Cement Tiles

In my last post I have shown our "recycled" cement tiles that were used in a former room and now in our entrance. We also have beautiful cement tile floors upstairs, all originally from the previous owners.

If you too are interested in giving your home a mediterranean touch with tiles you could do that either with Italian Vietri tiles or with cement tiles by Masaic del Sur, a spanisch manufacturer from Sevilla which I found via AD (French Edition, April 2011):

Mosaic del Sur offers cement tiles in 800 designs and 72 colours.

traditional pattern for kitchens

floral pattern (available in 72 different colours) for bathrooms

traditional pattern for bedrooms

floor: floral pattern

traditional pattern for entrances

floral pattern for dining area

small colour tiles for stairways 

floral pattern for shops or restauratants as well as residential projects

colourful patchwork mixed with all kind of patterns, border tiles and uni-colour tiles

for a mediterranean style bar

All above pictures are from Mosaic del Sur. Their website has many more photos that show samples of different patterns and colours. They also explain how the tiles are hand made, how to lay them, how to clean, preserve and protect them. They ship worldwide. In Europe the tile price/m2 is around 60-75 Euro/m2, minimum order 4 pack, around 2,6m2.

Milestones

Today, Angelo sent those pictures you can say they show milestones in our renovation work:

The flooring of the entrance is done !

I am glad, we found enough original tiles and could avoid a mix with another pattern. However, it was just the right amount of tiles to lay a kind of floral carpet. For the "gap" we added travertine that now looks like a border made on purpose. - When you now enter the main door and go straigth upstairs, you do not pass any dusty renovation area anymore!

The ceiling of the large living space is done!

This ceiling was hell of a work over several weeks that Angelo managed all alone. I only grated off a  few cm2 of old layers of paint with a small special knife to uncover the former fresci. Not much was left to lay bare, but it gives this space the appropriate old palazzo atmosphere. More about the ceiling and its construction in another post.

More milestones: Please have a look at my ABOUT page that I have newly added to the blog. Also I am happy to see that my blog hits this month an all time high visitor record. Thank you!

Buona Pasqua !

Happy Easter to everyone! e Buona Pasqua !

Today, Easter Monday, in Italian called pasquetta, little Easter, I am writing again from Bangkok.

Since I had to leave on Good Friday, venerdi santo, Angelo was so kind to take some pictures of the processione, that took place on Good Friday in Pizzo and passed by our house:

processione di venerdi santo in Pizzo

chiesa Carmine in the back ground (our house on the left)

Good Friday procession in Pizzo

Recycling Furniture

Today we have mounted my around 20 year old IKEA table. It is a bit rusty, but it stands perfectly. The chair has seen many winters and snow, but with a bit of paint, maybe blue paint, it will look like new.

This again proves me, that I am right to not throw out my old things. I hate to throw away things because 1) one week later or so I need them and 2) it is a waste of resources. I love to see things recycled.

Especially when it is possible in this way, on this balcony, with this view .... ahh, what a pitty that I have to take the plane back to Bangkok tomorrow. My son and I would prefer to stay, but school and work is overthere ...

Since the internet access was a bit weak here lately, I did not post much about the progress. But I will have plenty of time next week. Wishing all of you a Happy Easter, or happy Thai New Year or just a very Happy and hopefully Sunny Springtime.

Grocery Shopping in Vibo Marina

Today, I am taking a break from Pizzo and the house and am staying in Vibo Marina with son and mother in law. Actually, we did not stay home but went out for grocery shopping and more:

selection of fresh cheese at the newly opened local minimarket Baldo

selection of pasta - pasta for every day (Barilla) and pasta for sunday (De Cecco) in all kind of forms

selection of local wines (Ciro) starting at around 4 Euro

chili pastes in all kind of versions, sold as "Viagra Calabrese" or "Bomba Calabrese"

the local fish shop with the catch of the day

passing an old house with palm and olive trees (the weather is nice again)

At a local furniture shop I asked for matresses and found out that our bed size 180cm x 200cm is not a standard size in Italy and therefor we would need to order the matresses 180x200 or two by 90x200. One month delivery time and 30% more expensive. I will have to check another shop. But the modern wardrobe on display in the shop might be usefull for storage... I will need to check and measure the space in the house.

And last but not least we stopped by the local barber shop.

our boy gets a very professional haircut for 5 Euro

After lunch break we are going on another shopping tour in Vibo Valentia.