The Kindness of Friends, Old and New

Since we moved back to the states in 2010 we've been able to spend several months in Italy every year, mostly due to the kindness of a dear friend. She had a 2 story, 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that she generously shared with us whenever we visited, and it became our Umbrian home. Last winter things changed for all of us when she moved to a smaller place, and so began our search for a suitable replacement for this year.

We always want to stay as long as possible, and for us that's 90 days. Because we'll be taking a transatlantic cruise back to the states with stops in several European ports, our time in Italy will be slightly less than 90 days – we'll be here for 11 weeks total.

I knew that finding something that met all our needs and our budget would be challenging, and as soon as the new year began I started my search. I sent out inquiries to everyone we've ever met who had a connection in Umbria. I did Google searches using every buzzword, both in Italian and English, that I could think of. I found an app that let me contact owners directly rather than going through third-party sites like VRBO and HomeAway.

Here's the challenge: We needed a vacation apartment, one that would have everything we needed, like dishes and towels and sheets. A vacation apartment is usually cheaper than just a room, and of course allows you the ability to cook if you want, or at least have a fridge and a place for snacks. Most vacation apartments rent by the week, and because we wanted to stay 11 weeks, the cost was still going to be staggering. If an owner can rent an apartment for $500 per week, they certainly have no reason to rent it out for less than $2000 per month, right?

When writing to owners I used an idea I've seen on HGTV – I wrote a personal letter, telling them our story, telling them that we'd lived in San Venanzo, that we loved the area, that we wanted to spend as much time there as possible, and that we were searching for an apartment for a 3 month stay at an affordable price.

We were more than happy to pay for the full three months, August, September and October, even though we wouldn't arrive until the middle of August. I spelled out our wishlist: one bedroom, fully equipped kitchen, washing machine and decent internet. I have to admit that I was shocked by how many places didn't even bother to respond, but I kept searching.

When I found L'Alberata, I loved the location and the price, but wasn't sure the 'internet in public spaces' would work for us. I knew Art would want to watch baseball, and that we'd sometimes want to stream a movie or a U.S. television show. Over the course of our email conversation, Elena said she'd try to find a solution, and she did! She added a router to our apartment which has worked perfectly, and that was that.

Although the apartment didn't have a washing machine, the owners would take care of the sheets and towels, so all we'd have to worry about were our own clothes. I knew I could wash some out in the sink, and there's a laundromat just down the street, and so far it's worked out well. Doing laundry on a Sunday at lunch time might be why.

We loved (and still love) the location of the apartment. The monthly rate is within our budget, even though we have to pay for our utilities separately. Air conditioning and heating are pretty straightforward - €1/hour. We've only used the AC for our first night here, and the charge was/is €4 – we can see the meter right here in the apartment.

For the electricity and water we're not sure yet. We've run the fan during the night, and often during the day if we're here. Obviously we're not using a lot of water since we don't have a washing machine, and since we're drinking water we buy from a local machine for 5 cents per 1.5 liters. Still, I'm curious to see how much the utilities will run.

It's shocking to realize that September is almost here! We'd sent our first month's rent to hold the apartment, but now it's time to pay the rent for September. I texted Elena to ask how she wanted to handle the payment. Should we bring it downstairs, or would she prepare a receipt, including the utilities?

Imagine my surprise when Elena told me that we wouldn't have to pay for the utilities for the 18 days we've been here in August since we'd paid rent for the full month! Additionally she offered to tell me what those charges would have been, just so I can get an idea for next month. She really does think of everything!

So, once again, the kindness of friends both old and new has allowed us to be here in Umbria, the place that feels more like home than anywhere else. Umbria is called the green heart of Italy. To us, it's OUR heart.