Samantha and Jack and their now grown-up children – Eve, Laura and James – were based in Melbourne, Australia, at the time so house-hunting was inevitably a drawn-out process. ‘We fitted viewings into annual holidays here or if Jack was on a business trip in Europe he would tack one on to a weekend visit,’ Samantha explains.
Their patience paid off when they viewed this casa colonica, a traditional Tuscan farmhouse with a core that dates from the 16th century. Historically, its layout would have been divided into upstairs living areas for the family, while the ground floor would have been inhabited by stabled farm animals. The farmhouse had been converted 50 years earlier by its previous owners so the downstairs was habitable, but the modernisations had both pros and cons. ‘The large French windows meant the living spaces felt flooded with light and linked with the outside, but some of the materials used were not in keeping with the house’s character.’ For example, there was a mishmash of original terracotta tiles and poorer quality new versions, and concrete had been used to cover some of the walls.
This story is from the August 2020 edition of Homes & Gardens.
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This story is from the August 2020 edition of Homes & Gardens.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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