Neive
We finally made it to our first real home in Italy! We have to pinch ourselves to make sure we don't wake up! Our town for the next year or so is Neive. It is one of the 3 Barbaresco DOCG villages (so if they grow Nebbiolo grapes, they get to call it Barbaresco...). Our house belongs to Albertina Cavallo, the mother of a friend (of a friend) who lived here for many years before moving to another house close bye with a garden. She is 83 years old and the 3 flights of stairs got to be too much. We have 2 balconies (the top one with a view of the surrounding vineyards) that face the Piazza Vittorio Veneto. It is a small triangle with a church at the point across from us and is a cross section of 6 roads, so during parts of the days the potential for carnage and gridlock are constant, yet, it never seems to occur! Everyone talks about how tranquil it is here, and to be sure there are continuous hours of quiet (thankfully the church bells have the consideration to stop ringing at 10:00 at night and don't start again until 8:00 in the morning), however, throughout the day and evening we have a fantastic rear window view to life in this small village.
There are a few adjustments in our lifestyle between America and Italy. First there is electricity usage, no air conditioning so we sleep in the cool parts of the house and are careful to use the shutters to keep the sun from warming up the house (reverse will occur in the winter). No clothes dryer so we use the clothesline on the terrace. It takes me back to when I was a kid in Virginia handing my mom the wet clothes and managing the clothespins.
Since we only took clothes and books we have furnished the place in the most popular store in all of Italy..... IKEA! Thankfully, John has lots of experience with assembly "I can't believe I just spent 20 minutes assembling a bookshelf that cost 19 Euros!”
John and I finally have our offices "assembled", we are much closer to an actual Internet connection, but are still at the mercy of the Italian bureaucracy. To get a phone line (or post office box, or apartment rental, or ANYTHING official) you must have a codice fiscale, which everyone says is easy to get, but if you are a foreigner, you must then go to Cuneo, another city an hour away, to first apply for your Permission for Stay. When we called to confirm where to go, we were told we needed to call back next Wednesday between 9:00 and 9:30 to schedule an appointment. We asked if an appointment was necessary, she responded that you do if "you don't want to be stuck waiting with all of the rest of the foreigners" seeking the same document. Anyway, the logjam appears to be clearing (we hope!) soon.
In the meantime we are speaking more Italian every day and completely enjoying the routine of life here.
Ciao
Donna