Volterra

The days between the hubbub of Christmas and the celebrations of the new year are perfect for a low-key day trip into the Tuscan countryside. I’m always a bit lazy during this time of year, so a drive, a walk around a pretty town, and a good lunch were all that was on the agenda, saving museums and other more in-depth explorations for a later visit.

One of the entrances into the city of Volterra

Volterra is a place I’ve always wanted to explore but until now had never visited. So, when a couple of friends suggested a day trip, I jumped at the chance. On a crisp and foggy morning a few days after Christmas, we set out from Lucca and headed for Volterra, about an hour and a half away by car. Because Volterra is a little out of the way, without a train station or easy bus connections, it has fewer tourists than some of the other Tuscan hill towns (such as Arezzo or Cortona) and doesn’t seem to get the large tour groups that visit San Gimignano. And on this winter day it was almost free of tourists.

Volterra is a very old city, dating to Etruscan times. It is particularly known for two things - Etruscan artifacts and the creation of objects made of alabaster. We skipped the museum  but did manage to do a little shopping for alabaster.  It was fascinating to watch an artisan at work in her small shop (Gloria Giannelli Alabastri). Her work was gorgeous - delicate small carvings, bowls, vases, light fixtures. She was happy to talk about her work and the process of making alabaster pieces. She demonstrated how she began with raw alabaster and worked it to create objects made either from a solid alabaster block or as a mosaic from slabs of different colors of alabaster. Of course, I bought a small piece!

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All pieces are handmade by the artist

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Raw Alabaster

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I couldn’t resist this little bowl

​The town of Volterra is beautiful, with it’s old castello (castle), town wall and arches, beautiful stone buildings, little alleys, carved doors, and ornate iron windows.  

A small vicolo with steep stairs heading to the castello

The wide gently sloped streets are lined with homes, shops, and restaurants. And at this time of year it was made festive with Christmas lights and decorations all through town. 

Our lunch stop, at Ristorante La Terra di Mezzo, was a treat. We chose several pasta dishes, all delicious. The chocolate soufflé dessert, recommended by our waiter, was fantastic.

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Pappardelle with ham and truffles

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A spicy Arrabbiata alla Calabrese

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A warm chocolate soufflé

After lunch and a bit more wandering  around town, we headed home to Lucca, knowing that we’d have to return soon for more exploration and to visit the Etruscan Museum. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect late December day in Tuscany!         -post by JMB

Looking out over the valley from a viewpoint in Volterra

Finding Luck in the New Year - The Italian Way

Italy is a land of traditions and fun-to-embrace superstitions. As in many cultures, some of these relate to the beginning of a new year and finding good luck, love, and fortune in the coming months - and who doesn't want all that?

Store window, Lucca

One tradition, the wearing of new red underwear, is said to bring romance and even fertility in the coming year. Store windows display pretty red underthings that are supposed to be given as gifts and worn just on New Year’s Eve (I’m not sure if this is an old superstition or just a good marketing tool).  In a pinch, a red article of clothing seems a reasonable compromise.

In the spirit of “out with the old to make room for the new,” getting rid of old things by tossing them out the window is an old tradition that I have never encountered, though I’ve heard it still happens in small towns in southern Italy  If visiting there on New Year’s Eve, be prepared to duck! Maybe we should just toss out old problems and outdated ways of doing things instead?

It is also said that the first person you see in the new year will determine the type of year it will be. Good luck follows if you meet an elderly person (if of the opposite gender - or a hunchback - that’s even better), but worry if you first encounter a child or a priest.

Winter skies in Lucca - starting the new year here makes me feel pretty lucky!

Lentils for good luck and fortune

Of course some of the new year traditions involve food. Eating 12 grapes is good luck, as is eating pomegranate. Perhaps the best luck (at least financially) comes from eating lentils (lenticchie), which are coin shaped. Increase the luck factor by including rounds of sausage in the dish. Not one to ignore superstition (except maybe for the new red underwear), I was sure to have a pot of lentil soup over the holiday. Mine was full of carrots and celery and included sausage, though I skipped the traditional round (another coin shape) cotechino sausage, which was just too big for my small pot of lentils. I used crumbled small sausages instead (hopefully that does not mean my fortunes will crumble!). This made a flavorful soup and, if the superstition holds, will ensure that I have all the coins I need to stay in Italy throughout 2019. Fingers crossed!      -post by JMB

Rome window, 1996. I hope to visit here in 2019.

An Italian Christmas

Christmas in Italy is enchanting. Cold days and even colder nights bring out shoppers and strollers wrapped in colorful scarves, hats, and, in many cases, fur coats. Here in Lucca the streets and squares are strung with lights and filled with greens. Even the smallest alley glows with Christmas magic.

Shoppers on Chiasso Barletti

Lucca’s Piazza Anfiteatro at night

Shop windows are magical at this time of year, decorated with holiday goodies and winter scenes.

The window of this chocolate shop is one of my favorites.

Christmas trees fill shops and squares. Small trees, decorated with white bows, line the street on which I live. Between the trees and the overhead lights, walking along my Via Mordini is beautiful day or night.

This simple tree sits inside the old mercato alongside a small art show.

Greens are everywhere - wreaths and swags and clusters of mistletoe – they cheer up doorways, fill restaurants, and make a beautiful sight against the stone walls of the buildings in this Medieval city.

There are also Christmas concerts and carolers and, from the shops, mostly American music (an unexpected sound and a surprise to me).  Piazza Napoleone is holiday central with its outdoor Christmas market, ice skating rink, and lighted sculptural tree.  Even the carousel is decked out for Christmas. 

Foods are another important part of the season.

Chocolates, biscotti, nuts, pandoro and panettone all make for interesting shop displays.  

While the traditional panettone is made with dried fruit, this pistacchio version sounds delicious! 

Pretty decorations in the courtyard of a favorite restaurant, Osteria Via San Georgio

There is much to see, taste, smell, hear and experience, and all of it is new to me on this, my first Italian Christmas. As I walked through town the other evening, admiring all the lights and activity, all of my senses were tuned to Christmas. And I was joyful.  -Post by JMB

From both of us at Two Parts Italy, we wish you joy wherever you may be this holiday season.

Buon Natale.  Buone Feste.

Merry Christmas.  Happy Holidays.                                             

A pretty window in Piazza San Salvatore, Lucca

Giving the Gift of Italy

It’s the week before Christmas and if you have an Italy lover on your list, here are some great last-minute items you can easily order online.

Music

Italy means many things to me, with music being high on the list. Native Italian Andrea Bocelli recently released his first new album in 14 years, titled “Sí.” The album features ballads and songs of love and includes the beautiful song he recorded with his son, Matteo. If you have not heard “Fall on Me,” you’ll find a video of it here. You can find "Sí" where you typically buy music.

Olive Oil

An easy-to-give and unique gift is to adopt an olive tree in Italy on behalf of your gift recipient. I adopted a tree in Umbria several years ago and in addition to the wonderful olive oil I received as part of my adoption, this simple act has allowed to feel I truly own a piece of Italy (I renew my adoption every year). You can find numerous olive oil farms to choose from by searching on the Internet for “olive tree adoption Italy.” Choose the farm, choose the tree, choose to whom you want to send the gift, and pay – all online. You’ll be giving a part of Italy to someone you love and helping Italy continue to produce some of the best olive oil in the world.

Lotion

Speaking of olive oil, my favorite lotion and soap is made in Italy and derived from organic olive oil and extracts of olive leaf. I first bought the products while in Italy but discovered after returning home that I can buy them online. The website emporioitaliano.com carries the Erbario Toscano products I enjoy, along with a host of other items from Italy. I have found the service to be great and I re-order my lotion and soap solely online now so I don’t have to worry about fitting them in my suitcase any more.

Books

The list of books about Italy or set in Italy is long. Whether it’s mysteries (try authors Donna Leon or Andrea Camilleri) or romances (“Letters to Juliet,” “Italy: My Beautiful Obsession” are two) or philosophy (Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” is among my favorites), you can find something to fit almost any Italophile’s tastes.

Food

For “Two Parts Italy” readers in Albuquerque, I highly recommend the food of my friend Michelle. She offers community-sourced meals that include fresh pasta, ravioli, sauces and other prepared food each week. The quality is high, the taste is scrumptious and the love put into the preparations is Italian. You can find her website here.

Buon Natale to you all! -post by JG

A Home in Lucca

Back in September I returned to Italy with a big question on my mind. Did I want to move to Lucca, making it my home for the foreseeable future, or did I want to continue to maintain a home base in the U.S., and remain a part-time visitor to Lucca? Not an easy decision - there are trade-offs and compromises either way (but then that’s life, right?). 

I heard from several readers after that post. Some offered encouragement and others asked me to please share my final decision, as well as some of the details involved in searching for an apartment and obtaining residency. I get the feeling that many of us “of a certain age” are day dreaming about making this type of life change. 

The front door to my new apartment in Lucca

Key to my decision was finding a reasonably priced and suitable apartment. Luckily, I have worked over several years with Debora del Sonno of Lucca Holiday Homes and she very patiently searched available apartments and showed me a number of options. 

A terrace was high on my priority list and this small one is perfect! (photo from Lucca Holiday Homes website)

The entry has 38 steps - good exercise! (photo from Lucca Holiday Homes website)

Just as when looking for a home in the USA, it is important to remember to set priorities but also to stay flexible and be prepared to compromise. That was particularly important for me to remember when the owners of my first-choice apartment decided they didn’t want a long-term tenant after all and so my search had to begin anew. The apartment I eventually chose met my big priorities – central location, a terrace, nicely furnished.  The compromise was the number of steps up to the apartment (38). I also increased my budget a bit to afford a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment with loads of Italian charm. 

I did find an option for a much smaller and less expensive apartment, but it had no outdoor space or views. To make a final decision I had to balance budget, amenities, and space. The apartment I chose has slanted old wood ceilings, a view of the Torre Guinigi from the terrace, and one of the clock tower and Campanile of San Michele from the bedroom - those views were pretty seductive and definitely influenced my choice.

The clock tower and the bell tower of the church of San Michele as seen through a small bedroom window

I was able to live with the decision for several days before meeting with my new landlords to sign the contract. This was a good test of my confidence in the decision to make this move. It also gave me a chance to doublecheck my finances and make sure my budget was realistic. In the end, I signed on the dotted line without hesitation and started planning my move. There were a couple of complications, mostly related to the process of applying for citizenship on my return to Italy (rather than beforehand at an embassy in the U.S.) and whether I needed to first obtain an elective residency visa in the U.S. More on that process in a later post.

Brick and beam ceilings in the mansarda (attic) give the bedrooms a rustic Tuscan feel

Based on my experience, here are a few things to consider when thinking about a long-term rental:

1. I was glad that I had a good agent. Debora provided me with information about the process of long-term rentals, answered my many questions, and also provided a copy of the contract (in Italian and English) well ahead of signing. She promptly registered the contract and provided copies of the signed lease and the registration. Having her help took much of the stress out of the process. It was well worth the agency fee to have her assistance and advice.

2. A common form of rental contract in Italy is the “4+4,” which means the lease is for four years, during which time you can keep the apartment on the initial terms. The four-year term protects the renter (no rent increases, you cannot be forced out of the apartment except for non-payment or not adhering to the terms of the lease) but the renter has the ability to cancel the contract with written notice (usually three months). At the end of the initial four years, the renter has the option for another four-year contract.

3. Budget for significant upfront costs, including an agency fee (of about one month’s rent) and the first two to three months’ (or even more) rent at the time the contract is signed. There is also a security deposit (mine was equal to two months’ rent, refundable at the end of the lease). These costs add up to about six months’ rent and I was glad I had set aside enough funds to cover them. On the plus side, in December when I move in I will have already paid rent for December, January, and February so won’t have another payment due for three months. Even better, I was able to put the upfront costs on a credit card which means I earned a lot of airline points!

4. Most landlords will want rent paid via bank transfer directly into their accounts. Not all U.S. banks will do online bank transfers (in fact, the bank I use in New Mexico would not, insisting that I had to physically come into the local branch to make an international bank transfer - not very practical). It took some time to investigate other banks and other methods of transferring money. TransferWise looks like a good option with low costs to transfer money internationally and good exchange rates from U.S. dollars to euros. I felt I also needed a back-up method, and so also arranged for an account at a bank that will do online transfers, though the cost is higher than TransferWise. The U.S. banks I found that do online transfers include Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and TIAA bank. 

5. Renters in Italy are responsible for utilities (gas, electric, water, trash, internet, TV) as well as everyday small repairs and upkeep (for example, routine boiler checks, a dripping faucet, etc) while the landlord remains responsible for major mechanical repairs. In my case, Debora provided me with the average utility costs for the past 18 months so I could budget appropriately. To keep utility costs reasonable, it’s important to realize that Italians do not heat and cool their homes to the same extent that Americans do. If you like your home at a constant 72 degrees, prepare to pay a lot in utility costs! (Note that the above information is based on my experience and applies to 4+4 rental contracts negotiated through an agency / real estate company.  When renting directly from a landlord or on a shorter term contract, terms and costs will vary.)

With the apartment contract signed, I headed back to New Mexico for one month to finish up some part-time work, make the needed arrangements for a move to Italy, and spend Thanksgiving with my family. But I will spend Christmas in my new apartment - and for the first time I can say that I have truly come home to Lucca.    - post by JMB