Signora Sheila

Once upon a time we were a middle-aged couple hoping (against all odds) to buy our own home. But when we realized that the odds really were against us, we tucked it in the drawer of Nearly Forgotten Dreams. You know, the one filled with all those dreams you can’t quite let go. The ones you leaf through from time to time, even though you know they only come true in movies and novels.

Yet hope often lives on. Against all odds and common sense. And sometimes a tiny glimmer or flame comes along and ignites it to new life. Such is the story of our first home.

When the time came for us to move south, we learned that houses in the small villages here were incredibly low, impossibly low. But we decided to visit a realtor anyway. “Sure, I have houses in your price range,” she assured us. “I can show you a couple right now!”

And there was something magical about that second house. You know, like Frosty the Snowman and his magic hat. “There must have been some magic in that old domed house we saw, because when we stepped inside the door, hope began to dance around…!”

“This is it,” Hope whispered. “This is your house.” I called it magic, but it was really God working on our behalf. For we have a loving heavenly Father who delights in meeting the needs of His children. And because He sees much further down the road than we do, He was working things out for our future.

Love at first sight

It made no sense; how could we buy a house with no job, no money, and no credit? It was crazy, but somehow I knew that house belonged to me. It wasn’t love at first sight. I liked it, but it wasn’t necessarily my perfect dream house. I just knew that I knew.

So we went to our banker friend up north and he said, “I’m sorry, my friends, but banks don’t give money to people like you. You don’t have anything.” Yes, that’s why we needed the loan! (??)

But there’s no harm in trying, we told him. So we did, and to his (and our) amazement, our loan was approved within an hour! Even though we had no job, no savings, and no collateral. And once again we said, “The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad,” — Psalm 126:3!

Ours is not a true tiny house, as they have a maximum of 400-600 square feet (37-60 square meters). But at 645 square feet, it’s not much over the limit! I like to think of it as a two-story cottage. Except it’s got a red tile roof, not a thatched one!

It’s a typical centro storico (historic center) house.

As you can see from the photo of the front of the house it’s two-stories tall, but pretty narrow. Just one room wide and two rooms deep. Ours is on the right side of the tall section. It’s sandwiched between the connecting house with yellow trim and the low house with the laundry hanging out.

It’s cute and quaint, and its age gives it some interesting features.

Like the bathroom partway up the stairs! And beautiful cupola (domed) ceilings, which you can see in the dining room photo. Plus being about 200-250 years old, many of the walls are crooked and bumpy, probably even more so after doing a lot of the restoration ourselves, with no prior experience!

From the small alley we enter the dining room, which is at street level, then through an archway into the kitchen. And that’s the whole downstairs. The upstairs is the same size as the downstairs with a living room and our small bedroom.

Another set of stairs from the kitchen leads down to the garden, which is an extra blessing! Most houses in the historic town centers tend to be dark and confining, with no garden. But ours happens to have windows on both sides, and a lovely little garden! We get both morning and afternoon sun. Which is so important in these homes with few windows!

Plus we’re surrounded by these beautiful and peaceful sights!

We never tire of feasting our eyes on the views! And they’re beautiful in all seasons. Don’t you agree? We are forever grateful for this gift – our dream come true! And our hearts will always say, “The Lord has indeed done great things for us!!”

Wouldn’t you like to come and see for yourself? The espresso pot is always ready and waiting for visitors!

📷 Images are mine