Here are some photos of the house in progress:

The pictures are pre-paint, as Massimo, the local painter who fixed the cracks in the walls before we arrived, is going to paint everything at some point. We picked colors and gave him a spare key so maybe it will be done while we’re away for two weeks. And then again, maybe it won’t. And we’ll pay him the next time we see him, whenever that may be. That’s just how it works.

Paul has a few projects to tackle when he returns to Pico in two weeks:

• Talk with Massimiliano to get the screens replaced,
• Talk with Guiseppe about how much it will cost to fix part of the retaining wall in the garden,
• Clean the terrace,
• Fix the locks to the terrace doors,
• Try to get rid of the furniture and miscellaneous housewares we stuck in the cantina,
• And a few more odds and ends.

There’s a lot to tackle before we buy furniture for the spare bedroom and living room, or even think about renovating the bathroom or kitchen.

As Paul reminds me, “piano piano” which means “slowly, slowly” or “little by little.” We are in no rush to get everything “done.” We don’t want it to cause stress, and it can sit there for another decade empty and be in better shape than it was previously. So with that, we say farewell to La Casa Pico, for now.