Garden

We have a massive garden and this is an area where we expect our plans to evolve over time. Up to now, we have mostly concentrated on getting it back under control and that work continues.

Hard landscaping

We obviously have plans to replace the swimming pool and to pave the terrace above it.

We think we would also like to pave all or part of this area directly above the house to provide an attractive terrace for sunbathing and entertaining that is away from the pool.

We also envisage paving the garden path from the house at least as far as the pool (and possibly all the way to the top of the garden). This would make it much safer moving around between house, terrace and pool. Ideally, all will be done with the same paving to give a joined up feeling.

We would like to be able to get up to the terrace from the road via the driveway and would like to be able to get a car onto the terrace without damaging its paving. There is an element of disabled access to our thinking here.

We have been toying with steps up to the terrace from the rear of the house, but their location (or even whether they are needed at all) kind of depends on whether we can move the back door as per our kitchen diner plans.

Trees

We love trees and we have quite a few in our garden including a fair number of fruit trees. They provide shade, but can also get out of hand and block the fabulous views we have. Many of the trees are overdue a bit of pruning for their own health and to keep them under control.

We are thinking of reducing the trees below the pool to open up the view across the valley from the pool area.

There are two massive pine trees that were planted by Domenico when he was a child. In the past there were three, but one has already been felled…

There is plenty of space to replace any tress that are lost or taken out and we would probably want to do that with more ornamental varieties.

The lower terraces

Below the pool are a sequence of terraces of reducing in size as you descend towards the road. They need taming a bit and we imagine one could be made into a herb / sensory garden in time.

On one of the lower terraces are the hen and rabbit houses.

We have cleared most of the vegetation that was growing all over them and the ugly wire fencing and corrugated iron from around them. It looks as though they could be quite nice looking once the concrete “render” is removed from the original bricks. They are a bit low, but could possibly serve as sheds until we move out here permanently and start keeping chickens.

The campo

There is a large field above the pool area that was created by Domenico’s parents to make space for a football pitch for their grandchildren. We understand that they dug out a terrace in order to do that and that by doing so caused some consternation among their neighbours as the stability of the ground is potentially affected. There is a lot of rain in the winter with the potential to wash ground away and we do have a stream (gora) running along the back of the property.

It’s a large blank canvas and we see ourselves creating a “proper” garden up there over the years.

Martin’s water feature

In the garage are two old wine vats.

They are both about 1.5m in diameter. The larger is about 1.5m tall and the smaller about 1m. Martin plans to make a water feature for the back garden from them with water flowing from the taller into the smaller.

See also