Vasia, Liguria, Italia

On March 7, the moving company comes and loads the furniture in Viken. On the 8th I, Olga and Nora fly down to Italy and on the 9th the car arrives in Vasia.

Every day up with the sun. Fresh walk in the mountains. Breakfast on the veranda. Put on work clothes and then... work.

Today is Friday and the scaffolding is being taken down. Absolutely magical to see the house. "Talked" with Fabio about various details such as the fact that it is white in the window niches, hinges are missing and that it was not clear down in the corner. We went for a quick walk on the street and he said that's...

On January 11, Henrik flew down himself to prepare Armando's apartment as much as possible with the kitchen, bathroom and more.

Now we have rethought the kitchen. We think it's nicer if it's on the small veranda overlooking the valley. The dining room faces the street where we can set our new table that we will pick up tomorrow. Gas stove and electric oven, the old marble oven, dishwasher, kitchen island with small sink, full fridge and freezer and perhaps above...

Alone in the house. Sweeped the entire upstairs and sorted the piles a little better. Also measured all angles and nooks and crannies to be able to sit at home in Sweden and plan the kitchen and bathroom.

On Friday, Göran flew home. Since we had strange noises in our Fiat Panda that we rented, I drove him to Nice airport. We drove early in the morning in the dark and torrential rain with wiper blades just hacking back and forth. Fortunately, there are a lot of tunnels on the way. Once there, I could easily change the car and got a much better one....

Today up early to get started and get something done. First stop was Colorofico Michelis to buy more paint. It turned out to be a 15-liter bucket – it will be needed over time...

Today I had a meeting booked at 9.30 with an official at Intesa Sanpaolo in Piazza Dante in Oneglia (Imperia). Göran drove me there and nervously I stepped into the bank and hoped to God that the clerk at least knew some English.

Idag flög jag och Göran Fernström ner för att fixa i huset. Min gode vän Göran ställer alltid upp och hjälper gärna till med vad helst man behöver hjälp med. Denna gång bjöd vi ner honom till Italien för lite måleriarbete och annat... Catharina är hemma och jobbar.

In connection with the roof being replaced, an old crack in the facade was to be repaired. After that, it was necessary to plaster the repair, so we took the opportunity to have them plaster the entire facade towards the garden. We have had different ideas and absolutely do not want it to be too good.

Tickets booked. On December 5, I fly down to Vasia together with our good friend Göran. We will work in the house, eat well and have a really good time. Göran stays until Friday and I go home on Monday.

Fathers Day. We took a walk in Porto Maurizio's older quarter. Not many people and incredibly beautiful houses, facades, windows and alleys.

In the morning we drive to Diano Marina to collect our original contract from Notaio Trucco. Quickly done. Stylish actions with even more detailed drawings. Then we meet the girls, who have walked from Torre Papone down to San Lorenzo al Mare, and drive up to Vasia. There we will meet the mayor and sign papers about the water fee...

Today we are at the big fixing day. Catharina, Hedvig and Olga paint everything orange to white. Henrik and Nora sort rubbish. Notes are posted everywhere. Ointment! or Lanciare! Wrong expression apparently but the important thing was salve - everything else is rubbish...

In the morning we have a new time to fit. First we will pick up the scooter in Ventimiglia. Olga & Nora will drive it home. Looks like the seller looks a little unsure as they drive off but they have a clue.

We are up early, as always, and go to the house to clear out all the stuff, clothes, bottles and trash in Armando's place. The part of the house that we will live in first and that will later become Airbnb. It is a real mess because he has left a lot of rubbish. We decide to keep the large...

On November 6, we drove up to Torekov to leave our dog Doris with Henrik's mother where she will be when we are gone. In the evening we drove further down to Malmö and had dinner with Catharina's mother. We stayed over there to fly to Vasia on Monday morning. This time we flew with SAS Eurobonus points to Nice. So much better....

The hat is most important. Also in Italy. We have always been aware that the roof must be replaced. A walking tour gives a clear picture of the decay... It will be much more expensive than we hoped for, but it will be good.

It is getting close to contract writing, but while waiting for that, we are trying to figure out what to do with the roof. We have now received a quote for re-laying and insulating the roof. Barbara's guys want €80,000. We get a complete shock and look around for alternatives.

After this trip we agree that Bergamo is not a good option for flights. RyanAir in all its glory but it won't be that cheap in the end and it's an incredibly tough drive from Milan to Vasia. It will be Nice in the future. That will be nice.

The house in Italy is ours. We signed an agreement where we could barely decipher what it said. Also in Italian... And paid the down payment of €10,000 to the sisters Franca and Ornella Saluzzo.

We have thought back and forth. Should we really just leave Sweden without any anchoring in our homeland.

We lived in Torekov for just over four years. I have spent all my summers there since 1969 and my parents moved there permanently in the late 90s. We moved there in January 2018 - Catharina worked as a district nurse and I as a graphic designer with auction catalogs for Stockholms Auktionsverk. In the fall of 2019, I switched...

Back home in Sweden, we have a lot to think about. How are we going to get over the house that is for sale for €179,000. Our first thought is to mortgage our house in Torekov or perhaps borrow money from someone. We are a little desperate. We think that as long as we have the house, we can take...

The house we found was not at all in the same condition as most others houses in the area. No one has lived in this house for the past 30 years. Also no one has ruined it with ill-conceived renovations either – painted with the wrong color or (horrible thought) replaced all the windows.