Peggy in Italy

I haven’t managed to post on a daily basis since I have been dog-sitting my in-laws dog, but here goes…

On Monday, we went to Squisito! 2008 in San Patrignano. Squisito is a big fair dedicated to fine wine and food that brings together big name Italian chefs, journalists, food & wine artisans, and of course, food & wine lovers. One of the most interesting aspects of this event is that it is organized and held at a rehabilitation facility, called San Patrignano, for men and women who have serious drug abuse problems. It was inspiring to see the people from this community working at this huge and well-organized event. We had the opportunity to taste test traditional cuisines from all over Italy. Our mouths were so busy that we forgot to take pictures of the actual food that we were eating. The photos we did take do not do justice to the event either. So we basically spent most of the day stuffing our faces and having a good time. Unfortunately, we will have to wait another year to go back.

Look at my photos from Squisito

Tags: San Patrignano, Squisito

On those occasions when I meet fellow English-speaking people while in Italy or abroad, a conversation is always brought up about where I live and it usually goes like this:

Other person: “So you where about in Italy do you live? I’ve been there a few times so I know some areas.”

Me: “I live in a region called Le Marche.”

OP: “Le what? Sorry I didn’t quite hear you.”

Me: “Le Marche. It’s on the Adriactic coast.”

OP: “Interesting. What city is it near? Rome? Florence?”

Me: “Well, actually, it’s not really near either. We live in Ancona and it’s about an hour and half drive from Urbino and 2 hours from Bologna.”

It’s really unfortunate that Le Marche is unknown to many people because I truly believe it is a region worth visiting. They say that Le Marche is the next Tuscany for it’s beautiful countryside. According to Karen Brown, a well known travel expert, “The Marches, stretching along the Adriatic coast, runs close behind Tuscany and Umbria in the way of scenic beauty, history, art, and cultural offerings.” I’ll need many more posts, though, to talk about Le Marche…

Tags: Karen Brown, Le Marche

I’m finally back after being sick for 2 whole weeks. I most likely had a urinary tract infection and I literally thought I was going to die after a whole week of a high fever. Melania and Maya were sweet and Melania helped me out in a serious way with Maya. Maya now has 6 teeth and is eating chicken, carrots, rice, zucchini, bananas and apples. Not only is she pulling herself up but she is also crawling. She has made serious progress in a short amount of time. She loves wires and anything shiny. Melania could have cared less for those dangers.

As for me, I’m thinking about starting two new blogs…one would be in Italian and the other would be in English. But I don’t want to be too quick to announce them yet…

…must get something for Luca’s snoring…

My friend and her family are considering moving to Ireland. We got onto the topic of quality of life as I told her that many of my students are convinced that Italy has one of the highest qualities of life. Both my friend and I have our doubts, especially since my friend is considering moving to Italy. I started doing some research for my friend gathering some statistics to see if in reality life may be better in Ireland. I wanted to start with something relatively easy…let’s say average salary. Well I went to Eurostat to get those statistics and would you know it, both Italy and Ireland did not provide that data.

I remember reading in some Italian newspaper about a year ago that the average monthly salary was 800 euros. Well, I now would like some kind of confirmation. I did a google search which was unsuccessful and then I went to ISTAT’s site - the Italian National Institute of Statistics - and again could not find this data. This really bothered me, so I wrote to them today asking for this info. Is it possible that there is no official data regarding average salaries in Italy?

It’s so hard to be a Mom. Yesterday, Melly and Maya stayed with their Zia Sara while I taught my lessons. When we came to pick Melly up, she burst in to tears crying that wanted to stay for dinner at her aunt’s house. Sara had invited her inlaws for dinner and Melly desparately wanted to stay asking me why we hadn’t been invited.

I just sometimes feel that she is too sensitive. Whenever it is time to say goodbye to anyone after having had a playdate, she always ends up in tears. Everyday when she gets home from school she asks me “Where can we go today? Who can we visit?” We try to have at least one playdate per week, but it’s not enough for her. She gets bored at home and always wants company. I try to explain to her that i am tired and need my time at home every now and then. We usually end up arguing because she gets angry that we can’t visit anyone.

Is this just a phase? I hope so. Because sometimes I feel like i have done everything wrong. I don’t see other kids gets so upset over things like her. It looks like i need to hit the parenting books once more.

We attended a traditional Italian wedding over the weekend in Gualdo Tadino in the region of Umbria at a breathtaking agriturismo / hotel called Le Terre del Verde. The agriturismo gives its guests a range of choices when it comes to accommodation: hotel, farmhouse or rental apartments. In the main building there are glass panels on the floor where you can see a natural spring that flows under the property. Right outside of the farmhouse, there’s a huge green lawn, a stream, trees, paths leading to an old castle, a swimming pool and a playground. Their menu includes local and organic food.

The wedding was on Saturday morning at 11 in the city center of Gualdo Tadino. After getting a bit lost, we arrived 15 minutes before the ending. It worked out best because Maya was experimenting with her voice during the ceremony in the old church. After the ceremony we headed back to the farmhouse for appetizers under a tent. The starters included: a variety of cheeses with honey, prosciutto and other cold cuts, mozzarella, tempura style veggies, fried calamari and shrimp, a seafood salad, and much more. Then we had some time for digesting and walking around.

We were then invited to the dining room for the lunch which included risotto and tortelloni for the first course meal, meat and veggies for the second course meal, and a fruit salad to finish it. Melania and her cousin in the meanwhile were entertained by clowns, jugglers and singers. They, too, were treated to delicious food. Melania was having a blast. After lunch, were given a siesta either for walking around or sleeping. Maya and I chose to rest a bit.

At 8:30, we were invited back to the dining room for the wedding cake, other sweets, and dancing. Melania at this time could not talk about anything but the cake. She was so excited to eat it. We did some dancing and goofing around before the bride and groom came in. I had an opportunity to take pictures. After that, Luca put the camera away in the stroller, tucked away in the basket that closes with velcro. At this point, Melly’s eyes had a particular gaze to them and I got a suspicious feeling. At a certain point, Melly started coughing and said she needed water. Luca takes her to get water and they disappeared for a good 15 minutes. Maya starts fussing and this was my cue that it was time to start saying goodnight. I start looking for Luca and after asking around for him, I find Luca and Melly outside. Melly was sitting on a bench with flushed cheeks. She had thrown up all over the green lawns. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to try the cake and sweets. My poor baby was so sad. She wanted to take some of the sweets for the next morning. She was feeling better that she decided to stay a little longer with Luca. She absolutely had to see the cake at least.

Maya and I went back to our room, after having reminded Luca and his mother to bring the stroller back to the hotel room. After a nice night’s sleep, we headed to the breakfast room and I noticed Luca had not brought the stroller back with him. I didn’t think anything of it because I felt like we were in a trusting environment. We were treated to a big breakfast Italian style with homemade apple cakes, ricotta cakes, fresh bread, jam, nutella, croissants and cappuccinos (of course). After breakfast, we got our things ready and made our way downstairs to say goodbye to the bride and groom and Luca’s relatives. Just then, Luca remembered to get the stroller. When he got back I noticed he was looking quite pale. The camera was gone. Somebody swiped our camera. Luca lost all control and was furious. Understandable as I had taken some amazing pictures of Melania with her cousin Filippo.

We don’t really care about the camera, it’s the pictures we want back. The person who took our camera didn’t steal just a camera, he or she stole memories of Melania having fun, Maya turning 10 months, Maya trying to crawl…

Tags: farmhouse, Gualdo Tadino, hotel, Italian wedding, Umbria

One of the most common questions that comes up during an English lesson is: What do you miss about America? It’s not such an easy question because there’s not just one answer. I can easily list off all of my favourite products and stores: Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble, Oberweiss ice cream, Jason Natural Cosmetics…and the list goes on. Oh yeah, I love going for Indian, Dim Sum, Japanese, and American brunches. But what I really miss is chilling with my sisters in the living room, backyard, or wherever. Or just listening to This American Life on NPR on the radio while in the car with my sister. Or watching Melania play with her cousins. Or visiting with friends. These things give me great satisfaction.