# Short Term House Swap?



## mcohen (May 15, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

Anyone interested in doing a 3 or 4 day house swap this summer? We'd like to experience life in some other parts of Italy, but have time and financial constraints. We live in Pergola Le Marche, in a two bedroom apartment in centro. There's lots of beautiful hikes nearby, as well as some interesting sites such as the Frasassi caverns, Mount Catria, and Urbino. We're 30 minutes from the Adriatic.

If you live not too far away, in Emilia, Abruzzo, Umbria, Tuscany, or Lazio, and would consider swapping lives for a few days, please get back to me.

Here's some pictures of our town and region:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/members/mcohen-albums-pergola.html

Thanks,

Michael


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## mcmash (Jun 17, 2014)

*house swap sounds like a good idea*

Hi,

I love the idea of swapping apartments--those hotel bills certainly mount up. We have a 2 bedroom apartment with a terrace and garden (just starting to work on the garden as we just moved in, the only plant was a bedraggled iris) in centro storico in Arezzo. We are due passe from Piazza Grande, a 15 minute walk uphill from the train station (a 6-8 euro taxi ride for 2 people with 2 bags). Let me know if you are interested in discussing a potential swap further.

Nancy


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## mcohen (May 15, 2014)

*Pergola/Arezzo Swap*

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for responding to my house swap request.

I read your introductory e-mail, and it sounds like we may have a few things in common. My wife and I both spent around 20 years in the Pacific Northwest, me in Bellingham, Liz in Seattle and then Bellingham. In 1995 we moved to New Hampshire, and still spend half our time there when we're not in Italy.

Arezzo is a beautiful town. Although, when we bought our Pergola apartment 3 years ago it was fully furnished, there were still a few items we needed, one of which was a bookcase. We went to the Arezzo antique market in search of an old funky one, but found everything was pretty much out of our price range. We still had a wonderful day roaming around, and I think that slanted Piazza is one of the most beautiful in Italy.

Can we put off a decision on the house swap for a bit? We'd like to see if we get any offers from some towns we haven't been to yet, though we would also love to return to Arezzo and explore some of the region.

Also, we think it might be fun to meet up if you're somewhere in this region. We could give you a tour- there are lots of beautiful little hill towns and some breathtaking scenery.

Best,

Michael


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## mcmash (Jun 17, 2014)

I went to Western for a master's degree then taught there for a year, and my husband and I are seattle natives who have lived there forever, so there is some common ground. a tour of the region sounds great.

the antique market every Sunday is unfortunately not a great place to buy inexpensive furniture! We were looking for a small table (just for the modem) and fell in love with a beautiful antique which was a mistake--ended up with a 300 euro modem table!

Ciao
Nancy


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## mcohen (May 15, 2014)

mcmash said:


> I went to Western for a master's degree then taught there for a year, and my husband and I are seattle natives who have lived there forever, so there is some common ground. a tour of the region sounds great.
> 
> the antique market every Sunday is unfortunately not a great place to buy inexpensive furniture! We were looking for a small table (just for the modem) and fell in love with a beautiful antique which was a mistake--ended up with a 300 euro modem table!
> 
> ...


I went back to school at Western at age 35 to finish up my bachelor degree. Do you know Mark Sherman by any chance? He teaches creative writing and is a long time pal of mine.

When we drove to Arezzo it took around 2.5 hours along the route through Citta De Castello and Urbino. A nice but very windy drive. We're car-less at the moment, part of our problem getting a visa that will let us stay for longer than 3 months at a time.

Best,

Michael


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## mcmash (Jun 17, 2014)

no,I don't know him, but then I was at Western in 1978! We don't have a car either--it doesn't really seem worth it most of the time. we just rent one when we really want one. we have residenza eletiva but if you need to work i can imagine it is very hard to get a visa. we are retired so that isn't an issue-my main goal is to never work again!


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