Italia

As of July 2019, I am living in bella Italia. It is the second time I have had the incredible opportunity and buona fortuna to camp in this amazing country.

During my first stint in Italy, I’d pinch myself everyday to make sure I was really grounded in reality and not just moving in a vivid dream. I felt spoiled, I felt like I was on a perpetual holiday–despite the work I did from my home office–and I knew I was certainly living in a bubble. The language barrier kept us from understanding the typical concerns that most denizens have of their society. The news on the radio was broadcast with such rapid velocity that no matter how much my Italian improved, I couldn’t keep up; I couldn’t translate the litany of murder reports, cases of corruption and even traffic accidents that plagued the daily broadcasts. Friends would tell us their complaints but we saw no evidence of them in our bubble. The community we lived in was rural where small farms grew seasonal fruits and vegetables and kept herds of goats and cows, set a few minutes away from the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) where my husband was a visiting scientist. My son rode a bus to the European School a half hour away on a mind-boggling scenic road. We cycled around Lago Varese a couple times a week–a 30 kilometre well-maintained route. We ate the most delectable pizza and pasta for a fraction of what we were used to paying, and drank quality wines that were as delicious in price as they were in taste. We were supported by a large group of English speakers we met through the JRC, clubs and the school. Translation was provided by helpful Italian friends who would routinely order fuel and make appointments for us because it was tricky on the phone to manage in Italian.

We were in the Pre-Alps in the Province of Varese, about an hour outside of Milano. The area is known for its lakes. Daily, we would pass three of them: the incredible Lago Maggiore, the safe for swimming beauty Lago Monate, and the one whose banks we lived just a mile away from: Varese. The lakes dominated our life there as the mountains framed the scenery. In the summer, we swam and paddled in them, and all year long we walked their banks, and took ferries across to the open-air markets to Arona or to visit the Borromean Islands.

The scenery was like a diva screaming its talent and demanding attention. A day didn’t go by that I wasn’t taking pictures, even of the same vistas and objects. The changing light, weather and seasonal colouring made each snapshot unique.