Yep, Ed Sheeran has bought a house near us in Umbria, Italy. This was in 2017, when I wrote this blog.
Ed Sheeran Bought a House Near Us
Who is Ed Sheeran?
This is a legitimate question if you are like us and don’t watch television or listen to radio. Before I wrote this blog, Barnet Boy claimed to never have heard of Ed Sheeran. I have one track on my iPod which was famously used for this Marks & Spencer advertisement. So I was at least one step ahead of my darling husband.
Funnily enough, the day we read the news about the house purchase, a UK friend had made some comment on Facebook. Something about Ed Sheeran taking over the charts and the radio. That fleetingly caught my eye, but when writing this blog I couldn’t remember the detail so I looked it up.
Ed Sheeran Dominates the Charts
According to The Guardian newspaper, in 2017 Ed Sheeran had 16 songs in the top 20 singles chart. This amounts to all 16 songs from his new album ‘Divide’. All three of his albums were in the top five of the album chart. Unlike us, if you listen to radio you will be well aware that his take over is pretty impressive (if not boring, according to one of my chums who would like to hear something else played).
Soon after I looked all this up, there was an announcement that Ed Sheeran would be headlining at Glastonbury. Not to mention a bit part in Games of Thrones. He gets around!
Local Reaction To The News
I think our reaction to the news of the house purchase is common among many here locally. There is a mix of people who are excited about our new resident and those who are saying ‘who is this Ed Sheeran?’. One of my Italian friends said that if you had teenage daughters you would be only too well aware who he is! The local Comune sees his purchase of a house here as a major coup for the area. Local letting agents are using the news to attract clients.
Not The First Famous Person To Have A House Here
To put this heady excitement into perspective, Ed Sheeran is not the first famous person to buy a house in this area. One of the founders of Greenpeace as we know it today, David McTaggart, lived here and died here in a car crash. Colin Firth owns a house locally and is seen regularly in local restaurants. There are several other famous people that you see round and about including actors, film directors, news broadcasters and authors. And they have famous friends who come to stay with them and so we see them too.
My Advice To Ed Sheeran
Work with the Shade
Ed you are going to love it here, it is very peaceful. Learn to breath in the clean air and relax. Leave the world behind. Embrace the tiger mosquitoes as you can’t do much about them. Those are the ones that bite during the day and are different to the ones that bite you in the evening. Just stock up on insect repellent and after bite treatment. Work with the sun and close the shutters on your house that face the sun to keep the heat out. Don’t do the thing we see many tourists doing, throwing all the windows open to cool the house, it doesn’t work. You need to work with the shade and keep the heat out.
Discover Local Quirks
Whilst I am giving out advice Ed, if you go to one local restaurant in a nearby village the lock on the door of the left hand toilet in the lady’s loo is faulty. Has been for donkey’s years. Ladies are advised to take their mobile phone in with them in case they get locked in (as happened to my Mum and a famous person’s nanny). Oh and the lights go out when you are in there if they don’t sense movement. Remember to wave your hands or whatever around to keep them on. Great restaurant, the visit to the loo is part of the fun.
Buy Local Art
By the way Ed, when you get around to refurbishing your new place you might want to purchase some work from a local artist to decorate it? Give me a call, come round for coffee and pick a few pieces…
Before you go
My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.
You can follow me on Facebook.
Thank you for reading!
Oh my, Dorothy. I was literally laughing out loud at the bit about the lady’s loo. I am so out of the loop when it comes to pop culture I had never heard of him either, but I do think he should get some of your artwork for his new home. 😉
Audrey that loo is a rite of passage!