Category: Life in Italy

Saturday was our dear friend, Anna’s, birthday.  To celebrate, she invited her family and us to dinner.  We felt very honored to be included in this group, even though out of the 10 people there, only four spoke any English (and two of them were us!).  It was a...

We have a gardener.  I know that sounds very extravagant and maybe even a little pretentious.  He kind of came with the house.  Our landlord owns a couple of properties and is 85 years old.  He’s spry and agile, but needs help with things.  The other day they were...

We have certain milestones to cross before we can really start relaxing.  Mind you, we’ve done our share of relaxing already, but these chores are always in the back of our minds.  Specifically, we have to get the utilities set up for the upstairs apartment, get our permesso di...

Italians love a good party.  In the summer when the heat of the day gives way to the coolness of the evening, Italians come out and gather.  The piazza concept is perfect for this, and I’m pretty sure that’s why they were invented.  Piazzas are places to conduct business...

We arrived here two weeks ago to the most amazing weather.  It was hot – in the 90s – but very low humidity and and the most delicious breeze, the venticello.  That breeze kissed your face and brushed your body with a gentle coolness that made you feel like...

I’m typically not a flea market kind of person.  I’m good for about 10, maybe 15 minutes, then I’m ready to hit the road.  However, our friend Michelangelo told us about a place near Citta di Castello that is only open on Sunday mornings and is kind of a...

We visited the Leroy Merlin near Perugia to look for some outdoor furniture for our terrace.  Leroy Merlin is kind of like a Home Depot.  Getting to it required a trip on the E45, the main highway that cuts through Umbria and eastern Tuscany.  Now you may think this...

Anghiari is a small town.  It’s about 5,500 people.  I call it a partial hill town because if you come upon it from the east you will see it as a majestic hill town, but if you come upon it from the west, it looks pretty ho-hum.  The hill...

I live on Via della Propositura, which is basically the street of the parish church.  As the name implies, the parish church is just down the way from us.  There’s really nothing else on this street – a few houses and a couple of entrances to the centro storico...

Saturday night we had dinner with Michelangelo and Rossella and their daughter, Anna.  Rossella made pizza, pizza, and more pizza.  Remember how many times I’ve eaten pizza?  Well, I outdid myself on Saturday.  She made four pizzas and we ate all of them.  Completely. I’ve tried to make pizza...