So a sabbatical in Italy it would be (see Intro: World Map, Blindfold and Dart?). From everything we heard kids are adored in il bel paese and with two of our own this element weighed heavily in our decision. The remaining clinching factors might seem easy to add up: good food, good weather, a slowed down life, beautiful scenery, rich history and art, a musical language not impossible to learn. Who could go wrong, right?
We had read enough on-line from expatriates from the U.S. and Britain living in Italy debunking the typical Pollyanna-like reverie of how life was lived there--said dream-like images often induced by short-term travelers to the country or readers of books describing an artist’s year in Tuscany painting, writing, or restoring that old stone farmhouse--to know that day to day life (and life with a spouse and two young children, no less) would be different from a purely traveler’s experience or an artist’s experience alone and with loads of free time, that the daily grind did exist in Italy, often fraught with noise, endless bureaucracy, high gas prices, expensive everything, difficulty finding a job, long hours at work and a plethora of other inconveniences.
But when push came to shove we took the naysayers’ advice with a grain of salt. It wasn’t just because their advice was aimed more at those looking to move permanently to Italy and work there, but also because we had never read those popular books prominently featuring Tuscany, didn’t feel like we really shared that dream, and in fact did not want to move to Tuscany or the countryside, per se, since we get plenty of rural life already in our small New Hampshire town. We wanted to experience something a little less rural. Plus, we were on a paid sabbatical and, luckily, so luckily (yes, we are extremely grateful for this opportunity!) would not have to work for the year. And there had to be some truth to the positive associations with il bel paese, right?
Umbria was our first choice and no, heavy research did not play a role in putting it first on our list. It was for chocolate. In addition to Perugia playing host to an annual chocolate festival attracting visitors from around the globe, Umbria’s capital city also is the permanent home to a well-respected chocolate factory! While that was enough reason for some of us, others wanted more, and there was more: “the green heart of Italy”, fairy-tale like hill towns, music festivals, a region perhaps slightly less visited than Tuscany. But Perugia ended up seeming too big for us, and while Assisi, another Umbrian gem, attracted our attention for a while it, too, failed to make the cut. Although it was smaller and seemed beautiful and peaceful in its quiet hours, Assisi was hilly, too and just seemed too over-run with tourists. Le Marche? Urbino or perhaps Ascoli Piceno? Reading others’ accounts of their time there made this less touristy region with its own breathtaking landscapes very appealing, but from afar we couldn’t get a good enough sense (mostly because of fewer Internet resources) of schooling opportunities or decide on which one town would work the best. So, despite originally thinking we wouldn’t do it--too touristy, too expensive (all of this sight-unseen of course)--we decided on Tuscany.
Lucca, in the northern section of this region, soon made the final cut. Including around 90,000 inhabitants in all with 8,000 in the historic center, thirty-foot high Renaissance era walls encircling the old town complete with walking and cycling path on top of its four kilometer circumference, limited traffic zones within the walls, flat terrain (my bad knee is forever grateful, just remind me not to climb more than one of Lucca’s many towers in one day), bikes everywhere, plenty happening culturally, several schooling options, proximity to mountains and sea, we finally said Lucca, sì! We had found our home for the next year. Buongiorno Lucca, la Toscana, ed Italia!
(Many thanks to all of you who have helped us with planning this year in one way or another, from suggestions of places to live to advice about applying for the Elective Residence Visa!)
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