This place is just so amazing. It's a shame the family are at such odds with each other about it. You have some
children and grandchildren of the Baroness who just want out. They want to somehow sell what ever part of this
place they think they own and get the money. Then there's others like Carla who want to make it a prosperous
business and restore all there is to restore back to its' glory days
Today Miriam, Roberto and the girls were planning to go to Carla's at the beach. I said I would like to take a bike
ride so asked Miriam to leave me the key to the garage where the bike is. The garage is kind of on the first floor of the
castle. Miriam said sure. They left and then came right back. Roberto did not want to have anyone in the family who
might be visiting in the Baroness' to see me with the key. What would they think? So they came back to tell me not to
use the key to get into the garage
Apparently everyone has their own electrical circuits so there are several electric bills depending on what part of the
castle you live. During the wedding we borrowed an electric oven, put it in the old kitchen which is on the Baroness'
electric circuit/bill. I was told that "someone" (Mario) watches to see who uses which electricity because he doesn't
want someone else's bill getting paid by the "family" money.
I heard that Dora has been told by the Baroness NOT to use any means of cooking other than wood even in the heat
of this Summer in order to save money.
Dora, the Baroness' caregiver (24/7) gets about 1,000 euro/month to take care of her. In Ct. it would be about
that per week. And apparently the family money now and only has ever come from the land. They sell the wood
for heating. Hard to believe.
Many years ago some king (name unknown) was helped by this guy he dubbed "Baron" for helping him out
during some war (name and year unknown) and gave him these 90 hectares (approx. 200+ acres) and built him
this castle. There is so much information not written down and not passed on for the living relatives to tell. It's
such a pity that so much history is being lost. And I think mainly because of all the animosity and "no one wants
to talk about it" attitude.
And at night or if Robby and family go out, what a ritual takes place in locking everything. All the doors and definitely
the main gate to the courtyard. But every door has many ways to lock it. So many dead bolts and latches on each door. There is no way anyone could ever get into this place when the doors are locked. But it is also very easy for me to get locked into an area of this castle because too many doors got locked. Last night I had to ring Dora's doorbell several times and shout up to her to open the main, really, really bug door to let me in. There is a huge latch on that big door on the inside with a chain attached to it that goes through a hole it the ceiling to the upstairs kitchen where Dora is and she can pull that chain and lift the latch from upstairs so she doesn't have to come down to open the door. This is also the way she lets the german shepherd out every morning without coming down stairs. The whole town, all 80 of them is
made up of old people who just hang around and talk. I don't think anyone would try to come here who doesn't belong. Remember a previous letter I wrote that Italians NEVER stop
talking?
I think now I'll go and take pictures of all the interesting doors here. Of which there are many
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