Life in Italia

I am now happily settled into my life in Italia. My new house is much more lively and much less work than the last spot - typical Italians, in a not so typical way. We start our days early, to capture the sunlight and the cooler weather and then finish for the morning about 11am or noon. Off to a nice lunch, a caffe and many hours of siesta, hanging out - whatever. At around 5pm, we head back out to the orchard and work for another 3 hours or so - coming back in to hang out while dinner is being prepared - sitting down around 10pm. My body has still not gotten used to the idea of a short sleep and then a nap in the mid-day. I think it is a smart way of being with the heat of the mid-day, but I still crave the 8 hours and find myself somewhat lethargic all of the time.

Yesterday, I worked with the neighbors in the evening - they have a small plot of hazelnuts that they work on their own. Afterward, we dined together on a light dinner and got to know each other. The family speaks little English, but using my rudimentary Italian, I was able to learn that they are far from a tipico familgia. The house is shared by a lesbian couple - Terri & Tina, their 7 year old son - created through artificial insemination and a sperm donor in Brussels - I am guessing that this may not be possible in Italy, hence their reason for traveling to Belgium for the procedure; they also live with Tina's mom and her grandmother. Joining us at dinner was a friend with her son. Terri & Tina practice Buddhism - breaking ways with Italy even further. It was a surprising encounter - Italy is so dominated by the Catholic church one forgets that freedom of thinking happens no matter where you are. Regardless of their differences, Terri and Tina's home was so typical of my Italian experience - many generations, a slow and leisurely meal and much laughter and enjoyment present in every aspect of the day. It was nice to celebrate the differences and the commonalities of their life.