Of empty rooms, full cars and learning to let go

Buying the house was only the beginning.

We purchased Villa Augustin exactly as the Italian family left it, including its entire contents. And in thirty years, they had collected… everything. And then some. The question quickly became: how much can one family possibly keep? The answer, we learned, is: a lot.

So began the great clearing out. We were introduced to the local ecostazione, where we also learned that waste sorting in Italy works a little differently than back home in Belgium. Here, you have iron, wood… and “rest waste”. Which, conveniently, seems to include almost everything else.

Car after car was filled to the brim with mattresses, furniture and assorted household items. Each time we returned home, convinced we had made a dent, only to walk back into the house and wonder if anything had actually left at all.

Slowly but surely, progress appeared. All bedrooms were finally emptied, cleared of decades of memories, and given a fresh start. Walls were repainted in soft, light tones.
We allowed the spaces to breathe, highlighting what was already there. Light, softness and natural materials came to the foreground: wood, ceramics and gentle textures that invite rest and ease.

We are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of new beds, with new mattresses, fresh linen and soft bath towels. The kind of beds you sink into after a long dinner, a swim at sunset or a day of doing absolutely nothing. Our first guests will sleep well, very well.

Soon, we’ll share photos of these renewed rooms, brighter, calmer, ready to welcome new stories.

Villa Augustin is still a work in progress but in the most meaningful way. It is shaped by thoughtful choices, quiet moments of creation and the growing sense of a house preparing itself to welcome life, conversations and shared memories.

To be continued…