A Home in
My
wife, Barre, fell ill on the fifth day of our week in
After
emergency surgery, Barre was put on a ward with seven
other women. We spoke no Italian, and were petrified, he said. We
dont even really know to this day what exactly
happened during surgery.
The ward
itself was an experience: nonstop talking, families coming in and out at all
hours and little common language among the roommates.
This
is when we truly fell in love with
The Stolls continued on their European tour, but have come back
to
At first, we
rented a villa in
In 1993 and
1994, I spent 26 weeks out of the year in trial, so by 1996 I was burnt out and
ready to take a break, he said.
The family including three of the couples four
children picked up and moved to
When the year was
up, Mr. Stoll was ready to stay on the expansion of the Internet enabled him
to conduct a good portion of his business from abroad. His wife, however, was
less enthusiastic and wanted to get back to her practice in the States.
Our
compromise was to move back to
But that was
easier said than done.
The family had a
hard time finding a place that met their requirements: a central location, nice
views and at least two bedrooms. They finally took out an ad in a local
English-language paper that eventually led to a two-bedroom, two-bathroom
apartment of 150 square meters, or a little more than 1,600 square feet. It was
just the right size, on a quiet street and with a terrace, too.
It was
perfect, so we signed a four plus four lease, which meant that we had
the place for four years, and it was automatically renewable for another
four, he said.
Their elderly
landlady, who lived in a matching apartment next door, died several months
later. So when the heirs decided to sell it, ...the
Stolls ...bought it.
He declined to
say how much they paid, but luxury apartments in
In fact, the
market for centrally located apartments has become so tight in the last few
years that almost no amount of money can buy a place in the historic quarter.
Most
Americans come looking for a place with character, in the center, with a view
and even a terrace, said Benedetta Barendson of the Ruzzetti real
estate agency. Add to this that most want an elevator and maybe a parking
space and the number of properties drops down to almost zero. These types of
places almost never make it onto the market these days.
At the Stolls apartments, the wooden floors and hand-carved
coffered ceilings add a sense of grandeur to the lofty rooms. The family has
installed new kitchens and bathrooms, as well as an air-conditioning system.
We spend
about six to eight weeks a year here, Mr. Stoll said. Two to three weeks in January and another six weeks during the
summer. During the rest of the year we rent the two places out, for
short-term rentals of a few weeks to months, or even a year.
One weeks
rental in the high seasons of mid-March through July, September and October,
and Christmas is $3,275; the rest of the year is $2,675. But Mr. Stoll said the
more weeks that are taken, the more the price is
discounted. Also, there is a 15 percent reduction in all rates if no more than
two people are staying in an apartment....