Altared: A Tale of Renovating a Medieval Church in Tuscany

by Kyle Tackwell Ball

Overview

When Kyle Tackwell Ball’s search for a quaint country home near Florence, Italy, in move-in condition somehow led to the purchase of an abandoned church in a small borgo near Greve-in-Chianti called Le Convertoie, she ended up with much more than a project to overcome her newly contracted “empty nest syndrome.”

Ball soon found herself starring in a “Stones and Bones Classic”; the ruin she’d purchased would require years of renovation and an endless amount of money before it would become habitable. But her journey had unexpected rewards, too: she reconnected with some wonderful friends, made new ones, learned the language of her newly adopted home country, and became experienced in the Italian knack of getting around the system. Most importantly, she learned to appreciate Italian culture, food and wine, and how rewarding it is to give new life to a beautiful old building. 

Ball’s renovation was featured in the March 2010 “Before & After” issue of Architectural Digest, beautifully documented by Kim Sargent of Sargent Architectural Photography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647420536
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

A University of Florida graduate with a BS in Sociology, Kyle Tackwell Ball worked as a court reporter in Atlanta in the early ’80s before moving overseas with her family, first to London and then to Brussels. When she relocated to Vero Beach, Florida, after seven years as an expatriate, she began a career in public relations as a consultant for Moulton Media Relations. She holds an APR (Accredited in Public Relations) designation from the Florida Public Relations Association and formerly served as the organization’s Treasure Coast Chapter president. She was President of Kyle Ball&Associates, a PR firm specializing in real estate, interior design, and architectural media relations and marketing, before turning to full-time renovation in Italy. Altared is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Honorable Mention in Non-Fiction: Humor/Comedy

“A fascinating combination of memoir, architecture, and commentary on Italian culture and cuisine, Altared: A Tale of Renovating a Medieval Church in Tuscany [is] an absorbing, entertaining, humorous, insightful, and informative read from first page to last.”
—Midwest Book Reviews

“Altared is a heartfelt biographical chronicle regarding the discovery of an unforeseen connection to a crumbling church and apartment that abruptly sidle into Ball’s life. . . it's also a tongue-in-cheek collection of some of the zaniest local characters—their tics, attitudes, ways, and weaknesses.” 

—Dario Castagno, author of Somewhere in Chianti: The Confessions of a Tuscan Tour Guide

From the Publisher