from a rental point of view, deadlines are not now so critical. Consequently, the builder has decided to leave us alone for the two weeks that we are at the house. We have gone around and done a tour with him just to finalise the final requirements so he knows what is to be done when we go back. We have also visited the tile shop with him to finally resolve the issue of the curved shower. Somehow, despite this really being a builder’s oversight and not our own, it has still left us having to dip in to our pockets to pay for mosaic tiles that are fixed on to backing paper so they can easily bend around the curve.

We are convinced that many moons ago we dismissed this idea as being too expensive unless the builder was prepared to put it right – it being his original mistake. But hey ho, these are extraordinary times and it seems we have ended up back there but with us footing the bill. But we’re happy with the end solution.

With all that done, and with the weather mostly set fair, we decided to embark on some sightseeing coupled with some nice food and drink stops.

First stop the home of the trulli, Alberobello which was glorious in 30 degree plus heat and under clear blue skies. We quite like this route into the town centre that takes you up through the less popular side of the town away from all the tourist shops. Although like everywhere at the moment it is a lot quieter than it would usually be at this time of year.

But there here was plenty of time to stop on Largo Martellotta for a quick beer and mix with the other visitors who are mostly Italians right now.

Fidelios Alberobello — The garden at Fidelios

Next stop Fidelios on the edge of town for lunch. This place is a favourite location of ours that can sometimes be a bit quiet. We’re never really sure why because generally we have had good food here and when the weather’s good you can sit in the garden to eat. The staff are really friendly too so if you are ever in Alberobello we would recommend it. And, especially if the weather is nice and you can sit in the garden. The view you see here was taken from our table.

Matera in the rain — Sheltering from torrential rain in Matera

One of our absolute favourite places is Matera. In 2019 it was the European City of Culture which has given it a real boost from an artistic perspective but frankly, it really didn’t need it to attract visitors. Following a familiar theme now, the narrow streets are usually packed with American and Japanese tourists that were not here on this occasion. We also chose to visit on a day when there was rain and thunder in the air which is why you see these good people sheltering under an arch. If you’re going to shelter from the rain somewhere, why not here? We should also add, fair play to the guy selling umbrellas who found his captive audience under here a few minutes later and totally cleaned up!

Once the rain cleared we did what most people do best in Matera. Just wander around the streets and take it all in. Every turn seems to open up yet another staggering view, or amazing piece of architecture. There are plenty of great places to eat and drink here but if you are travelling on a budget, there is enough in Matera to keep you occupied simply walking around. At just one hour 20 minutes drive from Trullo Genista, it’s well worth a visit.

Last but not least home for dinner at the trullo. At this time of year the evenings are so lovely and warm, most of our time is spent outside. Some of the most enjoyable times are spent in the open air cooking and eating some of the amazing ingredients that ‘Italy’s Bread Basket’ has to offer.

August 1, 2020October 7, 2021

Nearly There.

Our first post-lockdown visit to Puglia. Thankfully the builders have been putting in the hours and made some good progress. In particular we now have some doors from the main house into the bedroom and french doors from the new bedroom to the outside. These really bring it all together and start to make it look more like a new build that just requires a few finishing touches rather than a half finished project.

At the top of this post we can now see what looks like a proper building that just needs a good paint job. We are having a little debate as to whether we remove the sills from above the windows or build a new one above the new door. The former might make it look a little plain and blocky. The latter might look a bit odd if they don’t quite match up. The decision is still to be made.

The picture on the right here shows the view from the new bedroom and it’s really stunning. This part of the build has come together really well. Fingers crossed when we eventually get permission through to begin work on the pool, it will be just a short walk across the paving from this room which will make a really nice feature.

We also now have a functioning barbecue. There are a few bathroom fittings to be added in this area and a door or two missing but it just remains to put the bamboo roof on. But we have road tested the barbecue while we’ve been here and it works a treat.

The great news is that Puglia got through the first wave of Covid 19 with a relatively low infection rate so restaurants, cafes and bars all seem to be open again. Naturally, the climate here really helps because you can sit outside most of the time. There is noticeable shortage of American, Chinese and Japanese visitors who would normally help to swell the numbers in Alberobello in particular. That will no doubt have hurt the tourism industry this summer but, like the UK, there are Italian nationals enjoying staycations in their own country which is nice to see.

We hope and pray that the passage of travel is upward from here on.

July 17, 2020October 7, 2021

The View From Above

When we embarked upon this project, we would never have envisaged we’d have ended up here. My last blog was on 16th March when Italy was in full lockdown and the UK a week away. We would have wished that people like yourselves would now be enjoying well-earned holidays at Genista and enjoying all that Puglia has to offer.

But its not all bad news. As I write this, the builders have been back on site for two weeks. Most of our issues currently are overcoming small hurdles such as availability of tiles and wall toppings. It could be a lot worse.

You’ll see from the image at the top of this post that the new roof is now complete on both the new extension and the old part of the house which we’d had to get re-done as a result of some clear evidence of water leakage inside the hall.

Here you can also see that the new doorway has been cut to the right size and the plastering is finished. The issue with the tiles in the shower is not fully resolved yet. We have found someone who will cut the bigger tiles down to a smaller size so we can bend them round corners but they are still looking to charge us more than we would wish to pay given this is an oversight on the part of the builder who designed the shower curved. That was not our choice so we don’t believe we should have to pay. But we’ll see.

One huge improvement just now is the paving across the whole property has been cleaned up and repaired where necessary. This has included the digging of a channel from the front gate of the house to the cisterna enabling us to make use of the agricultural water supply which comes at a much cheaper price than the regular water suppliers. We’re a tad concerned that they seem to have used slightly smaller stones to over pave the channel which makes it stand out more than it should. It’s clearly visible on this photograph. However, we are hoping that it will bed in with age. All in all though it’s looking a lot tidier and a lot more finished. We are definitely getting there and all things considered we should at least be finished in time for next summer.

Just one major issue still now remains. The ongoing saga of the permit for our swimming pool. Back in December (I think it was) we were told it would be issued in January. Then, in an effort to curb corruption, the entire Communé was subject to a total overhaul and all departments were switched around. We were still hopeful that by February we should have it in our hands despite the change of offices. Then of course lockdown happened and, well, who knows?! It could be anywhere. We remain hopeful. Our next trip, Covid and airlines permitting, is on 28th July. We pray that our arrival fosters good news.

March 16, 2020October 7, 2021

Italy in Lockdown

Naturally all is now on hold in Italy due to the Corona Virus. No building work and definitely nobody working at the Comune to approve the pool permit.

But in the scheme of things, this is not really of much importance. All I see on the news are the desperately sad pictures of the country we love in absolute shut down.

All we can do right now is to offer our full support and our best wishes and to say that we are thinking of you all as we head into fairly uncertain times ourselves.

February 28, 2020October 7, 2021

Flooring, rendering but a tiling issue

We really liked these tiles for the walls in the new bathroom. The aim was to try to bridge the gap between the old and rustic and the sleek and modern. These seemed to do that nicely.

Slight problem! This is the wall of the shower which just happens to be curved. The thing about big wide tiles, as nice as they are, they don’t bend around corners. €800 says they’ll cut them into smaller, mosaic -style squares and get around it that way. But that seems incredibly steep and at some point on these projects you do have to start putting a safety net over the bottomless well of expense that they become. Plus we figure this is an oversight on the builder’s part rather than ours. We await a solution.

On a more positive note the floor tiles have arrived and are now in the process of being laid to match the style of the original floor. There was a slight problem again here. And here is a word of warning to anyone thinking of embarking on a project like this from afar. It’s these small details that you sign off when you are present that can come back and bite you on the proverbial when you’re not around. The tiles chosen for the en-suite were a slightly smaller depth than those we chose for the bedroom floor. Which means there was a step down and a potential tripping point when re-entering the bedroom from the en-suite. The decision was taken, therefore, to floor the bathroom in the same tiles as the rest of the floor as shown here. Remember that bottomless pit of expenditure we spoke about earlier? These tiles of course are €20 per square metre more than the previous ones. And so it goes on but the end result will be a whole lot better.

Last time we were at the house in January, the builder took me to one side and explained that the rendering of the outside of the new building would have to wait until May when the weather had improved. We were pleasantly surprised therefore to see this picture that shows that they appear to have done it already. We don’t know whether they had a particularly fine spell of weather that allowed them to do this or if the original excuse about waiting until May was a bit of a fabrication. But for these small wins, we shall be grateful.

Our next visit is due mid-March but at the time of writing Italy is suffering more than any other country in Europe with the Corona virus outbreak. At the moment the North is the worst affected and we hope that they are able to contain it in time for us to still go. Fingers crossed for all.

January 18, 2020October 7, 2021

A Puglian Rental Takes Shape

It’s now January and we’ve arrived for our update visit after a nice Christmas break and New Year. We can’t say we weren’t a little disappointed with the lack of progress but many have said to us that not a lot goes on down here from December to January. It was certainly not something that was made clear to us back in October at any rate. But we have builders here and things are progressing.

Inside the new extension, the new block work has been replaced by a nice smooth layer of plaster. Somehow when the plaster goes on it starts to feel like a proper room at last. We have to pick the door through to the bathroom, the door from the house to the bedroom and the window/doors that lead outside to the patio. Although fairly standard items we were quite shocked to find that these were not included in the original quote. Completely missed by us but worth bearing in mind if you yourselves are thinking of embarking on a project such as this. Some might consider the inclusion of a bathroom door a fairly reasonable assumption to make. Not so in this case so beware.

As can be seen from this shot here, a gap has been created in the wall up front so it is easy to walk from the house to the swimming pool. This cladding you see here is an added extra that we have chosen for cosmetic purposes as it looks so much nicer than a whitewashed wall. These are the kinds of additional expenses that tend to crop up hen you visit the property because, as building progresses, you begin to see areas where improvements can be made. Our estimation so far is that for every visit we make to the property while renovation is in progress, we add about another €3-4K to the bill. But, you only do it once so we want it done right.

Sadly on the subject of the swimming pool we now have to wait until February for the pool to be approved and for work to start. We desperately hope not to be writing in March saying this has not happened but it’s fairly par for the course. The Commune at Martina Franca made the decision at the beginning of 2020 to move whole departments around to new areas of responsibility. Hence in January they are doing no work at all while they get used to their new jobs. Which of course means we’ll have a whole new set of people who have to go through our case and get to know it before approval is finalised.

More here as it happens.

October 28, 2019October 7, 2021

Floors and Walls

On the 26th October we headed for home knowing that the new ceiling had still to dry off before any further work could take place on the extension. Our next trip is scheduled for January by which time we should have the pool permit approved and ready to go.

Hence, we were delighted to receive pictures of what looked like a load of tyres wrapped in bin bags scattered all over the floor. But we are assured this is to provide ventilation under the floor when the concrete is poured. That has to be a good thing right?

On top of this, as can be seen from the picture at the top of this article, a shiny new layer of concrete floor. The new bedroom is finally starting to look like a proper room at last. Just as important as a floor, we also have walls and windows.

The window for the new en-suite bathroom is in and the walls will soon be ready for plastering. The aim is to have this all finished by end of January, weather permitting. Once finished the room will be kitted out and the finishing touches applied so that Trullo Genista will be able to sleep four to six people comfortably.

Another added bonus is the current bathroom has been re-jigged a little. What used to be a shower cubicle that even Kate Moss would struggle to turn around in, has been removed, the shower head has been fixed to the opposite wall and we now have a drain at one end of the room creating a perfect wet room. Once finished this will improve the showering experience enormously. Drop the soap now and there will be no having to fish it up with your feet as bending over now will be easily accommodated.

All told, progress has been good and when we visit again in January, we hope to be seeing the end of the process in sight. More here as and when it happens.

October 21, 2019October 7, 2021

A Roof Over Our Heads

One thing we cannot accuse the Italian builders of is not making hay while the sun shines. When the weather is set fair they pitch up at 7am as soon as the first light appears in the sky.

As you can imagine therefore, it was a fairly rude awakening when this lot started going up in the early hours. But go up it did and with ruthless efficiency and meticulous attention to detail. It forms the framework for the new extension’s corner support pillars and roof. After which the walls will be accommodated.

Perhaps a slightly disappointing aspect to this is that once the concrete is poured for the roof, it will be at least a week to ten days before the next phase of building can go up as the concrete needs time to set.

Later in the day, against slightly more leaden skies than we’d been used to recently, the lorry bearing the concrete showed up outside. Looking like the leg of a tripod from the War of the Worlds, the huge arm was extended over the top of the trulli, and the pouring of the roof began.

The end result is what you see here and that was the end of proceedings as far as the extension was concerned for now. At least a 10 day wait is now on the cards before any further work can go into the extension block to make sure that the concrete sets properly before work begins on the walls.

The phrase ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ springs to mind here. Because in the absence of anything constructive to do on the building front, there emerged the opportunity to do a bit of exploring. As the evening drew in, the skies cleared again and a trip to Locorotondo beckoned. This is a bar that sits on the edge of the town overlooking the Itrian valley. Even in the third week of October in this fantastic part of the world you can still get days like this where the sky is a deep blue and it is as warm as toast sat outside with a cold Peroni. And that’s exactly what I did.

October 14, 2019October 7, 2021

Bunking off to Savelletri

The weather hasn’t been all that good the last few days so building was on hold for a while. But as the skies cleared up and the temperature raised again we were able to resume.

The footprint for the new bedroom with en suite bathroom has started to emerge. The entrance to this part of the house will be from the slatted doors that you see in the photo, that currently form double doors from the hall to the outside.

Equally encouraging, the ‘illegal building’ is also taking shape. What we see here are the cupboards and work surface also emerging from the newly plastered walls.

The really great thing about the upturn in the weather and the satisfactory progress is we were able to leave the guys to it and take a trip to Savelletri which is a really beautiful holiday resort and fishing port about 15km from Trullo Genista just beyond Fasano. My brother and his wife were visiting having made the most of the all too brief Exeter to Naples flight with Ryan Air – sadly only scheduled for one year.

Savelletri. Worth a visit to the coast to go for a swim or for lunch

We met them in Savelletri for lunch at a place we have visited a number of times called Taverna Di Umberto. It is a really relaxed place to spend a couple of hours offering really good food at really excellent value for money. The peppered mussels in particular are tremendous but frankly if you like seafood in general you won’t be disappointed here.

More to follow shortly….

October 7, 2019October 7, 2021

Good progress

By way of a bit of background, what you see in this photograph used to be a stand-alone bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

Buying a property in Italy is rarely simple and when we had arrived at the point where we wanted to make an offer, our geometra looked into the property in more depth and discovered that the building had been illegally erected some years ago. Hence, we would be advised not to purchase the property unless the vendor dropped the price and demolished the extra building.

The vendor, therefore, duly did the minimum required to make the site legal again by removing the roof to make it inhabitable. He also did us a favour by not demolishing the walls and leaving in place the basic fixtures and fittings.

What you see here is the beginning of the process of turning the building into an external kitchen and dining area complete with barbecue, fridge and bathroom. From now on known by the builders as ‘the illegal building’ or ‘l’edificio illegale’. It will have a bamboo roof (which is allowed) for shade and shelter from the Puglian sunshine. It will also be entirely re-plastered and re-clad in matching, sympathetic stone to create something really special from what might at first have been a bit of a white elephant.

We are really pleased with this development and feel it will add enormously to the enjoyment of our future guests. They will able to take full advantage of the warm climate by being able to enjoy cooking and eating in the open air in an area that has it’s own facilities but is very adjacent also to the main house and swimming pool.

Watch this space.