Do you remember the sale of “La Finestra Sul Lago”, closed by GE in September 2019? Today, we are going to propose you the passionate tale of its new owner, Mrs. Larisa Semenova.
My husband and I traveled Italy a lot. The sunny South with its traditional turquoise houses, theatres, museums… and the refined North, the eternal Rome, and the amazing Florence: we have always been in love with all of it.
After some time, we started to think often about an idea… So, we said each other:
Why do we not purchase a home in this country?
And so, while searching on internet, we found Great Estate out. After just a call, I met Iuliia Sharenko, a Russian speaker and a professional of the Group, the same person who supported us during the whole process.
In April 2018, my oldest son Pavel and I come to Italy for our first trip aimed to find our dream property. We planned several visits in Umbria, right in the center of the Bel Paese. I have to confess to you that I was in contact also with another Moscow agency working with the real estate market in the North of Italy. With this agency, we planned some visits in the area of Verona too. Even if this trip did not bring any particular result, we were finally able to understand which area could be the best for us.
For this reason, Aleksandr (my husband) and I organized a second journey to Italy in August 2019. On that occasion, we were already focused on the area of Umbria and Tuscany.
Iuliia has always been present and, together, we tried to find the best research criterion for our dream home out.
Visits in Montepulciano, Città Della Pieve, Orvieto and in the area of Todi: farmhouses, apartments, new and under-construction houses, historical properties, renovated homes, etc. So, one by one, we have visited so many properties in just a week.
Again, from a hotel to another: I pleasantly remember a night spent in an old castle, an unexpected celebration in the square of Lubriano, the incredible feelings and atmosphere of that beautiful hotel in Todi, rich of ancient objects.
However, we were still not ready to choose: one was too small, the other too large, one too close to a street, another too far from the centre, one not so well-maintained, the other out of our budget.
So, from our initial list, we selected two farmhouses only: the first one was located into a new complex near Orvieto (great conditions but a small garden), the other near Cetona (great garden but the property needed a renovation). The costs estimated for the works were a quite important investment for us.
We absolutely want to thank Iuliia for her patience and professionalism. She understood that we were not able to find the ideal characteristics for our home and, despite we had already given up all our hopes, she made the impossible to make our dream come true.
For this reason, Aleksandr and I decided to take a break and postpone our purchase.
Some months later – a period during which Iuliia kept sending us several proposals – our children, Pavel and Piotr, came to Italy “to find happiness”!
We should let the children go, take a look, and relax themselves.
So, my husband and I blessed their travel, even if we were not so convinced that this could have been the right time to find our next home.
The visits planned were in the areas of Orvieto and Todi: the ancient Etruscan civilization did not give peace to our Russian souls.
Pavel and Piotr, with no mistakes, did the right choice: they knew our desires and criteria.
So, once back in Russia and after a family meeting, we finally decided which property was the right one for us: “La Finestra Sul Lago”. My husband and I purchased the house without having ever personally seen it before.
After a short negotiation, we established the price. The property was “ready to move in”, in good conditions, furnished, and with about 1 ha of land.
“La Finestra Sul Lago” was the name that the ex-owners of the home decided for it. A really good name! Indeed, from the house, it is possible to enjoy a great view of the Corbara lake while, from the other side of the garden, on Civitella Del Lago. Both Orvieto and Todi are just 30 minutes from here.
Great Estate worked in a very dynamic and structured way. Iuliia provided us with all the papers in Russian, while explaining also some juridical aspects.
The final deed of sale date was in September, 10th 2019, and not by chance.
Indeed, this date represents our wedding anniversary too. For this reason, both Aleksandr and I can affirm that the purchase of “La Finestra Sul Lago” was a very beautiful present for both.
I have seen “Casa Di Pietro e Paolo” (this is the name we decided for the farmhouse, the ones of our children) the day before the final deed of sale signing. The winding mountain road, a dirt road entrance, wild boars all around, large trees framing the property, the huge size of the land: so, my first impression was not the best one.
The choice was taken, the home almost purchased, but I had imagined it different… However – and I am sincere while telling you this – the first 2/3 nights spent into the house, the daily travels in that road raised my hopes back: every single car travel seemed me a small trip into one of the most romantic Umbrian corners.
I have also to admit that the property previous owners have carefully renovated it, leaving us so a very welcoming and positive atmosphere. I have never thought to modify anything of it. Everything was surprisingly right for us.
During the first days, my men had repaired the fence of the garden because damaged by wild boars. Regarding this, if today I would like to take some pictures of them, I should just look around my property.
But there is also another “story” connected to the purchase of “La Casa Di Piero e Paolo”, another coincidence, even if personally I think that anything was by chance.
Before our journey to Italy, Iuliia and I were already in contact. It was during Easter and, thinking that the tradition of decorating the eggs was just Russian, I sent her a picture of my Easter eggs-basket. At that moment, neither Iuliia and I knew that, right in Civitella Del Lago, does exists a very unique museum: “Ovo Pinto”, the museum of the decorated eggs.
Moreover, I discovered that every year, this museum organizes some lessons of egg-painting: do you know who was the first participant of this year? A Russian citizen: Oksana Naumushkina, an art teacher at the L.N. Tolstoj museum in Jasna Polana.
So, coincidence or not, we have pleasantly discovered different aspects that bind us – and, more in general, Russia, – to Italy!
Larisa Semenova
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