Chapter 45
Hanna
Nearly two weeks have passed since my breakup with Florian. Twelve days and nights in which I've done nothing but rack my brain over how to save the estate.
Today, I find myself once again sitting at Noah's handcrafted kitchen table, surfing the internet in search of ideas.
Taking out a loan is out of the question. No bank would give me the money for that. And I don't know anyone I could ask for financial support. The crowdfunding campaign I started last week in my desperation is progressing slowly, despite my efforts to attract attention.
I rest my head on my healthy hand and gaze out the window at the mountain lake at the end of the clearing. What else could I try?
Playing the lottery and hoping for a miracle?
Asking for donations?
I blow the bangs from my forehead with a sigh of frustration. Then, in my desperation, I typesaving buildingsinto the browser's search function.
An article about activists barricading themselves in a house to prevent demolition appears on my screen. There's also anadvertisement for a book on building renovation and real estate listings.
"That was a dead end, once again," I say to myself.
Despite my unsuccessful search so far, I can't give up. On the contrary, I need to step up my efforts, as the sale of the estate could be imminent. Semmtal is a small village where everyone knows everyone and everything. I'm aware that Florian hasn't returned to Tuscany yet, which means the sales contract hasn't been signed. But that doesn't mean it couldn't happen tomorrow.
"How do you get money?" I voice the question, hoping that saying it out loud might help.
How do you get money?, I repeat in my mind.How did Florian get money for the inn whenever we needed it?
Funding.
Yes. That's it. I need to search for funding opportunities!
My joy is short-lived, though. Because I have no idea how these subsidies work. Florian never let me help when we applied for funding. No, I correct myself with a touch of bitterness in my heart—he applied for funding. But in the next moment, I refocus on my goal.
Where did he learn about possible funding opportunities? Where did the money come from? I rummage through my memory and find some helpful information.
Florian used to boast that there are funding opportunities everywhere. Regions, countries, states—even the European Union has multimillion-dollar funds just waiting to be tapped into.
That sounds fantastic. And it's the first real glimmer of hope.
Feverishly, I type the corresponding terms into the browser's search box using my index finger. I start by scouring the websites of the State of Tyrol and the federal government, and then move on to the European Union's website.
There, I find a list of subsidies, which I translate one after the other into German with the help of a website.
I click onRestoration of Cultural Heritageand painstakingly work my way through the sections that describe the funding, relying on my limited knowledge of English. With each passing second, my excitement grows.
This could be the right fit.
If I manage to declare the country estate as culturally significant, I can apply for the subsidies. I search for the button to submit the application, but I can't find it. Instead, I notice a bolded piece of information at the bottom of the page.
Application deadline: 31st of March, it says.
It's already April. And there are no other suitable fundings listed on this page either.
Dammit. My hope dissipates, and I lean back in disappointment, staring at the screen.
Could this really be the end? Do I have to give up?
Frustrated, I continue to explore various subpages of the website, and I'm eventually redirected to a page of the Italian government.
