It’s July 2017 and we are able to finally see the renovation progress at Fonte Martino! Before we talk about that…we had an amazing experience the first few days we arrived, but unfortunately, we can’t tell you about that – YET! Remember, there is something very exciting that we must keep a secret, but will let you know about it as soon as we are able. We promise!
After the first few days, we were finally able to focus on the renovations. It’s hard to describe how Fonte Martino looked. Dust and debris was everywhere. Because of all the construction, part of our vision was really hard to see and we were getting nervous. Did we bite off more than we can chew? What did we get ourselves into? Are we completely nuts?
The part of the renovation that we could see was really amazing! We could finally envision our new home coming together. The floor plan was opened up, walls and doors have been removed and relocated. With a little imagination, we can picture ourselves living here and fantasizing about what our life would be like.
We spent quite lot of time with Maurizio and Cristina picking out tiles, plumbing fixtures, and everything else needed up to this point. There were so many amazing choices, it made our task nearly impossible, but we somehow got through it (without Toby killing David)! Maurizio guided us through all the choices to ensure that Fonte Martino was a modern home honoring its rustic past. The blending of the two styles is very important to us and we had great confidence in our partnership with Maurizio to work together on accomplishing this.
During the visit, we actually had some time to bond with our new home – just Fonte Martino and the two of us…all alone. We found “our spot” on the terrace wall outside of the entrance to the kitchen. There we sat for hours just talking, imagining, and dreaming. We talked about us, what our new life would be like, and what we could give to others. As we talked, we listened to the warm Tuscan breeze blowing through the olive trees and heard the occasional church bells ringing in the distance. Gradually, we focused on two plum trees growing right next to us and realized there were ripe plums hanging – ready to be eaten. One bite and we were in bliss. The sun had warmed the plums and brought out their delicate sweetness. The only thing stopping our overindulging was not being able to reach the fruit higher up. What a wonderful life this will be…