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Welcome Back Welcome Back Weeelcome Back
Where do we begin? Some of you may think we put our blog on the back burner, but we have a perfectly good explanation. No internet access for two weeks - believe it or not.
We've been working at an 'agriturismo' called Casa Rossa in a small town, Niviano - just south of a bigger town, Piacenza, which is south of a much bigger town, Milan. Francesco and Laura are the owners who live here with Laura's 15 year old daughter, Ginevra. All of them couldn't have been more kind to us. We were treated like family, fed plenty of delicious food, and as expected...the countryside was beautiful. Our work day started around 8:45 and lasted till 4:00 M-F with a casual lunch break from 1 - 2:30.
Our Italian is getting better every day, largely due to growing confidence. We've made friends from London, New Zealand, Poland, and California... And of course there are plenty of stories. Both of us have mastered the Rubik's cube, learned several new recipes, spent hours in the sun, and took several naps in the loft of a barn. There were good times and bad times - hot showers and cold, but the most ironic thing was that we had to leave Tennessee to become a redneck - pics to follow. But the hardest part is telling the story. Inside jokes don't translate. Coincidences to us are less meaningful to you. Everything here is new and exciting and frankly... too much to put in a blog. When we are back home, we will tell the whole story - complete with hand gestures and spousal interruptions.
I dwell on food, this is no surprise. So I guess i'll talk about it. Casa Rossa has been the culinary highlight of our trip. Laura and Francesco love to cook and most importantly love to feed. Fortunately for them, we love to be fed. The generalization of Italian cooks filling your plate until you can't take it anymore has finally been validated. Every meal was more than we needed. Then when we couldn't take it anymore "Non c'e la faccio piu!" Laura would bring out a homemade tort or a bowl of Macedonia (kiwis, strawberries and apples macerated with grapefruit juice and sugar). Need I mention the espresso? Of course, pasta has been a staple here as well. Regardless of the meal, we ate it as a 'family', together... with many laughs and broken translations.
Right now, Jess and I are in a cafe in Piacenza. We just skyped a B&B in Ischia, an island off of Naples, and made a reservation for the week. It's called Villa Ischitana and the room comes with a free scooter rental to take to the beach. Tonight we're getting on an overnight train to Naples from Piacenza, and tomorrow we'll take a ferry to Ischia. After Ischia, it's back to Viareggio where we are housesitting for a Polish woman for 15 days. Don't worry though - it's not as random as it sounds...we met her through our host at the B&B in Viareggio. Sweet old woman whose husband passed away recently... apparently she couldn't find anyone to housesit for her because she has 4 cats. Also, she thinks we'll be able to find work there - maybe at a restaurant. And if we're interested she will rent out a room in her house for us after the 15 days at a good rate.
lots going on... hard to remember it all right now, but we're safe and happy and healthy -- well almost healthy. Our allergies have been a problem on the farm. They are clearing up now, but the last week has been rough.
We're short on time so i'll end this now.... if the connection is strong enough, we'll upload pics from Viareggio and maybe Casa Rossa.
Let us know if anything important happens back home. Miss y'all. Love y'all.
Brian and Jess
check out our photos from Viareggio
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We've been working at an 'agriturismo' called Casa Rossa in a small town, Niviano - just south of a bigger town, Piacenza, which is south of a much bigger town, Milan. Francesco and Laura are the owners who live here with Laura's 15 year old daughter, Ginevra. All of them couldn't have been more kind to us. We were treated like family, fed plenty of delicious food, and as expected...the countryside was beautiful. Our work day started around 8:45 and lasted till 4:00 M-F with a casual lunch break from 1 - 2:30.
Our Italian is getting better every day, largely due to growing confidence. We've made friends from London, New Zealand, Poland, and California... And of course there are plenty of stories. Both of us have mastered the Rubik's cube, learned several new recipes, spent hours in the sun, and took several naps in the loft of a barn. There were good times and bad times - hot showers and cold, but the most ironic thing was that we had to leave Tennessee to become a redneck - pics to follow. But the hardest part is telling the story. Inside jokes don't translate. Coincidences to us are less meaningful to you. Everything here is new and exciting and frankly... too much to put in a blog. When we are back home, we will tell the whole story - complete with hand gestures and spousal interruptions.
I dwell on food, this is no surprise. So I guess i'll talk about it. Casa Rossa has been the culinary highlight of our trip. Laura and Francesco love to cook and most importantly love to feed. Fortunately for them, we love to be fed. The generalization of Italian cooks filling your plate until you can't take it anymore has finally been validated. Every meal was more than we needed. Then when we couldn't take it anymore "Non c'e la faccio piu!" Laura would bring out a homemade tort or a bowl of Macedonia (kiwis, strawberries and apples macerated with grapefruit juice and sugar). Need I mention the espresso? Of course, pasta has been a staple here as well. Regardless of the meal, we ate it as a 'family', together... with many laughs and broken translations.
Right now, Jess and I are in a cafe in Piacenza. We just skyped a B&B in Ischia, an island off of Naples, and made a reservation for the week. It's called Villa Ischitana and the room comes with a free scooter rental to take to the beach. Tonight we're getting on an overnight train to Naples from Piacenza, and tomorrow we'll take a ferry to Ischia. After Ischia, it's back to Viareggio where we are housesitting for a Polish woman for 15 days. Don't worry though - it's not as random as it sounds...we met her through our host at the B&B in Viareggio. Sweet old woman whose husband passed away recently... apparently she couldn't find anyone to housesit for her because she has 4 cats. Also, she thinks we'll be able to find work there - maybe at a restaurant. And if we're interested she will rent out a room in her house for us after the 15 days at a good rate.
lots going on... hard to remember it all right now, but we're safe and happy and healthy -- well almost healthy. Our allergies have been a problem on the farm. They are clearing up now, but the last week has been rough.
We're short on time so i'll end this now.... if the connection is strong enough, we'll upload pics from Viareggio and maybe Casa Rossa.
Let us know if anything important happens back home. Miss y'all. Love y'all.
Brian and Jess
check out our photos from Viareggio
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