½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

I thought this was the easiest way to let people know where my house is, and the area I am interested in.

I live in Northampton, and my wife and I bought a 'holiday home' overlooking Lake Orta in 2003.

We chose the area for several reasons
1. Its easy to get to by budget airline, as well as by road/ferry
2. There is not a British ex-pat community there - there are a very few Brits, and they haven't taken over the place.
3. We knew the area from previous visits
4. We have Anglo ½ûÂþÌìÌà friends about 90 minutes away, who we have visited for the last 20 years.

We bought the house for the views and the solitude. [and the cows, with their bells, that the farmer drives down the road each day to the fields opposite] We have done the place up - central heating converted to natural gas [metano], new kitchen and enlarged bathroom, re-wired and re-plumbed.

Love the place - its the perfect 'chill out'' house. Although we still work in the UK, we visit 4 or 5 times a year, and my son and daughter [both grown up and left home] also use the place, as do our Anglo/½ûÂþÌìÌà friends.

We don't rent the house out - but family and friends are free to use it if we aren't there [better than leaving it empty]

We won't move to Italy when we retire [soon] - but we will spend more time at the house.