I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with your family and friends. We absolutely did. We had a wonderful weekend with our son Michael and his girlfriend MarySloan in Georgia. We attended a beautiful Easter mass – so grateful for that. I know in other parts of this world, specifically Canada & UK people are being restricted from worshiping. That is simply heartbreaking to me. So, I am grateful for our religious freedoms here in the USA. Something I will never take for granted, ever. We all have a right to worship. Period. For some, all they have is their faith. Taking that away is tragic.
It was also our twin daughters 19th birthdays. The 1st year ever we were not together. The 1st year the twins were not together. They’re spreading their wings I tell you 🦋 🦋. Where does 19 years go?
I can tell you now, it was in those times for me personally, I would focus on Italy. I would put ALL my attention (both negative and positive) into looking for our dream home. I have no problem admitting I became obsessed with my search for that perfect place to call -“our home away from home”. Some people run to release their stress. Others drink wine or whatever it is you do. For me, I was an awesome athlete all growing up, very healthy and active. I can no longer work out the way I would love to. Having been diagnosed with a very complex vascular disease – TOS. Even despite the 4 major surgeries I have had, I still suffer with daily chronic pain. So….house hunters international it is lol. Point being, if you think your dream home is not out there, let me reassure you ~ it absolutely is. Become obsessed with your search. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a HEALTHY obsession!! Be ready to act if the perfect property comes on the market. Everyday lives are changing. Every single day new homes are listed, added and reduced in price. Start searching and search hard!
You can learn so much from informative videos on youtube. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you. You’ll become excited to watch the next video. You’ll learn interesting details and see areas you never knew existed. One of the fascinating things about owning our home in Italy, it truly opens the world up to us. All of Europe looks absolutely amazing to explore. To know we can even drive across the border and experience; France, Austria, Germany and Switzerland to name a few countries….how exciting! Where do you plan on visiting? If purchasing a vacation home 5000 miles away is on your list, do you plan on using it strictly for there? Or, do you plan to broaden your horizons and let “the world be your oyster” .
Youtube favorites:
Super Savvy Travelers
-Chris has great informative videos of all things Italy. Purchasing, lawyer services etc. Awesome!
Nicki Positano
-Just a fun daily life of Nicki, her husband and dog living in Positano.
Kylie Flavell
-Another fun, sometimes to me a bit too flirty, but great content and videos. She currently lives in Tuscany. She has traveled all over the world.
Rick Steves
-Probably the most famous travel writer, author.
Ryan Shirley
-A young, adventours travel cinematographer. Probably the most amazing videos I have ever seen. His drone footage is incredible. Check out his “Dolomites” video.
Alex Polizzi
-She’s pretty cool. great videos.
Travel Beans
-A young, fun couple who is up for an adventure. They have a lot of just fun travel videos.
Grindelwaldprods
-Their videos are “Footloose in Europe” . They show how comfortable it is to walk throughout your destination. So much can be seen on foot.
Other favorite videos on youtube.
-Italy 4K-scenic relaxation film with calming music
Awesome footage of all of Italy.
Italian Citizenship Assistance
-Italian Citizenship Podcast (The Italian Real Estate Podcast)
Our Attorney Marco Permunian is a frequent guest, speaking of citizenship and all other topics pertaining to Italy.
It’s been 6 weeks since we arrived in Italy on 2/22/2021. As I sit here tying this out, I still can’t believe that we pulled this all together! We are owners of a home in Italy. What? We are so pleased and grateful how it all came together. Looking back on all the incidents we went through, from utilities, to the funeral procession, to the cantina….it is all part of our story. It’s exciting to share all of it. Imagine if I only shared the perfect days. The days where everything went well. I find more joy in sharing the battle with you, the days that I had my breakdowns. The days where I was absolutely homesick and ready to run. The days google translate made me pee my pants. Those are the days that make me truly miss Italy more. I miss that insanity. I miss the unknowns. I miss the wrong ways, and oops we are sorry….to an 85 yr old sweet Italian woman, who had no idea why we just busted into her cantina and why our kitchen cabinets are in her cantina….she STILL greeted us with the most kind, genuine smile and wave with an authentic “buongiorno” . There was no anger or resentment. We made a mistake and though we couldn’t even communicate that with her properly, she still was happy to see us. Happy to share her village with us. How blessed are we.
So, stay excited. Stay in the zone. I love hearing from all of you that have decided to follow along with us on our journey. Keep me posted on your search. I love updates, I love answering your questions. The world may be spinning around us, we may still be in this covid fog….but, life goes on. I choose to let our lives go on. Yes we found and bought and visited our home in Italy during a flipping worldwide pandemic….Yes our noses still ache from being stuck twice, just to fly… but it was all worth it. I think the absolute best part of our time in Italy was having no wifi, no news….we were completely shut off from “the world’. The news going on around us is impacting all of us. Despite what your beliefs are, your opinions are, it doesn’t matter. That constant in your face of all things awful, is too much. I can’t wait to be back in my little village. I can’t wait to unplug again. I can’t wait to shut the world off, while experiencing the world. There is something so beautiful about recharging your soul. I think everyone needs to do it!!
Until we make our way back over to Poggio Nativo, I still love my youtube videos. I love the updates and travel shows that inform me of new areas I have yet to be. Get a notebook out and start making a list of places to visit. The day will come when you are living your dream. Your dream home is out there. Keep chasing the dream, stay young at heart and trust your best days are still yet to be lived! “The only trip you’ll regret is the one you didn’t take”.
Ciao friends
