Life lessons from living in Italy...

A first-born son's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-14T12:10:27Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living in Italy and here are Craig's (almost age 21) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: A chance to see what life is like outside of the United States and the opportunity to learn a new language.

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: It was hard to make friends again.

Q: Would you do it again?
A: Without thinking twice.

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Bistecca di maiale and tagliatelle dei Pini.

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: My job at the local pizzeria (especially when people would ask me where in Italy I was from and how I learned to make pizza).

Craig had the best Italian of all of us. And, like Hannah, Craig used his innate sense of humor to break down barriers and build lasting friendships with sometimes the unlikeliest of people. I couldn't believe it when he scored into the third year on his Italian university entrance exam (never having studied Italian)... the kid is bright.

A young man's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-13T11:03:36Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living in Italy and here are Trevor's (now age 18) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: The pace of life... it's slower, more relaxing and gives you time to enjoy life.

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: The pace of life... it's slower...

Q: Would you do it again?
A: Heck yes.

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Gnocchi, pizza diavola, and any pasta with tartufo (truffles).

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: Camping & boating at Lago Trasimeno with Brendan (Trevor's Australian friend).

I was proud of several things that Trevor did in Italy, not the least of which was how he stood up for his values and beliefs when many around him were lacking in some pretty core areas. And, during the summer when he tested out of an entire year of scientific high school by passing the year-end exam in each course... impressive!

A teen boy's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-02T11:16:55Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living in Italy and here are Andrew's (almost age 15) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: The sights, the food, the people, and the culture.

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: Feeling ignorant when I didn't understand.

Q: Would you do it again?
A: Sure.

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Spaghetti alla carbonara and anything with seafood (but not too salty).

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: Savannah covered in toothpaste.

Andrew is an unbelievable trooper. In the face of adversity (a congenital hearing loss that made learning Italian more difficult), this kid just plugged along and was a friend to everyone (he was especially loved by his teachers). Andrew has a heart of gold.

A teen girl's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-01T18:01:09Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living Italy and here are Hannah's (almost age 13) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: The food--especially gelato.

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: People smoking in my face going in and out of buildings and on the sidewalk.

Q: Would you do it again?
A: Yes, because it was fun seeing different things and being with the people (but not as a tourist).

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Gelato, tagliatelle dei Pini, and pizza con wüster.

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: Living in an Italian farm house with a pool in the summer.

Hannah has a real facility for languages. She not only learned to read, write, and speak Italian but also some local dialect as well. She demonstrated a great sense of humor in Italian and easily crossed social and cultural boundaries (which is not the easiest thing to do).

A young girl's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-02T13:39:20Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living in Italy and here are Paige's (now age 6) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: Gelato, the swing set and castle toy (at the farm house), and nebbia (farm dog)

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: When Luca killed the pigs.

Q: Would you do it again?
A: Yes and I like to talk to the people.

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Spaghetti al ragù, pizza margherita, kebab, and pizzette (mini pizzas).

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: Going to the Tebro pasticerìa after school, making biscuits with grandma, making pizza with Paolo, winning the gummy art contest, traveling around and seeing so many places.

Paige would melt the heart of any store owner she spoke to and was constantly being asked if she and her little sister would like a treat. Her Italian language skills were developed purely by speaking with others so she has no accent... fruciatta!

A young child's view of life in Italy...

2008-05-01T16:12:30Z

I asked each of our children the same five questions about our family adventure living in Italy and here are Savannah's (now age 4) responses:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?
A: Fragola (or strawberry gelato).

Q: What is your least-favorite thing?
A: I broke my tooth.

Q: Would you do it again?
A: What?

Q: What is your favorite Italian food?
A: Pasta.

Q: What is your favorite memory of Italy?
A: Night stories.

Savannah was fearless in Italy. Whether it was playing with others her age (initially not understanding a word) or approaching people seated at a restaurant, she was at home. I was surprised by how well she sang Italian songs from the local Catholic preschool.

The good, the bad and the ugly...

2008-05-01T12:25:42Z

Last night I was watching an Italian epic spaghetti western "Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo" (filmed in Spain, directed by Sergio Leone and starred Clint Eastwood). What does this have to do with an Italy blog and our family adventure living in Italy? Let's see...

The good...

Life in Italy is amazingly beautiful but many times you have to slow your pace to appreciate (or even see) it.
Italy is filled with art and culture that dates back forever.
Italians are not only friendly but are good friends.
The Italian language is fun to learn and speak.

The bad...

School that's six days a week.
Cost of living is expensive.
Too many people smoke.

The ugly...

Anything to do with the infrastructure of Italian life (government, schools, utilities, etc.) is unnecessarily and overly complex.
The all-to-often "passing the buck."

Is it worth it, you might ask? The answer is a resounding, "Si, certamente!"

First Spitaliano then Itilish...

2008-05-01T12:07:17Z

Today Anne-Marie and I returned from a week-long vacation in sunny Cancun, Mexico... OLE! When we first arrived in Italy, I was the only member of the family that was fluent in another language (i.e., Spanish--having lived in South America for three years). Italian and Spanish are pretty close (the roots of words, grammar, and pronunciation are substantially similar). I was surprised by how much Italian I could initially understand because of my Spanish.

Those early days in Italy were filled with a lot of Spitaliano (i.e., Italian sprinkled with Spanish). It wasn't long before my Spanish disappeared entirely as my mind became completely consumed with Italian. I remember more than a year into our sojourn in Italy calling to Spain because both Rebecca and Craig would be serving voluntary missions for our Church there and I needed to make a few arrangements for them... I could barely construct a sentence in Spanish (how is that possible!).

Last week's vacation was somewhat the opposite. At first I spoke a lot of Itilish (i.e., Spanish sprinkled with Italian). Within days, however, my Spanish returned and this time I didn't loose the Italian. I now find it much easier to go back and forth between the two languages. YEA!

Italian fashion gone wild?...

2008-05-01T14:15:31Z

No, this is the uniform of the Swiss Guard in Vatican City. Vatican City (formally the "State of the Vatican City") is the smallest independent state in terms of population (approx. 800) and area (approx. 110 acres) in the world. Unfortunately, you can't see the majority of Vatican City (other than St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Cathedral, and the Vatican Museum) because it is closed to the general public.

Anne-Marie and I met an older gentleman and his wife at Fonteverde (an exclusive health & beauty spa in Tuscany) who was from Milano. He invited our entire family to come stay at his house for a week but we were never able to get our schedules together (when the children weren't in school, he was always vacationing). I only say this because he casually mentioned to me that the previous week he had had an audience with the Pope on some matter and that if we wanted to see the "closed" portions of Vatican City he would be happy to arrange for and accompany us. I thought he was kidding but others who knew him said that he was serious. Later, he mentioned that he was the owner of the world champion German shepherd (which I verified on the Internet). I guess you never know who you're going to bump into.

Stufato alla Gió con Tre Carni...

2008-04-29T15:59:53Z

This month's second is really a meal unto itself (and it's a good thing since the preparation takes a little time--but well worth it!). Stufato all Gió con Tre Carni means Gio's three-meat stew (in honor of Giovanna, it's creator).

Ingredients:

3 TBL olive oil
2 TBL butter
3 medium yellow onions
2 bunches parsley
5 cloves garlic
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 lb 2oz Italian sausage (mild with no fennel)
1 lb chicken breast (2 breasts)
1 lb 8 oz beef stew meat
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb 2 oz potato (peeled and cubed approx 1 inch)
8 oz carrot (peeled and cut 1/4 inch diagonally)
6 bell peppers (2 green, 2 red, 2 yellow cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 lb zucchini (quartered lengthwise then sliced into bite-sized pieces)
5 oz eggplant (peeled and cut like zucchini)
1 cup chicken broth

Preparation:

Mix onion, parsley, and garlic in a food processor on slow speed.
Combine result with 1.5 TBL olive oil and 1 TBL butter in a 6 quart stock pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add meat pieces (lightly salted) and cook an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Increase heat to medium high, add tomato sauce and water and cook until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook semi-covered for 1.5 hours.
While cooking, add 1 TBL butter to a fry pan and cook chicken (lightly salted and peppered) over medium heat until golden (turning once). Reduce heat to low, add 1/2 cup chicken broth, and cook for an additional 10 minutes turning occasionally. Remove chicken (and any juice) and set aside. When cooled, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
While chicken is cooling, wipe fry pan with a paper towel, add 1.5 TBL olive oil and cook sausage over medium heat turning occasionally until well cooked. (While cooking, poke sausage with a fork to remove excess grease.) When complete, remove sausage (and any juice) and set aside. When cooled, cut into diagonal bite-sized pieces.
After 1.5 hours, add potatoes and carrots to stockpot and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Add peppers, zucchini, and eggplant to stockpot (add salt and pepper to taste) and cook 10 minutes.
Add sausage (with juice) and chicken (with juice) to stockpot and cook 10 minutes. (If stew is too dry, add remaining chicken broth.)
Serve immediately. Buon Appetito!

Suggestions:

Although this dish is a complete meal, bread and wine are always welcome (if you're Mormon you can drink grape juice).

Gemelli al Gorgonzola con Mandorle...

2008-04-29T16:03:46Z

This month's first is Gemelli al Gorgonzola con Mandorle (which translates to gemelli pasta with blue cheese sauce and almonds). It's quite good and easy-to-prepare.

Ingredients:

1 lb gemelli
4 TBL butter
5 oz bleu cheese (creamy and not too strong)
4.5 oz heavy cream
1.5 oz sliced almonds
white pepper

Preparation:

Boil water for pasta (include 2 TBL salt and 1 TBL olive oil in water) and cook pasta al dente (not soft). Drain water and set aside.
At the same time, combine butter, blue cheese, cream and a little pinch of pepper in a large skillet over low heat stirring constantly until creamy.
Add almonds and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Add pasta and stir until well combined. Transfer to a serving plate. Buon Appetito!

Suggestions:

Short pasta like gemelli, farfalle, and rotini should be stirred with a wooden spoon.
If you want, you can freeze this sauce for later use (refresh with a little milk when warmed).

Uova alla Mimosa...

2008-05-01T10:24:49Z

In each of the last three months we have presented three recipes from our Italian chef friends for each of the three main categories of Italian dishes (i.e., starters, firsts, and seconds). I purposefully left out the dessert category because that's Anne-Marie's specialty (and will be presented by her at a later date). This month, I thought we would offer one dish from each category. Here is a delightful starter--Uova alla Mimosa (or stuffed eggs).

Ingredients:

10 eggs
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 can tuna (smaller can with oil removed)
2 tsp capers (squeeze to remove liquid and set on paper towel)
mayonnaise (to make creamy)
parsley (finely chopped and small bunches)

Preparation:

Boil eggs (10 minutes), cool with water (and ice), remove shells, and dry/place on a paper towel.
Cut crosswise and remove the yolk and place in a small bowl (set aside the yolks of two eggs).
Slice a small amount from the top and bottom of the egg so that the halves can lie flat on the serving plate.
Pass tuna, egg yolks, capers, and anchovy paste through a wire mesh strainer using a spoon to force accomplish the task.
Add mayonnaise sufficient to make it creamy (but not too soft).
Spoon mixture into egg halves. Cover each half lightly with mayonnaise. Grate remaining egg yolk on top of egg halves and sprinkle lightly with parsley. Buon Appetito!

Suggestions:

Instead of using a knife, use sewing thread to cut the eggs in half.
Don't mix the ingredients with a food mill or Cuisinart.
To sprinkle the parsley, place the parsley in one hand and cover with the other. Move hands back and forth evenly over serving plate.

Some things can drive you crazy...

2008-05-01T13:24:50Z

Many of you may not know that the Devil referred to by John in Revelations (that's in the Bible for you heathens) is actually Italy's Telecom (phone/Internet service provider). Now here's a company that hasn't learned (or probably ever heard of) the term customer service. In fact, I would never have believed that a company could be so bad at it. Silly me... I thought they would want me as their customer. Oh how naive I was as to think that I could simply call them, that they would establish my service (phone and Internet) in the "up two weeks" they said they needed, that the service would actually work (after two months of waiting), and that it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg (I'm now paraplegic). Sadly, when it comes to Telecom Italia, you need to set your clock back 50 years and then go to sleep.

Now you hear it, now you don't...

2008-05-02T16:46:24Z

When we first moved from Città della Pieve to Spoleto, one difference we noticed immediately was the noise of living in the historical center vs. a farm house in the country. The bell tower ringing (on the hour and half hour), the vehicles driving by, the conversations (and sometimes arguments) of people walking by, the workers tearing down stage/seating from community events at nearby public squares, etc.

At first, it was difficult to sleep (as it seemed we could hear everything). Within weeks, however, the sounds dissipated and we slept comfortably through the night. My grandmother (who lived to be 99 years and 10 months) had a house near the railroad tracks and the same thing happened to her. The mind is an interesting thing. Now, if I could only consciously control which sounds to block out!

How much with the American discount?...

2008-04-29T16:07:26Z

One of my favorite things to do when told how much something cost in Italy was to respond saying, "È con lo sconto Americano?" (which basically means "And, how much with the American discount?"). Since I would speak in Italian and pause before smiling, the facial expressions I would get were priceless. The thing is that in many instances the response was a discounted price (and sometimes a significant discount). At the end of the day, who doesn't want a discount?

Shopping in Italy can be both beautiful and frustrating... strangely, for the same reason. The Italian way is so different from what we were accustomed to. I often found myself repeating the words of my father (when our family was living in South America)... "Isn't this great!"

The touch of a master's hand...

2008-04-29T16:08:57Z

The plane trip to Italy wreaked havoc on my bicycle (even though I took it in a hard-shell container specifically designed for airline travel). I asked a group of cyclists who was the best local bike mechanic and was told that the guy in Aquaviva (meaning living water) was a "maestro." So, I traveled the 30 minutes to Aquaviva to have the "master" give my bike the once over. He complimented me for having purchased a bike made from all Italian parts. I waited somewhat impatiently for the three days that he requested and when I returned to collect my bike I couldn't believe how it looked. More importantly, I couldn't believe how it rode. The shifting was flawless, the wheels were true, it was better than new. The professionals who race in the grand tours are lucky to have master mechanics fine tuning their bikes all the time.

I usually have to have my wheels trued (think of it as an alignment) twice each riding season. In the two years and more than 6,000 miles I rode in Italy, I never had to touch those wheels... they stayed true the entire time. Talk about the touch of a master's hand!

Don't change the color of your hair...

2008-04-29T16:11:52Z

School uniforms didn't do much to make our blond-haired girls look Italian. Kids and adults alike were always wanting to touch their hair. I'm not sure Paige or Savannah appreciated this until I told them that their special blond hair was probably one of the reasons why shop owners were always giving them treats. This they understood!

Our children are all pretty social in their interactions with others. I was glad for their blond hair because it made them easier to keep track of (or spot when one would wander out of our immediately view). For what it's worth, we always felt safe in Italy (day or night). That's pretty amazing when you consider the number of places our family has visited in Italy.

Pull over—you've been randomly selected...

2008-04-29T16:14:11Z

The Carabinieri (or state police) and Polizia Municipale (local police) are well represented in Italy but you won't find these individuals citing drivers for traffic violations. What you will find is the well known "posto di blocco" (or police control/blockade). If they hold out the red circle paddle, you've been randomly selected and must pull over. Then, for the next five to fifteen minutes they review your documentation (e.g., ID card, drivers license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance) and ask you questions.

Shortly after moving to Italy, we were visiting Rome and thieves broke into our VW transporter shuttle and removed all of our personal articles from the back (including Craig's and Rebecca's international drivers licenses which were not replaceable from Italy). From then on, we traveled with color copies of all our documents and left the originals at our apartment. The one time I was pulled over I was informed that copies were not legal documents. Oh well... they worked fine for two years!

I saw that the Carabinieri have a Lamborghini interceptor... I also saw the Polizia Municipale in a Smart Car (as long as the width of a normal car so it can park perpendicular to the curb). Obviously, the Carabinieri have a bigger budget than the local police.

Moving violations in Italy...

2008-04-29T16:15:57Z

Moving violations (speeding, no turn on red, local traffic only, etc.) are captured by cameras and the resulting fines are sent to the owner of the vehicle in the mail (sometimes taking six months to arrive). My university students were caught/photographed entering a "zona traffico limitato" when they couldn't yet read the signs (which we reluctantly paid). I got caught once turning right at a red light (which is not allowed in Italy).

I figured since I had success with the local police on my parking ticket, I would try my luck with the traffic court. I asked to see the local judice (judge or magistrate) and explained that it was an honest mistake (i.e., that in America, it is permitted to turn right at a red light unless there's a sign stating otherwise). He had me write down and certify my statement in a formal document that would be presented in court (like a deposition). He said that because this was my first violation the ticket and fine would be waved. However, since we moved before the actual court hearing took place, for all I know I have a nice fine earning penalties and interest.

It's more complicated than you think...

2008-04-29T16:18:08Z

Purchasing, licensing, and insuring a car in Italy as a non-Italian is more complicated than you may think. First, you must have a "codice fiscale" (the Italian tax ID number) to purchase/license the car. To get a codice fiscale, you need to establish residency with the local city registrar. To establish residency, you need to obtain a "permesso di soggiorno" (or permission to stay) that you get from the Questura (oh my heck!). To get the permesso di soggiorno, you need to have a valid visa, a verifiable address (e.g., rental agreement), pictures, fees, and about a hundred other things. The smartest thing I ever did was take chocolate chip cookies and brownies to the gal who was helping me at the Questura. Talk about greasing the skids!

All vehicles (whether driven or not) must maintain insurance. And, proof of insurance must be displayed in the front window of the vehicle at all times. Finally, since there's not much of a used-car market in Italy, selling a car is also an adventure.