At last! Photos of the finished apartments!

I am delighted to introduce you to Romeo and Juliet:

 

Il Palazzotto - Romeo has 

• a romantic bed on the mezzanine level under the tufo stone vaulted ceiling

• a sofa that opens into 2 single beds for kids (or those who don't like the stairs to the mezzanine!)

• a litte kitchenette

• a spacious shower room (with huge shower)

    

• and lots of lovely character features so you have no doubt you're not in a Travelodge!

    

Il Palazzotto - Juliet has some similarities!!

• a romantic bed on the mezzanine level under the tufo stone vaulted ceiling

• a sofa that opens into a double bed for kids (or those who don't like the stairs to the mezzanine!)

• a litte kitchenette

• a spacious shower room (with bidet for our Italian guests!)

  

• and lots of lovely character features so you have no doubt you're not in a Travelodge! 

    

As you might have guessed, I've been taking photos for the agency who will be marketing our apartments for the ridiculously popular August period.  Just my iPhone and amateur eye but I'd like to think they have come out at least as well as half the properties I see advertised which have clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, etc!  Within 2 days we had our first booking for next week!  So thrilled!

So now you have been formally introduced and before the agency fills them, it's the perfect time to let us know if you are hoping to come out so we can reserve dates for you.  Despite recent frustrations (ahem!), they are beautiful apartments in a wonderful town at the perfect holiday time of year, so we'd love to welcome more of our friends out here to share our little Italian idyll.

Plus you never know what little surprises might brighten up your day.  This past weekend we had good friends in town and we spent our days, drinking a little...

Yes, that's a bottle of red wine for £1.50!

(which my friend, who knows his wine - he knows about terroirs! - insisted was perfectly decent!)

...shopping a little for fresh produce - it's the perfect time of year for beautifully ripe cherries, pineapple and watermelon

Fresh fruit on the roof terrace

(when we asked about this strange, green thing in the greengrocers he gave us one for free, describing it as like a cucumber that you just peel and eat!  Unlike the "red carrot" a friend told us about the other day which sounded so exciting and exotic and turned out to be beetroot, I've still no idea what this green thing would be called in English!)

barattieri (= some kind of round, furry Pugliese cucumber!)

...and lots and lots of chilling at the beach, relaxing in piazzas soaking up the atmosphere, and eating!  Bliss!

We had such a lovely time they emailed to say within 24 hours of their landing back in London they were looking into flights to come back in September!  Apparently getting back into work mode is difficult when you know your friends are in Italy and heading to the beach as soon as 5pm comes around!

If I may, I'd like to close with a few things my friend said this weekend that will stay with me.   Maybe it seems like bragging, maybe I shouldn't share them on here for all to see, but these sentiments coming from such a sweet, smart and successful person really made me smile from ear to ear.  Firstly, they said that they have always admired me for my ability to make friends in new places.  Secondly, that I inspire them to be brave and go after what they want, knowing that I would likely say it's nothing that can't be achieved with a bit of hard work.  Thirdly, that they grazed their knee on the ceiling!  (I'm not sure this quote will make the marketing blurb, but it's certainly not something you can say about any old holiday!)