As I’m sure nearly everyone knows, we’re going through a strange and most unusual time here in Italy, with the nation under nearly total lockdown. An unprecedented happening for our time and day in a democratic nation. And living through it seems quite surreal.
Moving to or even visiting Italian villages is a unique and sometimes perplexing experience. Expect people to stare (and I mean really stare) as you walk down the street, without letting it give you a complex. No, you are not funny looking or strange. They just don’t see many outsiders, and curiosity is one thing people don’t lack!
There is but one road leading to the isolated town, our summer village. A place little touched by time, by technology’s progress, or by the frenetic pace of getting ahead. Thirteen years had passed since our last visit. And though fewer and older, the inhabitants somehow seem to remain much the same.
Our village nestles between the rolling hills of Abruzzo’s Apennine mountains and the Adriatic coast. Covered with vineyards and olive groves, with snow-capped mountains in the background! Abruzzo truly is beautiful, and we feel blessed to live in such an area! Largely an agriculture region, it’s famous for its Montepulciano wine. And also for its long beautiful beaches, gorgeous mountains, and great cuisine.
We love this nation, although of course like any place, Italy has its share of negatives and downfalls. But somehow, when we look back over the years, all we see are the people we’ve grown to love. The beauty of the land and culture. And the thread of God’s unwavering faithfulness woven through from beginning to end..
Signora Sheila