Colledimezzo – Pieces of a Jigsaw

If I put all of my photos together, it would show a picture of the whole village, like piecing together a jigsaw!
Yesterday was one of those Monday’s that happen just to try your patience. The ATM (bancomat) is no longer open in the village. I guess they decided there weren’t enough people to use it. Strange because people stopped to use it from surrounding villages. Anyway, I digress, I had to go to Villa Santa Maria to get some cash. Only fifteen minutes away, shouldn’t have been a problem, had the ATM been working. As I was there, I decided to go into the bank to get the cash in person…big mistake. It was full of people from surrounding villages, all of whom had the same idea. With only one member of staff working, it was chaos, and he became more and more irritated with each customer he spoke to. It reminded me of an episode from Mr. Bean. By the time it was my turn, I was almost afraid to speak him, and afraid he’d run out of money. I spent an hour in that bank, but talked to as many people as I could, in Italian. It was a good impromptu lesson.

The rest of the day was smooth, I had other “business” to attend to, but all was good. The day ended with a beautiful walk, photos from which are shown above. It really was a gorgeous evening.

When thing don’t go your way remember to…
Keep Calm and Carry on!

Good Day Everyone – Buon giorno a tutti!

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Too much time has passed since my last post. We’ve been busy, but in a fun way. If I ever had to start working again I’d have a problem, I don’t have the time.
A week ago we took our first tourists around Colledimezzo. So glad we got involved in this project, it was fun! Since then we’ve been on the go the whole time. Our life here is full of fun and surprises. I’m still discovering new places to shop for local food, delicious cheeses and all things Abruzzese. I’m also still finding things I need for the house. We came here with very little.
Domenico, our brilliant carpenter, finished the bench for our little alcove/bar area so I had to find cushions. I was so excited to find a couple of large side cushions that look like photographs of our village. Aren’t they gorgeous? On Sunday we hosted lunch for five very good friends. I cooked pasta di fagioli, which is a soup starring cannelloni beans and small pieces of pasta. I followed that with chicken, sausages and onion’s roasted in the oven. It all went very well. Good food, good friends and great conversation. Of course the wine was excellent too.
Today I’m a little tired…but managed to muster up strength to help with a firewood delivery for our neighbors that live down the steps from us. Our neighbors from Iceland jumped in to help too, and the wood was soon stacked neatly away.
What now? A little (very little) bit of housework and then maybe a walk. It is a glorious day.

Buon giorno a tutti!

Dolce Far Niente

This only happens to me in Italy. I’ve tried to practice it here in the US, but it doesn’t work. There is always something do. There are things to do in Italy too, but somehow, they aren’t so important. What is more important is sitting with a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine and just enjoying the moment.

Can’t wait to be back!

Fate, Destiny and Abruzzo

Today I got a very welcome email from Monia, our realtor in Italy. It had attachments. One was a power of attorney so my daughter can sign the deed on our behalf. The other was the new legal description and floor plan that will be registered with the authorities in our name.

I knew this house had been lovingly renovated by one very meticulous builder in his spare time. He’d done it as a hobby, a place for his son to live, but then his son decided to live on the coast. What I didn’t know was how long it had taken. The renovation started in 1984, the year my daughter was born. Yea, I know, coincidence, but there have been so many coincidences since we first set eyes on this house. I’m starting to rule out coincidence and think this place was our destiny.

The seller will sign the purchase agreement on Saturday and the following week it will be registered and made official. After that I have to wire the deposit, pay the notary and for the next few weeks I do believe I’ll be bleeding Euros….

Parting with money usually makes me anxious, but not so much this time. All I keep thinking about is a kinder, gentler life in Abruzzo. A place I can invite friends and family. A place I can relax and shed the stress of work and the craziness of American Politics.

I’m relaxed just thinking about it.