La Bella Vita

Lately, I have had several stateside American friends tell me how lucky I am to be living in Italy. La Bella Vita! For some reason Italy IS so romanticized in the eyes of Americans. Perhaps it's the history, culture, food/wine, and slower pace of life that gives the illusion that life is simply better in "The Boot".


The harsh reality I don't always mention to these gracious friends is that life in Italy (especially Naples) is often complicated and tough. Sure, I am an American adjusting to a new way of life, but even most Neapolitans will tell you that life can be hard in this city. While I have grown to love this area in more ways than I can imagine, there are also days I get fed up with the garbage, crime, and downright pushy behavior of Italians. I will never understand why people can't form a line! 

When a friend of mine recently showed me the following video I doubled over with laughter. This animated video pretty much sums up most of my frustrations in 5 minutes. Laughter is the best medicine!



At the end of the day I do realize that we are blessed in many ways. The breath-taking vistas, picturesque sunsets, and a glass (half full) of red wine make me realize that it is all worth it!

1/3 of a Year

As I listened to AC scream about being in her car seat ALL the way home from Rome, I longed for the comfort of my own home. I realized that our villa and small community really feel like home. Feeling at home with your surroundings truly is a priceless piece in the puzzle of life, and is something that not all military families have the luxury of experiencing. It hit me on that drive home from Rome that Christmas Day marked our 4th month her in Italy. Four months of living in Italy...WOW!

Despite all the wonderful experiences and goods we have access to here in Italy, there are just certain aspects of American life that I miss. Nothing big, just small luxuries that make life a tiny bit better. I realize that the tradeoff of these luxuries is well worth it (from my standpoint), for the life we are living in Italy.

American luxuries I truly miss:

• Starbucks - Sure, Italy has some of the best coffee in the world, but I would do just about anything for a good cup of Starbucks. Comparing a cafe or cappucino that is available in an Italian bar to a skinny vanilla (better yet, a chia tea) latte is like comparing an apple to a kumquat; very different. We may have taken the number of Starbucks within a mile into consideration when choosing our housing in Georgia a year ago (3 thank you). I can tell you that I have to cross international borders (571 miles to be exact) in order to get some 'bucks now. 

• Target - Similar to Starbucks I miss Target (pronounced Tar-jay to me) in a bad way. I now consider wandering through Target to be not only a life luxury, but a personal hobby of mine. Although, not going to Target 2-4 times a week has done wonders on my wallet. 

• Bookstores - Amazon frequently gets business from our family, and I must say they are great. They are by far the best company to ship to FPO/APO addresses. As wonderful as internet shopping is, I miss the sensory experience involved in bookstore shopping and browsing. 

• The Library - We are fortunate to have access to a library on the Naval Support Site, but every time I walk through the doors I can't help but pine for a decent library. AC has about 1/2 the books in the poorly organized children's section, and the adult section is filled with antiquated rejects. Libraries in America are often more than just a place to get books; they're often the best resource for community events and programs. We were certainly spoiled by the Columbia County Libraries, and Handley Regional Libraries. 

Buon Anno

Buon Anno (Happy New Year) as they say here in Italia!

We had a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful Christmas and New Year. I never take the fact that we are all together for granted, for Chief and I have spent too many holidays apart. However, we did miss our Stateside family and friends with all of our hearts.

2010 was a year of change for us, and I am hoping that 2011 can be a year of combined relaxation and adventure. It's hard to believe that this time last year we were just settling into our new dwelling in Augusta, Georgia. Two big moves in one year is enough for me, thank you!

Unfortunately we were without Internet services for 3 weeks. Unreliable Internet service (or any service for that matter) is nothing new to this area, but it's particularly frustrating when we don't have the "connections" required to fix these problems. By "connections", I mean that in order for your grievances to be heard you need to know someone (who knows someone, who knows someone). Couple our lack of connections with the fact that we needed help during the Holidays (Christmas to The Day of the Epiphany {Jan. 6th} in Italy) and we were simply out of luck.

Thus, I have resolved to be more accepting of the service industry in Southern Italy in 2011. A Herculean feat if achieved!

And maybe to acquire a connection or two. 

Christmas Alley

Christmas in Naples would be incomplete without a trip to the famed Christmas Alley. I begged Chief to take me to Christmas Alley, but in reality I was going with or without him. We were forewarned by many that navigating the narrow alley in downtown Naples this time of year was an "at your own risk" adventure. Naturally this talk only piqued my interest and longing to go even more!

In order to get to Christmas Alley one must traverse Spaccanapoli, the main artery of downtown Naples. Spaccanapoli literally means "split Naples", and is filled with history. Walking the exact same cobblestones the ancient Greeks and Romans travelled on is eye opening. When visiting Naples, Spaccanapoli is not to be missed. It certainly isn't the most beautiful part of the city, but it does have the most personality. 

Inevitably the colorful characters that inhabit or work on the ancient alley are an entertaining art form in their own right; from the immigrants hawking Louis Vuittons to the man trying to make a buck euro or two on his unicycle. No sight is uninteresting!

It is evident before the entrance to Christmas Alley that Italians decorate for Christmas very similar to Americans. Wreaths and ornaments adorn store fronts, and bakers sell fresh struffoli (a Neapolitan Christmas treat). 

Christmas Alley (officially called Via San Gregorio Armeno) runs perpendicular to Spaccanapoli, and has pretty much anything to suit your Christmas decorating needs. 

Most Neapolitans come to Christmas Alley specifically seeking items for their Presepe (nativity scene), which is by far the most important and central piece of Christmas decor in a Neapolitan house. The Neapolitan Precepe is very large, and made of papier mâché and then covered with bark, moss, and cork to give it a rustic look.  

The man on the left can serve as a scale. The precepes are BIG

Of course the traditional Nativity with Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, and the Archangel are the most important part of the Neapolitan Presepe. In Italy Baby Jesus is NEVER placed into the Precepe until Christmas Eve. 

Aside from the traditional Nativity scene, Neapolitan families spend years collecting figurines and accessories to fill the rest of their Presepe. Often they will have scenes that are important to Neapolitan life. For example, a Margherita pizza maker! We even saw a Presepe with trash strewn about! Surely a joke, but definitely classic Naples "scenery".

Once again, see little AC's hand for the scale of these miniature Precepe fillers.

Aside from the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, you will find many important religious, political, and pop culture figures to place in the Presepe. We saw too many football (soccer to you Americans) stars to count, but also Silvio Berlesconi, Michael Jackson, and President Obama are viable choices for the Presepe.

As well as Pope Benedict, and once again Michael Jackson.

Every shop is busting at the seams with hundreds of figurines. For the life of me I can't imagine how the supply and demand of this business works out in the end, but I'm sure they must know what they are doing. After all, Christmas Alley has been going strong since the 1930's

Even though the large Presepi are the most predominantly sold item in Christmas Alley, traditional Nativity scenes can also be found tucked inside seashells or engraved on a grain of rice.

After having a cafe at one of the numerous bars (which are really Italian coffee shops), we decided to warm up in one of the Napoli's many cathedrals. I'm not sure which there are more of in Naples: bars or churches. It would certainly be impossible to see all of the Neapolitan churches and cathedrals in our 3 years here. I think it is safe to say that when in Naples you are never more than a few meters from a church!

Grape Stomping

The grape is as synonymous with Italian life as fast food is to American life. So, when we found out about an opportunity to stomp on grapes I Love Lucy style we were beyond thrilled.

The day of our grape stomping adventure we boarded a bus and rode to the mountainous Benevento province. Benevento is part of the Campania region in which we live, but is nice contrast to our bustling, dirty Napoli province. Avalon, our final destination, is a members-only vineyard and dining club. We felt privileged to be guests.

The scenes from the vineyard were so beautiful, as is usually the case in Italy. The picturesque views are often something you have to see for yourself. No camera can truly capture the great Italian landscape. 

Once we were in the vineyard we got a quick tutorial and history of the Italian grape. We learned not to ever pick straight from the vine. Grapes must be cut in order to avoid damaging the vine. We also learned that the Italians of Benevento taught the French how to cultivate the Champagne grape (so they say). 

Once we began gathering the grapes AC could not keep them out of her mouth. What can I say, she loves her produce. Her mouth was constantly full!

Ok, some of her grapes actually did make it into the basket.

Parent's of toddlers know how important it is to explain things in detail. Case in point, when we reached the area where we'd be stomping on grapes AC started picking grapes off of her personal bunch and putting them on the ground. She thought we were just going to put grapes on the ground and stomp on them! Oh to be 2!

The children stomped on the grapes first (we are in Italy), and then the adults. It felt exactly like you would expect stomping on grapes to feel like: squishy!

After stomping the grapes, we went inside for an Italian lunch. A weekend Italian lunch can be anywhere from 4 to 8 courses, and lasts at least 2 hours. Our lunch was probably 8 courses and lasted a little over 3 hours. The lunch was served communal style which is very common in Italy. I personally love eating at a huge community table. The food was excellent (of course!), but the best part was the wine they had on tap. Chief had no problem keeping the wine on our end of the table filled to the brim. Needless to say, we were on the fun end of the table!

Three hour lunches are hard on little girls. Italian culture is very child centered, so they don't place unrealistic expectation on the children's behavior.

Ciao for now!