Snow time in Piedmont

January 2008 Newsletter

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In our Spring Newsletter last year I 'lamented' the lack of snowfall, well this year we have had our full share already – and it’s only the end of January. Bob dragged himself out of bed to take the boys to the school bus by 7.30 on a Saturday morning (yes, school on Saturday here), only to find a vague igloo shape lurking where the Freelander had been parked the night before. It snowed eventually for two days, and lay to a depth that Bob last remembered experiencing in the UK in 1964.

Needless to say, the school run was cancelled, as, sadly, was our planned trip to the International Hot Air Balloon meeting at Mondovi, following our highly enjoyable visit last year. So we settled in for the weekend, snug by the fire with the television, only to find that we had run out of milk, and a minor polar expedition was called for. So Bob and I walked to Cassinasco to buy 4 litres – and we enjoyed a very nice coffee indeed in the café whilst we were there.

Unlike the UK, snow fall here is quickly sorted; tractors with bulldozer blades turn out and clear the remotest roads with remarkable facility, given the small population. That same day our road was being re-ploughed as late as 9.00pm. Copious amounts of grit are also applied, although we didn’t notice how that was done.

Our only problem was that you have to clear your own drive, and ours is over 100 yards long, and the cars were parked at the far end of it! Together with the small matter of the snow mountain made where the plough had cleared the road across the bottom of our drive. So we had plenty to do on Sunday, and despite the boys lack of enthusiasm to help we did get them to school on Monday.

Over the next few days the snow slowly receded but the weather continued to be cold and misty. Then one evening the snow returned with a vengeance and it continued to snow, again, for two days. This time, instead of fine white powder, it fell as heavy flakes which stuck in the trees, weighing them down heavily, eventually pulling several out of shape and snapping branches off. More school time was lost, and once again we dug ourselves out.

Afterwards, the weather turned a bit warmer but hopes of wonderful photos were dashed by the dim light. The lower hills around us with their south facing slopes slowly reverted to their winter green, but at Cassinasco which is slightly higher, the landscape was like a black and white photograph, the colour seemed to have leached away. Now, as I write this, the sun has broken through the mist and is warming the hills again. The snow is retreating quickly but unfortunately it is too late for us to capture any photographs to justify a snowy winter photogallery to accompany our autumn portfolio.

Wisteria Cottage Update

Meanwhile, over at Sessame, our plans to refurbish Wisteria Cottage were approved remarkably quickly by the comune, and our builders commenced work with what seemed like a whirlwind of activity. The cheap wooden flooring in Bedrooms 1 and 2 was ripped up and discarded, revealing a well preserved terracotta tiled floor in Bedroom 1, so we have made use of this unexpected ‘economy’ by deciding to re-tile the lounge instead.

The seedy tiles in the kitchen have been broken up and carted away, and crumbling plaster removed, revealing some beautiful pale grey and cream structural stonework underneath. We will be leaving some of this exposed and it will add further to the character of the kitchen, with its beamed ceiling.

Most drastic of all was the removal of the entire bathroom, including the floor, the staircase and upper hall. This gave a view of the first floor ceiling and a lovely sense of space. Having taken the staircase out, let’s hope they know how to put it all back together again! The new staircase will be properly graded, as its predecessor had Alpine characteristics. The bathroom is also being totally redesigned, and our large empty hall will soon return back to its cottage-like status again.

While all this has been going on we have been busy inspecting floor tiles, kitchen tiles bathroom tiles, bathroom appliances, kitchen units and so on. The tiles and upstairs bathroom suite are already on order.

Plans have been drawn for each of the rooms which has enabled us to plan the furnishings, at least on paper, and also helped when we met the electrician to discuss the rewiring and placing of additional power points. They will hopefully be useful again when we meet with the plumber, which we expect to do soon.

We have decided to have gas installed for the cooker, hot water and heating, as this seems to be the best option, being the simplest and most convenient to operate; this will involve the safe installation of a gas tank outside which involves the digging of a large hole in which to bury it. As they say, we are looking into it.

February 2008 Newsletter

E mail: kerrie@anitalianadventure.co.uk

0039 0141 851 154