Saugerties' newest transplanted artists.
Late last year Aimee Szparaga and Richard Nocera took yet another trip upstate from their New York City home. They knew the area well, having enjoyed many weekend getaways at bed-and-breakfasts in the region.

But this trip had a business purpose. They were ready to open up a B&B of their own. They had been searching for the right location all last fall, and they hoped this would be the weekend to find the perfect place. They had looked at places in Woodstock, Shandaken, Stone Ridge and Andes.

Their quest to find a house to convert into a B&B brought them to Saugerties. Exiting the Thruway, they drove about four miles north on Route 32 and made a left onto Fawn Road. A quarter-mile down the winding road, they saw on the corner right before them a Spanish-style villa with a red tile roof. "A little touch of the Mediterranean in the Catskills," Szparaga said.

"We knew we wanted it before we even saw the inside of the house," Nocera added.

Opening a B&B was something that had been brewing in their minds for some time. On a visit to a dude ranch in Tennessee, Szparaga had fallen in love with the idea of opening one of her own. A friend she pitched the idea to only laughed. However, less than a year later the friend had a change of heart. He offered to provide financing for the couple. But there was a condition. He wanted the couple to pack up and move to an island in the South Pacific.

Nocera, an artist, preferred remaining near enough to New York City so that he could show his oil-and-tar paintings there. Szparaga, working as an editor and writer in Manhattan, was not eager to live far from the city.

The next place the couple looked at was in Costa Rica. To Szparaga's joy, it contained a small horse farm. They were close to closing on the deal, but were still having doubts.

"We felt it was such a big investment. It was too expensive and it felt like too much to take on," Szparaga said. Plus the couple still did not want to make that big of a change in lifestyle.

Then September 11 happened.

"Nine eleven was definitely a kick in the ass," Nocera said, who happened to be in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the morning of the terrorist attack.

They then shifted their focus to B&Bs in the Catskill region.

"Saugerties is tourist-friendly, but it still maintains its own character," Szparaga explained.

The 1929 house, complete with peach-cream walls, the red tile roof and a detached studio where Nocera could work on his paintings, was perfect.

But after the desire and before the fruits comes the toil. "This has probably been the most challenging thing I have ever done," Nocera explained.

The place needed much work before it could open as a comfortable B&B. A wall was removed on the ground floor to open up the area and give the large wood-burning bluestone stove a stronger presence. The house needed to be rewired, and the plumbing—well, let's just say it isn't easy to install three bathrooms complete with showers and remodel the fourth in order to provide guests private baths. Then there was the stone deck that needed to be added to the 40-foot swimming pool. And the sauna. The barbecue pit needed to be finished, as did the small dog kennel.

The couple did much of the work on their own. But they also had some help from others. Blue Mountain Landscaping helped spruce up the four acres, complete with a mini-vinyard, a creek and a pond. Rich Franchini did a lot of the carpentry, Brian Murphy had the task of installing the plumbing. Jesse DeCaesar took care of the electric.

"Pete's the resident rooster. He came with the purchase," Szparaga explained, introducing the reporter to the amiable rooster. An anonymous neighbor even dropped off a hen to keep Pete company.

Szparaga describes the décor as Dutch Modern or New Modern. They decided to forgo the typical rustic feel many B&Bs have, and give it a more modern appeal. The four rooms, The Grange, The Solarium, The Shiyou (which means remedy in Japanese) and The Flat are all decorated with a simple charm. Some of Nocera's paintings are hung around the house.

And oh yes, then there's the beds and breakfasts: big, comfortable queen-sized beds, and breakfasts cooked by Szparaga, a former food critic at a New York City magazine, and served at the breakfast bar with its large windows overlooking the grounds.

The couple plans to open The Villa at Saugerties on July 1. Szparaga plans to "relish being a B&B owner," while Nocera will go back to working full-time on his paintings, while helping out whenever he can.

Despite the complexities, the process seems not to have been traumatic for the couple. Their neighbors were supportive. The town planning board was relatively gentle with them. At the public hearing many residents voiced their support of the B&B. I think it's a great addition to the neighborhood and I hope the board approves it," Lanny Walter had commented.

Nocera and Szparaga hope to see more city traffic on Fawn Road soon. Not the choked, gridlock traffic that they fled, but a small handful of cars with couples looking, much like they themselves were, to get away from the noisy streets of Manhattan. They scheme of using Szparaga's city media connections to lure couples to abandon the subways and buses for scenic footpaths.

Nocera and Szparaga have turned away from the skyscrapers to gaze at the mountains. After months of hard work, they have a home and a business in Saugerties, at the foot of the mountains. Finally, they hope they can turn their attentions to enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Szparaga and Nocera can be contacted at 845-246-0682. Or look for their website in a few weeks at www.thevillaatsaugerties.com.

--Michael Beilfuss