Greetings from Piemonte!!  The weather is glorious and the fields and vineyards are rich with fruit.  Many things are happening in the Langhe this summer and fall.  Restoration at the Monastero di Cherasco is continuing, and most of the exterior work is nearing completion.  The crew will have an Italian August holiday and will return in September to continue working the interiors.  We again appreciate everyone’s patience in this very time-loving project.  We find it more entertaining than aggravating, and admire and respect the passionate expertise that is being utilized in this project.

We have the pleasure of being able to invite everyone to a special Italian evening of food, wine, friends, and conversation about the Monastero di Cherasco, on August 8th and 9th.  Chef  Francesco Volpe, from Milano, Italy is flying over to Fall City, Washington, to compose a dramatic 5 course dinner.  The dinner is being presented at the home of Maria and Kevin Downey.  Their home will be transformed into an elegant dining room/kitchen with white tablecloths and sparkling glasses to become the  “Dirt Road Dining” venue. Kevin coined the “Dirt Road Dining” name because of his many wanderings through the Italian countryside looking for, “that little Ristorante”.  Driving down dirt roads to the point of giving up, the sight of a little dimly lit house would appear.  Walking through the front door he would be greeted by a lovely dining room, gracious hosts, and delicious aromas.  The multi-course dinner will benefit charity, and Maria and Kevin are requesting a minimum of $100/person , which will be forwarded 100% to the organization.  Thank you Maria and Kevin for opening your home, and for giving Monastero di Cherasco the opportunity to gather and enjoy Italian food and wine in a marvelous setting.

If you are interested, please contact Holly@PiedmontPlaces.com

Upcoming Events in Piemonte:

18-27 July-  Festa Patronale di S. Bonaventura
A week of Festivities in Montelupo Albese
Markets, food, music in Montelupo

19-28 July- Festa Patronale di Saint’Anna in Castiglione Falletto
A week of folklore, wine, gastronomy, theatre, and music.

June 6th-August 2nd – Monforte d’Alba Jazz Festival
The annual Monforte Jazz Festival takes place in the hilltop outdoor ampitheatre.  A beautiful location.  www.monfortearte.net for schedule.
 
July 18-August 3rd-Alba Summer Music Festival
www.albamusicfestival.com/welcome_eng.lasso
The Alba Music Festival stages concerts in the most prestigious places in Alba, including dozens of majestic castles and intimate churches that are the heart of the region’s uniqueness.  A spectacular journey in a thousand-year-old framework, the Festival is host to a magical meeting between rich history, stirring scenery, and music, “Making Musica Bella” .

October 4th-November 9th – The White Truffle Fair
The annual festival of the White Truffle in the Centro Storico in Alba.  Truffle Auction, Market, and fair.  Music, food, folklore.
www.fieradeltartufo.org/it/

Previous Post on Hotel Monastero di Cherasco

What typically is governed by individual condominium associations, has now become a public affair and the city is now getting involved in banning the use of condominiums as short-term rentals.

The Department of Planning and Development has interpreted the land use code to mean that multifamily units in a high-rise residential zone, can’t be rented for less than 30 days because this would be considered a commercial use.

This all came about last year when the city took action against 16 owners of units at the Elektra (1400 Hubbell Place) for the code violation after several other homeowners had complained about seeing “strangers” in the building.  Check out SeattleSuite.com - looks like there are several still in the building and reviews are even surfacing on GoogleMaps!

As if 1 Hotel & Residences (2nd & Pine) doesn’t have enough to work through already, now the ruling could affect the future design of the building AGAIN as it was intended to be the city’s first condo-hotel allowing individual buyers to offer their suites as hotel rooms.

Click here to read more!

In the past two weeks, Madison Lofts have apparently had over 600 people tour the property during their Grand Opening event.  I guess the King5 interview really created some exposure…I wonder how many have sold? I will have an update shortly!

Click here to read the Madison Lofts newsletter.

Here is the latest from Lacie Doman, the Marketing Manager of AVA Hotel & Residences:

PROJECT SCHEDULE
With our Master Use Permit now in hand, the AVA development team is in the final design and entitlement process. As we prepare to submit for the final building permits from the City of Seattle, we continue to work closely with our contractor to secure the best possible construction pricing for our future owners. We anticipate receiving final project costing and entitlements by the second quarter of 2009, and will be in position at that time to finalize the construction schedule and occupancy date.

PRIVATE PREVIEW APPOINTMENTS
Later this summer, private preview appointments will be available for all interested homebuyers to tour the sales center. You will be among the first to preview the contemporary and sophisticated design palettes which have been custom created for AVA as well as explore home décor options. The sales center is located at the corner of 8th Avenue and Olive Way, just one block away from the AVA site (open by appointment only).

PRIORITY RESERVATION OPPORTUNITY
New homebuyers will be invited to entertain a Priority Agreement, which provides a preferred opportunity to select from the new release of homes once they are officially released for sale next year. Priority Agreements are offered in exchange for a fully refundable deposit of $10,000 and are a convenient way to secure your purchase position with preferred selection and introductory prices.

Click here to read more on AVA Hotel & Residences!

What was to be the site of 1 Hotel & Residences will remain a desolate gaping hole on 2nd Ave and Pine until Starwood Capitol Group can secure a construction loan and proceed with a newly designed 23-story hotel-condo building. 

Not only has the construction been delayed for nearly a year now, but most recently Avalon Holdings, a Portland-based firm headed by Paul Brenneke, has sold their interest ($45 million) in the $250 million project.  Avalon will continue to develop the 18,800 square feet of retail space at street level of the Macy’s parking garage and it was announced that Columbia Sportswear Company is planning to operate two retail stores in the space as early as this fall.

Click here to read more!