If All Goes Well We have a Place!!

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Finally
After two very full days of looking all over Torino we have chosen our most likely home away from home. It will most likely be an apartment in the northwest corner of La Crocetta district at 5 Via G. Bricherasio (brick-a-raz-eo) in a building on the corner of Via Vincenzo Vela and via Giovanni Bircherasio - all 3 bathrooms are being re done new as we speak (we hope to have some say as to how - but it is a rental so we don't hold out too much hope - but you have to ask and we are going to do just that). It has Central Air (a very rare find indeed)a full very new and nicely appointed kitchen (cucina) - two very large balconies and quiet garden spaces as well. Three bedrooms, 3 baths and office space. Also, it is on the 1st level so no need for a list (although there is one) and a full two car (macchina) garage space plus storage for my bikes and lots of other stuff. I will upload some pictures of the place now and a full set once the renovation is complete.
Overall we looked at about 14 apartments, climbed a lot of stairs, rode a bunch of small lifts and walked all over tarnation to try and make the wisest choice we could in the short time we had. Lorenza, our Italian real estate guide, was fantastic! In addition to being the interpretor for our adventure, she knew the city very well and so could give us valuable insight regarding neiborhoods at the time we viewed the property but also after hours.
A short story will help to illustrate. Mid afternoon on Monday we were viewing a very beautiful 3rd level (4th floor) apartment again in La Crocetta this time in the northeast part at the corner of Via Marconi and Corso Massimo D'Azerglio which runs along the eastern edge of Parco Valentino which in turn abuts the Po River. It was gorgeous but the big drawback was that it was noisy and since it had no AC we would need windows open. The Corso M. D'Azerglio is very busy all day and night. But since it was so nice and new inside we were considering it. Lorenza was working with a number of real estate broker reps and at this time we were being assisted by a very nice fellow named Marco. As we left we said our arrivderci's and started to walk back to the car. Lorenza was being quite which for her is unusual. As we walked I noticed a young women standing on the corner just behind Lorenza's Fiat Bravo. She was hard to miss, her black dress was skin tight. It looked like it was poured on and it was so short... well lets just say that that you wouldn't have to guess at her inseam. Her stance was provocitive as well and she was posed for a long while without moving. She had no purse I could see (and I don't remember looking for one either) and she was just looking north up the Corso almost without blinking. Debi nudged me to look but I think I already was. When we got in the Fiat Debra and Lorenza started to comment and that was when Lorenza began to tell us about this area and the attraction it seemed to have for this type of "working girl" and also trans-types, if you know what I mean. So, needless to say we crossed that place off our list "not that there is anything wrong with that..." LOL. Anyway Lorenza has helped us avoid mistakes we would otherwise make that may have come back to haunt us in the future.
So, today (Martedi, Tuesday)we looked at a few more places but none compared to 5 Via Bricarasio. After our viewing and a little pow-wow with Lorenza we went back to the neiborhoods for #5 and one other place on Via Marconi that was a close 2nd place. After looking the areas over we both decided that #5 was the place we could call home for up to 18 months until we head closer to Milano. So we walked a few Km got soar, happy feet and came back to Principi Di Piemonte to relax in their beautiful spa for an hour or so.
Tomorrow we will visit with the owner of #5 and see if we can get to help pick out stuff as they rennovate plus answers to a few more, less important, questions. I will post some pics to show you the apartment and surrounding neiborhood as well. Please let us know what you all think.
Oh and #5 is 3 blocks from a nice gym called Athletic Center - Societa Sportiva Dilettantistica. 3 Mesi (Month) 197 Euro so not bad, Si?.
Arrivederci,
Gary & Debra

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