What I envisaged as a paradise
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
As I read the news today that the medieval city L'Aquila had been struck by an earthquake, I was struck by a personal shock.
In 2000 I was traveling with my then Italian girlfriend and friends around the country. We stopped in this stone housed village in the province of Abruzzo. I instantly fell in love with the village and started ranting on about how I would like to buy a house here.
We did some asking around and found out that the houses were selling for as little as 5000 Euros, numerous Germans had come down and snapped half the village up. When I asked why this virtually ghost town was going for such a song, the locals told us that the area had been hit by a savage earthquake many years ago and they were just game to take the risk of living there again.
I left dreaming of renovating my own 100 year old stone cottage and even went to the extent of partitioning my immediate family into 'chipping in' a grand each and buy our own little piece of Italy.
Now I see that fate has played a card that has tragically killed hundreds of people and if I had of chosen a different path 9 years ago, maybe I would not be here today.
To all the people of Abruzzo province my thoughts go out to you in this time of need.
KK
In 2000 I was traveling with my then Italian girlfriend and friends around the country. We stopped in this stone housed village in the province of Abruzzo. I instantly fell in love with the village and started ranting on about how I would like to buy a house here.
We did some asking around and found out that the houses were selling for as little as 5000 Euros, numerous Germans had come down and snapped half the village up. When I asked why this virtually ghost town was going for such a song, the locals told us that the area had been hit by a savage earthquake many years ago and they were just game to take the risk of living there again.
I left dreaming of renovating my own 100 year old stone cottage and even went to the extent of partitioning my immediate family into 'chipping in' a grand each and buy our own little piece of Italy.
Now I see that fate has played a card that has tragically killed hundreds of people and if I had of chosen a different path 9 years ago, maybe I would not be here today.
To all the people of Abruzzo province my thoughts go out to you in this time of need.
KK
