Daily Life – Living in Italy

Living in Italy – Expat Stories (1) – “No Problem!”

Stef Smulders — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 21:07:56 +0000

(This is the 1rst chapter of my book Living in Italy: the Real Deal with our expat stories and adventures)

With my right foot still on the pavement, the estate agent’s car was already pulling away. My reaction was fast: I pulled both legs inside and slammed the car door, averting an accident. The estate agent obviously had no time to waste! We were going to look at two properties in the Oltrepò Pavese, the area lying south of the river Po, which traverses Northern Italy. I sat in the front and the estate agent prattled on in hundred-mile-an-hour Italian. I only understood bits of what he was saying, partly because I was too disconcerted by the traffic which we were navigating with Italian flair.

For the last few weeks, we had lived in the quiet, historical, university town of Pavia. In the next 6 months, I was going to continue with my MA in Medieval Culture, and my husband, Nico would enjoy his well-earned sabbatical. He was going to hoover, do the shopping and cook, whilst I could immerse myself in times gone by. But there was this secret, unspoken wish that didn’t leave us alone: could we…., what if we…, imagine if…?

And already, just a couple of weeks into our stay in Pavia, we started looking at properties, with the intention of permanently settling down and setting up a B&B! Soon after our arrival in Pavia, we discovered the wine region of Oltrepò Pavese, an area about half an hour’s drive to the south of Pavia. It was love at first sight. What beautiful countryside! And this is how our secret wish began to take shape: to find our own idyllic home on the top of a hill with panoramic views! In one of the free leaflets from the numerous estate agencies (agenzie immobiliari), our excited eyes spotted the perfect house that ticked all our boxes. We were now on our way to this house, with an estate agent whose main talents seemed to be smooth talking and rally driving.

Once we got out of Pavia, the roads became quieter and I was able to follow Olita’s – as he was called – Italian a bit better. He was busy showing off his property know-how and reassuring us about the top quality of the houses we were about to see. If there was anything not to our liking, it could be easily sorted, without any additional costs, he said. He had already made an agreement with the owners. “Non ci sono problemi!” he exclaimed with much enthusiasm. If we didn’t like the colour of the house, it could be painted over, before completion, in any colour at all, even violet, maintained Olita. “Non ci sono problemi!” And the garden that had become a jungle from months (probably years?) of neglect would be completely cleared out, just for us.

We took in the landscape in front of us: it was mainly flat, covered in rice fields (growing the famous Italian risotto), farmland and poplar plantations, as far as the eye could see. Along the country road, we were driving past settlements: an endless mish-mash of houses and farm buildings of all shapes and sizes. We raced through small villages with stores, restaurants and cafés. Olita was consistently indifferent to the numerous white traffic signs warning of upcoming speed cameras. Did his employer pay the fines? Or was it going to become a hidden charge on our bill? We were fully aware that we were going to have to pay Olita commission if we were to buy our house through him. We had done our homework in the Netherlands and were well-prepared for all the traps that a would-be house buyer could fall into when trying to buy a house in Italy. We were on high alert! Olita, unaware of my misgivings, drove on at full speed. Here and there along the side of the road, there were small shrines erected by friends and relatives of beloved maniacs, who had died in tragic road accidents. Olita didn’t seem to worry about suffering the same fate; he overtook slow drivers without mercy, regardless of whether the white line was broken or solid. Later on, having lived in the Oltrepò for several months, we discovered a santuario nearby; a memorial chapel for all the victims killed in road accidents in the area. The legendary recklessness of Italian drivers might have some foundation after all. Olita, for his part, did his utmost to conform to the stereotype. Occasionally, we met two cars side-by-side coming from the other direction, but luckily three cars in a row could easily be accommodated on this two-lane road. Non ci sono problemi.

We reached Ponte della Becca, the one kilometre long iron bridge built in 1912 that spans the merging of the Po and the Ticino. The Oltrepò stretched on the other side, flat at first, but soon undulating with hills. There in the distance our dream house was waiting for us somewhere. We saw the first vineyards appearing here and there. On one of the hillsides we spotted a remarkable-looking castle and we inquired about it from our local regional expert, a.k.a. Olita. “Which castle is that?” we asked full of curiosity. He didn’t know. But “Non ci sono problemi,” he would investigate and let us know. Maybe our house was not going to be violet after all.

It soon became apparent why Olita was in such a hurry: he was lost and was zooming up and down the hills in search of familiar landmarks. Against all expectations, we managed to find our chosen house, which didn’t look as perfect as we at first had thought, not even if Olita would have it painted violet. On one side it leant against a slope, and the other side was blocked from view by an unsightly shed. The garden was no bigger than a postage stamp. What a shame. Luckily, on the advice of Olita’s Agenzia, we had also made an appointment to view another property that was on offer at a bargain price. This second house didn’t look appealing in the brochure: a faded grey concrete block without any character. But now that we were here…we might as well take a look.

It took Olita a lot of cursing and muttering under his breath during the second stretch of our mystery tour, to finally bring us to the cheaper property. The frontage made no false promises. There were not enough colours in the rainbow to change that. But the inside! The house was made up of two apartments, each a hundred square metres. The downstairs apartment was completely modernised, had brand new flooring, central heating, a fitted kitchen, and there was a sitting room with sofas and a ready-to-go modern bathroom. The apartment was ready to move into as soon as gas and electricity were connected. We felt enthusiastic.

After having seen the downstairs flat, Olita led us upstairs and opened the shutters of the bedroom overlooking the valley. An enchanting view of rolling hills and vineyards in the style of impressionist paintings unravelled before our eyes. In the distance, we recognised the characteristic but still enigmatic castle from earlier. And a bit further on, there was another castle. And over there another one. We were sold. Non ci sono problemi! For once we all agreed!

Living in Italy: the Real Deal - Expat Stories

Did you like this post? Then read the full book!

More Info

The post Living in Italy – Expat Stories (1) – “No Problem!” appeared first on Living in Italy.

Close to Paradise in the Hamlet of Bagarello

Stef Smulders — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 14:12:00 +0000

The chickens are roaming around in the garden below the terrace of the Italian agriturismo where I am sitting. They must be very happy, if such a concept exists in the chicken mind, doing what they are supposed to do, in peace, not worrying about what might happen in the near future. That said, they might end up as one of Leda’s dishes. Not the worst end for a chicken, to be turned into one of the best meals possible.

Sitting on the terrace in the sun of spring, with a view of the freshly green vineyards on the smooth hills of the Oltrepò Pavese, I feel like those chickens. Nothing worries me, I could sit here for ages, doing nothing, meditating. Well ok, perhaps the wine did help me to get into this state…

The little hamlet of Bagarello has been here for centuries, almost a millennium in fact. The first recorded evidence of a settlement called Bagarellum dates back to 1158… The hamlet has always remained small with a population ranging from about 30 to 80 inhabitants, with the same families here throughout the ages.

The agriturismo where I have chosen to lunch today and on whose terrace I am meditating is owned by the Faravelli family, whose name is the earliest family name in Bagarellum on record. One thousand years of history, and time literally seems to have come to a standstill, at the end of this small rural road. Walking the one single street of the hamlet you see the few houses with traditional flowers in front, some elderly people cleaning their steps, lazy dogs sleeping and cats enjoying a sunbath. Nothing ever seems to happen. The silence is overwhelming.

I am close to paradise.

Living in Italy: the Real Deal

Would you like to know how we managed to find a house and move to Italy? Read our book!

More Info

The post Close to Paradise in the Hamlet of Bagarello appeared first on Living in Italy.

An Italian on the phone

Stef Smulders — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 14:27:45 +0000

Once at the university of Pavia I was in a study room and could not help but overhearing the telephone conversations that took place in the adjacent room of a teacher. Long conversations which the caller apparently had difficulties in concluding. The last part of these telephone conversations usually went like this:

„Ciao, ciao, grazie! Bye bye thanks! … Sì, certo, grazie, ciao ciao Yes, sure thanks bye bye … Ma figurati, sì, di niente, ciao ciao But,no,no problem, bye bye … No, no, nessun problema, grazie ancora, ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao … Davvero? Non lo sapevo, ma veramente Really? I did not know that, honestly … Allora ciao, ciao, grazie, ciao ciao … Ma nohhhh, ci mancherebbe, no no, non si preoccupi But nooo, don’t worry … Le ringrazio sinceramente, ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao Thank you honestly, bye bye bye bye bye … Sì, ci sentiamo fra poco, sì, ciao ciao Yes we’ll be in contact soon, yes, bye bye … Allora buon lavoro, ciao So, good luck with your work, bye …. Aspetta, non avevo detto che Wait, I did not tell you that … ah, ho capito, no no O, I understand … va bene, ciao ciao ciao Okay, bye bye … Sì, sì, ciao ciao Yes, yes, bye bye … ma sì? Allora non centro io, grazie, va benissimo, grazie, ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao. But indeed? Well in that case I have nothing to do with it, thanks, everything okay, thanks, bye bye bye bye bye bye.”

Clic

Tringggg tringggg

„Pronto? Yes? … ah mi scusi, ma non l’aveva capito? Mi dispiace ma non possiamo O, sorry, didn’t you understand? I am sorry but we can’t … Va bene ma devo consultare. I understand but I have to consult … okay okay, le faccio sapere, presto, sì, presto presto. okay okay, I’ll let you know, soon, yes very soon. Grazie ancora, ciao ciao … Sì ciao. No no tutto bene, sì, ciao ciao ciao. Ciaooooooooo! Thanks again, bye bye. Yes bye. No no everything is okay, bye bye bye. Byyyye!”

Living in Italy: the Real Deal

Would you like to know how we managed to find a house and move to Italy? Read our book!

More Info

The post An Italian on the phone appeared first on Living in Italy.

Italian traffic (1)

Stef Smulders — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:51:19 +0000

Italian traffic is notoriously chaotic and dangerous, as all foreigners (and accident statistics) attest. There are hardly any Italian cars here that do not have scratches or dents. I wrote about our experience with the real estate agent driving us to our future home in my book Living in Italy: the Real Deal. “With my right foot still on the pavement, the estate agent’s car was already pulling away. My reaction was fast: I pulled both legs inside and slammed the car door, averting an accident. The estate agent obviously had no time to waste! We were going to look at two properties in the Oltrepò Pavese, the area lying south of the river Po, which traverses Northern Italy. I sat in the front and the estate agent prattled on in hundred-mile-an-hour Italian. I only understood bits of what he was saying, partly because I was too disconcerted by the traffic which we were navigating with Italian flair.” Now, after living in Italy for almost ten years, I noticed some particular driving behaviours of Italian drivers. I will post a few of these in this blog in the form of short sketches. Today the first one.

Italian traffic sketch: an Italian driver turns right

„Con calma, slowly, slowly, there it comes, the turn.” The car, a Fiat Panda of course, model cake tin, 4×4 (!), is almost at a standstill on the thoroughfare. La freccia, the direction indicator, isn’t blinking so it is not clear that the driver is about to turn right. The oncoming traffic slows down in frustration.

„Allora, come proseguiamo? How to continue? O yes, shift down gear. Ma che stronzo, what an idiot, is he really flashing his headlights behind me? Well, his headlight singular, because the other one is out of order. Hey, sei in fretta? Are you in a hurry?”

Several drivers of the stopped cars start hooting. Arms appear from the drivers’ seat windows, gesticulating wildly. One of the cars in line moves a bit to the left to see if it is possible to overtake, but no, a car is approaching from the other direction at high speed.

„Sì, sì, non preoccupatevi, sto già andando, mamma mia. Yes, yes, no worries, I am going, my god!” The car starts turning right at snail’s pace. Tring tringgggg! The cell phone lying on the passenger seat is ringing. The driver picks up the phone while still managing the right turn and holds it at his ear. „Pronto? … Sì, sto arrivando. Sono appena uscito della strada provinciale. Cinque minuti e sono lì. Va bene? Yes, I am coming, just left the provincial road. Five minutes and I’ll be there.” During this short conversation the car has dangerously left its course and ended up on the other half of the road. An oncoming car, approaching the provincial road at, as always, high speed, doesn’t fully succeed in avoiding a collision and … Klengggg!

„Porca miseria! Quello stronzo mi ha portato via lo specchio! Holy shit, that idiot has ruined my side-mirror. And he doesn’t even stop to check the damage! La gente oggi è matta. Che maleducato. People are crazy nowadays, such a brute! Nobody ever takes other people into account in traffic these days!”

At home the driver fixes the mirror of his car with some tape. Replacing it with a new one makes no sense as he doesn’t use the mirror anyway. True drivers look ahead, not back.

Living in Italy: the Real Deal

Would you like to know how we managed to find a house and move to Italy? Read our book!

More Info

The post Italian traffic (1) appeared first on Living in Italy.

Piumino Quilt jacket

Stef Smulders — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 10:48:40 +0000

Where did they come from? These jackets you see on the streets everywhere in Italy. Everybody suddenly seems to wear them, even the elderly, though the jackets seem designed for young people. And even those who want to be taken seriously have traded their severe gabardino’s for the shiny, frivolous modern jacket. And the colours are back! Ever since I live in Italy I hardly ever saw a joyfully coloured jacket or coat. All Italians wear black, it seemed. Or grey, or dark brown. But the playful design of the ’piumino’ as it is called seems to invite the use of a wider range of colours as well. Finally!

Quilt piumino jacket

The name does not suggest the elegance that the jacket in reality has. A piumino is a down-filled jacket whereas in fact it looks more like the trapunto with its stitched structure. When we were starting our bed and breakfast it took us ages to find reasonably priced bed linnen. We discovered then that an Italian bedroom cannot be without a trapunto, the large dow filled stitched quilt-like cover for the bed. And the trapunto has transformed into a jacket? Would the fashion and design prone Italian cover himself in a blanket and go out on the street that way? To become the laughing stock of everybody? No, certainly not. The giacca piumino is an elegant, playful jacket, a joy for the eye of the beholder. I just have to get adjusted to these gray, serious men wearing them. Will they last?

Living in Italy: the Real Deal

Would you like to know how we managed to find a house and move to Italy? Read our book!

More Info

The post Piumino Quilt jacket appeared first on Living in Italy.

Italian climate & weather

Stef Smulders — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 12:20:08 +0000

“In Italy, when I look outside in the morning and the weather is fine, dry and sunny, I leave home without a coat. If I do this in the UK or Holland, I am deceited quite often, because later in the day it starts raining, the wind starts blowing and it gets cold!” This is what our Italian friend Luca told us once. He is an Italian who, having lived in The Netherlands for years, experienced the difference between the Italian climate and the Dutch one and the two types of weather. We too, even after ten years of living in Italy are still surprised about the differences. Everbody knows that in Italy the sun shines more often, but that the climate in summer is that much more stable, is a thing we had not anticipated.

In normal years, from about June till September the weather in the Oltrepò Pavese is dry, sunny and warm. This goes practically without exception, not counting the occasional thunderstorm. The temperature ranges from 25-35 degrees Celsius (77-95 Fahrenheit) while humidity is reasonably low. This type of weather is very pleasant, you get used to it quite easily. In ten years only 2014 failed to meet these expectations: it was wet and temperatures rarely touched the 30 degrees. The last three years however, have been exceptionally good for the wine grapes: hot and dry.

Italian climate: the facts

From May till September the average daily maximum temperature is above 25 ^oC, in July and August the daily maximum averages 30 degrees. The 24hrs average temperature is about 5 degrees above the Dutch average. From November till March Oltrepo weather is very much like the Dutch weather, apart from wind (less) and fog (more). The difference in amount of rainfall occurs mainly during the other seasons, spring, summer and fall. From May till September the number of rainy days is negligable. The little rain that does fall originates from the thunderstorms that may pass in the evening every now and then. The difference in windspeed between Holland and the Oltrepo is spectacular. That’s why our Dutch flag outside never waves!

Living in Italy: the Real Deal

Would you like to know how we managed to find a house and move to Italy? Read our book!

More Info

The post Italian climate & weather appeared first on Living in Italy.