italy travel: The Appraiser Said a House Would Last 40 Years - 07/09/11 05:57 AM
I was at a presentation made by a home appraiser to a group of real estate agents.  It shocked me when he said a house would only last 40 years.  He then paused.  People, like me, were busy thinking of every home in the city that was over 40 years old and knew that he was wrong.  Just plain wrong.   
For round 2, he said it would be uninhabitable in 40 years IF (now here is the rub) the owners did not maintain the home.   
So let's see - how many roofs do not sustain some type of damage from age, wind, snow, hail, sun … (161 comments)

italy travel: Decorations Outside the Shop - 07/08/11 07:44 AM

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
If I could have taken these off the wall and put them in my suitcase to bring back, I would have.  I know, they are a bit over the top but these two glass mosaics decorations are eye catching.   The shop attracts a lot of tourists just by having these on either side of the door.  Murano and Burano are worth a full day away from Venice.  Take the public water bus (or if you have a lot in your travel budget, a private water taxi).  The water bus stops at each island.  … (17 comments)

italy travel: Stump the Decorating and Designing Panel - Would you stage with this? - 07/08/11 06:29 AM

These lovely glass roses are individually made and adorn a very unusual feature of an atelier (workshop).  Can you guess where they are located?
This is the inside of one of the glass workshops.  Doesn't look too bad but then, it is open to the public who visit Murano. 

Okay, I just used that as filler so that you would have time to guess where the roses 'grow'.   Now, for the reveal........
 
Ta da.......

If you have lots of lemons, make lemonade.
If you have lots of glass, adorn a doorway for the whole world to enjoy … (12 comments)

italy travel: Never Say Never - 07/05/11 05:43 AM
Today I am reminded of the saying "Never Say Never".  I was commenting on a post about moving and said that I had promised my husband that, if we bought our current house, we would never have to move again.  Well, I am not moving now but I spend a lot of time looking at houses and I always look for the next house.  The reality of life is that we can seldom say 'Never" and know that we can stick to it.
In French there is an expression that means "Never say never".  Translated (poorly by me) the expression is: 
Never … (20 comments)

italy travel: Seven tips for visitng Italy - 06/30/11 12:04 AM
Buildings with double doors that are 12 feet high and have the handle in the middle that is big enough for a giant - are just plain impressive. Really 3 people and two suitcases can get in an elevator that is 6 by 2 1/2 - really and keep praying while it descends.  If you read a map with your head down while walking down the street  - you are going to miss your corner, hit other pedestrians and not see Rome. If you find a great place to eat, go back several times - there is no adventure more important … (34 comments)

 

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