Ahhhh

Well, Piero said that although my first few entries have been accurate, they might actually scare people away, and he advised me to write about something pleasant. Last weekend fit the bill.

May first is a holiday here, Labor Day, and of course no one works. People leave the cities and enjoy themselves, so we did likewise, heading to the beach. It was a beautiful day, after weeks of chilly rain, and we walked along the sea enjoying the sun and that wonderful smell of salt water. After a big family lunch, we all went to a nearby park and the kids played soccer and tried to fall into the fountain - It was lovely.

The day reminded me a little of Easter here. That, too, was a nice day - cloudy and cool, but without rain - and we all headed to the country place for lunch. It was a gathering of the entire family, three generations, and as we approached the house we could hear from Paola's apartment upstairs the chatting and preparations. Wonderful smells wafted out to us. I turned to Pier at the front door and said, "This is why people have big families."

It's true - although I prefer to have only one child (as do most Italians today), the anticipation and enjoyment of a holiday where everyone gathers together are irresistible. Americans feel it, too, probably to a much greater extent because we are so scattered. That's why Thanksgiving has become almost mythical. It has the ability to center families around warm common memories (and the capacity to create those well-known nightmarish scenarios where the old grievances get resurrected, once ten or twelve adults are crammed into a single tiny house.....But I digress.).

It's that sense of coming together that I felt here at Easter (a big holiday in a Catholic country. But that's another blog.). It means so much to my daughter to have this loving, extended family and sense of belonging and roots in our adopted country. She will grow up very differently than I did, having moved eight times during my youth. She will probably feel certain of where she fits into the country and the world (hers already hundreds of times broader), and a solid foundation that is her family history. It's odd to think she will grow up knowing she is Italian, speaking another language, and experiencing relationships from a completely different perspective. (All this is especially strange since she was actually born in Siberia and came home to us in the U.S. at the age of one. But that is yet another blog.)

But back to that beautiful day...Spending it with family and having absolutely nothing to do but enjoy the weather, play with the kids and chat with the adults is what it's all about here. I met an older Italian gentleman on the Shuttle a couple years ago (remember those days?!) and he said Italians were very good at "vegetating." He didn't mean it as a compliment. I do think that perhaps it has its negative side - Ever try to get anything done on a tight schedule in Italy? You know what I mean. - But on the bright side, what it creates is time to just be.

Years ago our grandparents "visited." That meant they went to see other people and just chatted and spent time together. I would say that is a very positive side of vegetating, one that lets us deepen the bonds of friendship or family. The day after our holiday, we hosted the family at our place for dinner to celebrate Pier's father's 84th birthday. And yes, a plate was broken and sauce was spilled and the kids misbehaved. But it was an important evening and it created another building block in that foundation that is the family here.

That's the bedrock for everyone in a small town - The system that cares for you when you're ill or your car dies or you lose your job. We miss many things from the U.S., including my family and our closest friends that provided that backbone for us there. But it's a really special experience here to know you have the support, 24x7, of a caring family a couple blocks away, and I am happy my daughter will flourish in that environment.

So, again, come see us! It is a small, small town, but there's no lack of things to see and do. Happy May to you all!