Sunday, September 4, 2016

Under The Venetian Sun....Giavera Del Montello, Italy......

The sound of church bells ring through the house as the chickens squawk in the coop outside.  Prim and proper Penny, a wire haired abruzzo with aires (or an Italian hunting dog) is sleeping on a couch nearby.  Billy the three month old puppy is terrorizing the house by chewing on just about anything he can find. Earlier this morning we heard the whooshing sound of a hot air balloon filling up with heat at it rose above our temporary home. As we open up the shutters each morning we're greeted with a breathtaking view of the Italian countryside and become thankful that we're living the Venetian dream.
Outside Of House

See How Close The Bell Tower Is

Side View



Tomatoes In The Garden


Chicken Coop


 And Even A Swimming Pool


Balloons Spotted Over The Spectacular View




The Kitchen


Dining Room


Penny's Space



Living Room 

Our Bedroom



Our new careers as professional, fulltime house sitters has taken us throughout Latin America, back to the US to visit the kids, halfway around the world into Thailand and now into Italy.  A few years back when we spent a month trekking through Europe I fell in love with the beauty, taste and people of Italy and dreamed of returning someday. So when a house sit popped up in the little village of Giavera del Montello, just thirty minutes outside of Venice we jumped on it.

Canals Or Irrigation System Through Town

Sights Around Giavera Village








So here we are with a lovely home to live in for three months and in exchange we're taking care of two dogs, Penny (older Italian hunting dog) and Billy (three month old puppy....a Bison Frise mix), a cat named Fred, and some chickens.  Outside there is a lush garden full of free vegetables and some fruit trees for even more free food.

Here's Penny

Fred The Cat


Chickens Although We Don't Know Their Names

And Billy







The house is a large three bedroom, two bathroom home that sits high on a hill overlooking the countryside below.  Formerly the home of the bell ringer for the Catholic church next door, the home is dripping with Italian country charm. Nicely decorated by Kelly the British woman that lives here we have landed into yet another wonderful house sit.

Kelly the homeowner is a British expat who discovered Italy some 23 years ago. She is a wedding planner by summer and a registered nurse the rest of the year.  She works with new mothers teaching them proper infant care and lives with the family during the early weeks of the infants life.  So while she's gone to work in the UK we are here taking care of her beloved pets. But because she misses her dog she likes to return home every few weeks as she has weekends off.  When she's back we'll be free to take weekend trips to nearby cities like Rome, Verona, Venice, Milan and more. 

Although the village of Giavera has plenty of little shops for our grocery needs the house sits up on a hill (Montello in Italian) so walking back is a bit of a workout. Yesterday we ventured out with Penny to see what we could find.  A small grocery store, bakery, produce stand, restaurants that sell Italian food of course and our favorite, gelato (ice cream). And when Clyde was thirsty he stopped into the local grocery store for a liter and a half sized bottle of water for only 35cents (in Euro's of course).

Wine Anyone?  Saw Them In Someone's Front Yard
They REALLY Take Wine Seriously Here!





A Little Chapel Along The Way


Spotted Our First Gelato Stop But We Hear There
 Are Four Of These In This Town Alone



We arrived here early on Friday morning after two 6-7 hour fights from Thailand.  While we managed to stay awake all day since Kelly has two visitors that we hung out with, I crashed into bed around 7:30pm. Clyde stayed up to let the dogs out then caught up on some well deserved sleep too.

The weather here is just amazing with nights cooling off to mid 60's while the daytime temps climb into the mid 80's. There is plenty of sunshine that lasts well into the late hours of the evening, something we'd missed living in Panama.

The view from the front of the house is literally picture perfect with farms, countryside and homes as far as the eye can see.  To the side is the old Catholic church with it's large bell tower that is now fully automated. The bells ring every hour and half hour with the longest serenades being at 7am and 3pm. Perhaps the early bells are to wake the village up to begin the day?  The 3pm bells we've been told serve to commemorate that Jesus died at 3pm, something I'd never learned in Catholic school or probably just forgot?

The Church Next Door



Cemetary






The back of the property is not without it's own special view of an old cemetery.  Filled with above ground graves decorated with flowers and lights, it is a beautiful site to behold also. Last night while heading to bed on the second floor of the home I looked outside and was amazed.  Each grave site came alive with identical tiny yellowish lights that glowed against the dark night sky behind them.  The stately white bell tower and clock gleamed with it's white light that appeared as a beacon in the night.  We fell asleep with the windows open and felt the cool night breezes permeate the room.  Our Italian adventure has just begun as we have plenty of time to explore, mingle and learn some Italian as we explore the Veneto Region of Italy......along the gringo trail.

Terry and Clyde are able to "Travel The World House Sitting"  and so can you!  We have created a website to help people who want to learn about house sitting.    Information for both the prospective house sitter and for someone who needs a house sitter.

the New Website                          -->  CLICK HERE

How to Get Your First House Sit -->  CLICK HERE

How to find a house sitter          ---->  CLICK HERE

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