*Kissing on both cheeks to say hello and goodbye.
*The incredibly tasty gelato at Procopia in Re di Roma.
*Being able to pop next door to Susan's Rome apartment.
…must come to an end. I've been avoiding writing this blog post, waiting until almost the last possible moment to say "Arrividerci, Roma!" Sad as it is for many reasons, we will be leaving Italia on Monday and returning to live in Arizona. These last few weeks have been busy, as you might imagine. We've been packing, shipping some boxes home and giving away much of the stuff we've accumulated while living here that we don't need back in the US or can't get back home. I've been able to hang out with my dear friend Suzanne almost every day this past week, each time bringing her another haul of goodies from our flat. My orchids that are starting to grow flower stems, one for the third time, went to live with our friend Riccardo, where they will be happy in his south facing kitchen window. Susan got the majority of the stuff, plants for the villa in Umbria and assorted other goodies for her apartment in Roma. We have had wonderful dinners with friends, evenings with Michael's boss Maggie and his coworkers, and one last Internations party.
I have very mixed feelings about returning to live in the US. I know that there will be an adjustment period when we return, similar to the adjustment period we went through when we moved here. A bit of culture shock, even though we are returning to a place that we know. It's difficult to articulate exactly what's different, but I know we are not the same people who left Arizona 19 months ago. I don't want to go back to the same life that I left. Returning will be an opportunity to make some changes.
There will be some obvious changes, like we no longer have a home to return to in Phoenix since we sold it this past year. We rented a furnished patio home in a golf community in Scottsdale for 2 months which will give us time to look for a longer term place. Michael will be returning to a new job at his company. I will return to work for my former employer, but will have to start over and I've been told that the role of a social worker has changed in the time that I've been gone.
What I will miss about living in Italy: the interesting friends we've made who come from all over the world; the wine; the great, fresh food; the amazing architecture of Roma; the plentiful museums; the ease of travel to other European destinations; passing by ancient things all the time; the nearness of the sea; visiting Umbria; getting lost and finding some treasure I didn't know existed; drinking wine at lunch; long, multi-course meals; my wonderful accupuncturist, Michele; the great dermatologists at Skin Laser; the beautiful churches.
What I won't miss: the hot, crowded and smelly buses; the hot, crowded and sometimes smelly metro trains; the smell of dog pee everywhere; seeing people in winter coats when it's 75 degrees outside; graffiti on every surface; walking on loose pavers on the sidewalk outside our flat (that miraculously were fixed in the past 2 days!); the ambulance sirens that sound like bomb raid sirens; waiting for the bus that doesn't arrive; getting lost all the time; being the navigator in the car and still getting lost.
What I'm looking forward to in going back to the US: driving my car (I've refused to drive in Italy); visiting my old cat, who will continue to live in her adopted home with our former neighbors; not getting lost all the time; getting a good haircut (it's been difficult for me to find someone here I like); getting a great massage that's affordable (also been hard to find here); seeing friends and family in person and not just on Skype or FaceTime; not being asked all the time for the correct change by shopkeepers; walking in high heels on smooth sidewalks and not on bumpy cobblestone streets; the variety of ethnic food available.
What I'm not looking forward to in going back to the US: the lack of "culture" and museums in Arizona; the sameness of everything; the bland American food; the poor quality of food in the supermarket unless you buy organic or at a farmer's market; American politics (it's been easier to avoid it here); the cost and difficulty of traveling to another country.
Hmm…looking at these lists, it looks like a bit of a mixed bag, which I guess isn't totally surprising. It's been an adventure of a lifetime, that I'm open to repeating when the next opportunity arises. My appetite for living abroad has been whet now. Where will the next adventure take us?
I'm going to continue to write after we return, to chronicle our transition or repatriation as it's called. So dear blog friends, please stay tuned…the adventure continues.
Our friend Susan, invited us up to her Villa in Umbria, Fondo le Teglie, this past weekend. We were the only house guests, but like all the times we've spent there, we are wonderfully rarely alone. Friday night Susan and I worked in the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Michael relaxed drinking wine and keeping an eye on us! Later, Susan's friend Stefano joined us for grilling burgers and dining outside by the fire.
On Saturday it was raining, so we postponed our morning walk in the hunting preserve, opting for the treadmill instead. Late morning Stefano returned to pick us up. We then met up with 5 other friends of Susan's and all drove to Enoteca Properzio in Spello. The medival village of Spello sits on the southern slope of Mt. Subasio, neighboring Assisi and is about 45 minutes from Sismano, the "town" nearest to the villa. We wanted to buy some wine to have shipped back to the US and Susan recommended that we partake in a wine tasting and lunch at the Enoteca.
Enoteca Properzio is an amazing wine shop and restaurant set in a 15th century building in picturesque Spello. It's collection of wines includes over 2500 labels. We were wonderfully served and entertained by Roberto Angelini and his son Luca, who is the eighth generation of the Agnelini family to run the Enoteca. The food was simple but wonderful and served to complement the wine tasting. We tasted not only great wines, but also freshly pressed olive oil that Roberto drowned our bread in! Roberto caught me for a quick spin around the floor before taking all of us to their new, contemporary restaurant and wine bar for a grappa and a gaze at the outrageous gold bathroom fixtures! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Spello and taking in the amazing views.
We were tired when we got home, afternoon wine tastings will do that to you, so it was a movie and popcorn on the couch for us! Luckily it wasn't raining the next day, and Susan and I enjoyed our morning walk in the hunting preserve, being careful not to get shot. We lunched together at Ristorante Il Re Beve a restaurant we like that is set in a lovely castle in nearby Aquasparta, before Michael and I headed back to Rome.
While sitting at my desk this afternoon I started to hear hovering helicopters and decided to venture out with my cell phone to capture some photos of the rally, which was just up the street from our flat in Piazza San Giovanni.
I bought the "Basta" shirt.
I'm not sure it all accomplished much except to further disrupt an already disrupted and chaotic place! Viva Italia!