Month: December 2015

We have just over five weeks left here in Italy.  I remember our first day here so well.  We were so eager to explore, meet people, fit into the community and learn about the food and culture that we jumped right into the fabric of the society here.   We...

Yesterday we had the kind of day that reminds us of why we’re here.  We went to Perugia, which is about 45 minutes away and had lunch with our dear friend Ludo and his wife Sonja.  We’ve known Ludo for over 12 years and think of him like family. ...

Christmas in Italy is not unlike Christmas in the U.S.  People get together with friends and family and have a feast.  Here, almost everyone goes to church, whether they’re particularly religious or not.  Most people go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, then come back home and have a...

Only in Italy.  Late this afternoon, Christmas Eve, there was an event in the piazza.  We saw the signs around town and thought we’d go, even though we and Google Translate couldn’t really decipher the signs.  We knew it had to do with kids, because the signs had pictures...

One of the things I love about Christmas here are the markets that they have everywhere.  Today we drove over to Arezzo to their Christmas market.  They have artists set up in tents around town and in the main piazza they have a Tyrolian themed Christmas market.  I’m not...

We’ve been invited to Michelangelo and Rosella’s for Christmas dinner and yesterday we went to help make the traditional Christmas cappelletti pasta.  Cappelletti means little hat and that’s what these luscious stuffed pasta resemble.  They will be served in brodo, in a broth, as the first course of the...

Steve is half Italian which is one of the reasons we got hooked on Italy to begin with.  His grandparents came to the U. S. in 1900 and never went back.  Like any good Italian tale, there’s a legend here.  The story goes that his 16 year-old grandmother met...

I never cease to be amazed at this town.  And the Italians.  Last night was the Anghiari Christmas processional and Steve was asked to play a role.  Sure, we said, and we proceeded to ask questions about what, when, where, what time, etc.  All the things you would want...

Recently we got a memo from the city.  One was placed in every mailbox so we dutifully got ours and with the help of Google Translate, figured out the gist of it.  They want us to put white candles on our window ledges during the Christmas season.  I love...

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  It is also the day that Pope Francis opened the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s and declared this to be a year of mercy.  In Italy, this day kind of kicks off the Christmas season, so it’s a special day here...