Roocello

$35.00

In search of Roocello – A House in Tuscany.
Written and illustrated by Denbigh Sale.

This is the story about a search. A search for a house in Tuscany. Not just any house, but the perfect house… well, at least one with a car parking space, accessibility that didn’t require climbing ropes and a working sewerage system. It was a challenge that many Tuscan real estate agents were happy to take on, but very few managed to meet.

Sydney artist Denbigh Sale – determined to achieve the life-long dream of owning a house in Tuscany – recounts the twists and turns of her search, the unpredictable and unorthodox workings of Italian bureaucracy, and the many surprises that awaited at the end of alleys, driveways and country roads. Along the way Denbigh – and son Julian – met many interesting characters, learned many valuable lessons and, finally, found “Roocello”, a converted olive mill not far from the city of Lucca.

During her search Denbigh kept meticulous diaries and made many sketches which, along with her richly colourful paintings, have subsequently formed the basis of this beautifully illustrated book. Despite encounters with wildlife, violent storms and feuding neighbours, Denbigh says it’s an experience she wouldn’t have missed for one moment… albeit not one for the faint-hearted.

In search of Roocello – A House in Tuscany.
Written and illustrated by Denbigh Sale.

This is the story about a search. A search for a house in Tuscany. Not just any house, but the perfect house… well, at least one with a car parking space, accessibility that didn’t require climbing ropes and a working sewerage system. It was a challenge that many Tuscan real estate agents were happy to take on, but very few managed to meet.

Sydney artist Denbigh Sale – determined to achieve the life-long dream of owning a house in Tuscany – recounts the twists and turns of her search, the unpredictable and unorthodox workings of Italian bureaucracy, and the many surprises that awaited at the end of alleys, driveways and country roads. Along the way Denbigh – and son Julian – met many interesting characters, learned many valuable lessons and, finally, found “Roocello”, a converted olive mill not far from the city of Lucca.

During her search Denbigh kept meticulous diaries and made many sketches which, along with her richly colourful paintings, have subsequently formed the basis of this beautifully illustrated book. Despite encounters with wildlife, violent storms and feuding neighbours, Denbigh says it’s an experience she wouldn’t have missed for one moment… albeit not one for the faint-hearted.