An Australian family who sold their Melbourne home to build a new life in Italy have found themselves planning their days around water deliveries after buying an abandoned property with no utilities.
Amanda Nedza and her husband, Paul, bought the four-storey home overlooking an Italian village for €208,000 ($339,000AUD), after it sat empty for almost 15 years. The house sits on a hill in Boville Ernica, Lazio, about 100km southeast of Rome.
Restoring the property has come with some unexpected realities — including weeks without a direct water supply.
The hidden reality of an abandoned home
Amanda recently shared an update revealing the family was still waiting to be connected to mains water.
“There have been times when I’ve had no water at all and have had to shower at neighbours’ or friends’ houses,” she told Yahoo News.
“I’m drinking bottled water and using that for cooking, going to the laundromat when needed and trying to conserve the tank water as much as possible.
“For me, water is such a basic need.”
Amanda and Paul have spent about $98,000 renovating their Italian home. Source: Supplied
While the neighbouring homes were connected within a week, Amanda’s house has now gone about three weeks without a direct supply.
“I never imagined I’d be living in our home in Italy and having to plan my days around whether or not a truck was going to arrive with enough water for me to shower, flush the toilet or wash the dishes,” she said.
A dream worth the headaches
The abandoned house was in rough condition, with birds, dead animals, droppings, spiders and years of dirt inside.
The couple has since spent about $98,000 on renovations, with Paul, a former cabinetmaker, doing much of the work.
Before being transformed, the Italian home had sat abandoned for almost 15 years, with birds, dead animals, droppings, spiders and years of dirt inside. Source: Supplied
“I probably underestimated just how much work the house needed. Paul wasn’t with me when I viewed it, and when he arrived, his reaction was basically, ‘Amanda, wow, there is A LOT to do here!’,” she said.
They’ve also faced lengthy waits for utilities, with the gas connection still unresolved after 11 months.
“We were originally told it would take around three months. At the end of this month, it will be 11 months since we applied, and we’re still waiting,” Amanda said.
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The part nobody expected
The biggest challenge has been bureaucracy, with Amanda in Italy finalising her citizenship application, while Paul and their son Stefan remain in the UK.
“This is the longest I’ve ever been away from my son,” she said.
“Recently I saw him for just three days after we’d already been apart for six weeks.
“We’ve always been a really close family, we’ve travelled together a lot and I homeschooled Stefan for two years.”
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For Amanda, the move has also deepened her connection to her Italian heritage.
“I grew up in Australia with an Italian dad and Scottish mum, and Paul grew up with Polish parents, so European culture was always a big part of both of our families,” she said.
Amanda’s nonna died while the family was living in Italy.
“Strangely, being here has made me feel closer to her,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Amanda said the family still believes they made the right decision.
“The good far outweighs the difficult parts, and we still feel we made the right decision,” she said.
Amanda, Paul and their son Stefan left Melbourne to build a new life in Italy, where they are restoring an abandoned home. Source: Supplied
Advice for Aussies
Her advice to Australians eyeing cheap European property is not to assume it will be an easy escape from Australia’s cost of living.
“The thing I underestimated most was the bureaucracy. Everyone tells you about it before you move, but hearing about it and actually living through it are two completely different things,” she said.
“Holidaying in Italy and living in Italy are completely different experiences.
“We love the slower pace, but slower really does apply to everything here.”
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