My Italian Side

Herança - Heritage

2011-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

This time I must write in Portuguese and I apologise for my English speaking friends. Kindly use google translator if you would like to read what I wrote.

Finalmente o dia tão esperado chegou, o dia de receber meu passaporte italiano, agora firmemente em minhas mãos. Muitas emoções eu vivi até chegar a esse ponto e muitos anos se passaram, trazendo um longo aprendizado. Aprendi sobre o processo completo para se obter a cidadania na Itália, passo após passo, assim como os procedimentos e organização de documentação ainda no Brasil, antes de partir para a Itália.

O mais espetacular de tudo, no entanto, foi ter mergulhado no mundo dos documentos de família e dessa forma ter tido a chance de me inteirar de muitas estórias dos Raimondis de Minas Gerais.
Através de minha mãe e alguns tios pude conhecer um pouco sobre a história de meu bisavô Emidio, o italiano que em busca de uma vida melhor, se aventurou da Itália para o Brasil, lá nos idos do final do século XIX. Passei a saber mais de minha bisavó Marianna, sua esposa, de personalidade muito marcante, segundo contam. Basta olhar a postura dela na foto acima para se ter uma idéia!

O que ainda não consegui descobrir foi a data da chegada do Emidio e exatamente com quem ele veio para o Brasil. Desconheço também o nome do navio em que viajou e o porto de sua chegada. Fatos indicam que ele veio com irmãos... Meu bisavô se estabeleceu e casou em Minas Gerais, em Conceição das Pedras, onde nasceu minha mãe.

Em virtude da busca de minha cidadania, viajei até Latrônico, na região de Basilicata na Itália, local de nascimento do Emidio. Que emoção foi pisar naquelas terras, mesmo não tendo encontrado nenhum outro parente de meu bisavô. Latronico é uma cidadezinha bem pequena, mas muito aconchegante e de belíssimas paisagens.

Valeu, valeu tudo! A sensação que tenho é a de ter recebido um valioso presente, uma herança de valor cultural inigualável de meu bisavô. Imagino que em vida ele jamais tenha tido a oportunidade de vislumbrar um descendente seu fazendo o caminho inverso ao que ele fez, rumo à Itália. E eis que aqui estou, justamente planejando o próximo passo para tal.

Vale dizer que várias pessoas contribuíram para que essa cidadania se tornasse uma realidade. Entre elas, gostaria de destacar minha irmã Magali, que realmente não mediu esforços para me ajudar a alcançar tal objetivo.

A colagem na minha foto acima é também uma homenagem aqueles que deram origem ao que sou hoje, sem os quais minha cidadania italiana não seria possível! Na foto maior meu bisavô italiano com minha bisavó e alguns de seus filhos. Nas fotos menores, meu avô Antonio (o orelhudo) e minha avó Maria da Glória, seguidos mais abaixo de meu pai Sebastião e minha mãe Rosa.

Grazzie mille a tutti!

Celebrate what is good in the World

2010-12-05T04:56:00.000-08:00

In the photo: my brother Amaury, who has always known how to celebrate life

Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and ilumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes to assist you in turning into the gorgeous masterpiece you were born to be. Join the conspiracy to shower all of creation with blessings.

We all know that we must always try to focus on the positive instead of the negative, don't we? However we forget it most of the time. We practise it for a while and then go back to old bad habits. Therefore, I love it when I stumble upon good writers that remind me of the extreme benefits of believing the world is conspiring to help us and not the other way round.

Recently I discovered a very nice video that talks about this and would like to share it here. This will take 20 minutes of your time, but I firmly believe it will be time well invested.

Celebrate What's Right With The World

Lazarus! - The Resurrected | Myspace Video

Have you heard of Matera in the Basilicata region? No??

2010-11-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

People are mostly interested in Tuscany (me being one of them). However, I find myself constantly finding some new gems to adore in Italy. I already mentioned how Calabria captured my heart last June. In that same trip I also visitted the Basilicata Region, where my grandfather is from, but restricted myself that time to his home town, Latronico. What a pity, I should have been told about Matera's existence while I was there.

Matera, located in the southern part of the Basilicata, is said to be one of the most enchanting places in the world and was until recently, relatively unknown. I started reading about it just recently too and got totally fascinated by it.

Some facts about it:
It has been settled since the Palaeolithic. The city was allegedly founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, with the name of Matheola after the consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus.
It gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera"). The Sassi originate from a prehistoric (troglodyte) settlement, and are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy.The Sassi are houses dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia. Many of these "houses" are really only caverns, and the streets in some parts of the Sassi often are located on the rooftops of other houses. The ancient town grew in height on one slope of the ravine created by a river that is now a small stream. The ravine is known locally as "la Gravina".

In the 1950s, the government of Italy forcefully relocated most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city. However, people continued to live in the Sassi, and according to the English Fodor's guide:

“

Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.

”

Recent movies that were filmed in Matera:
The Nativity Story (2006)
The Omen (2006)

Here is a nice short video with images of Matera.

Have you been there? What did you think? Good tips about where to stay, eat etc?

What I want to say now

2010-11-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

I came across a very talented writer the other day called called Elana Baxter. Her blog is named Fly in the face. Isn't it common that often others express much better what we really want to say but do not dare or do not know how to?

Below Elana in her own words:
"I realized that for years I have been making myself small, believing stories about myself and other people that are simply not true.

I could no longer ignore the emptiness in me that cried, why aren’t you paying attention and doing all of those things that illuminate you and make you dance ?

Why are you waiting for permission and approval before allowing yourself to do what you love and be who you are ?

I started actually noticing what was in front of me: people from a multitude of backgrounds (rich, poor, middle class) and with a vast range of experiences (from extremely positive to tragically awful) are cultivating their gifts, talents and passions. They are doing their thing because that’s what they love to do. This is not an obvious choice for those of us that believe they have to wait to be better, thinner, prettier, smarter and more symmetrical before doing anything.

Now I know you don’t have to wait.

What I do here: Practice the art. The art of being, growing, sharing, encouraging, inspiring and putting into action the work of self-discovery, self-inquiry and self-love.

How I do it: With love, trepidation and a sense of humour.

Who is this for ? : Anyone interested in banishing smoke and mirrors excuses, challenging self-limiting beliefs and burning psychological storybooks. Anyone who sees a part of themselves here, needs inspiration, comic relief or a kick in the pants. This blog is more a testament to the truth that it really is a choice to be an active participant in your own life and your own agent of change and this is one of the steps I’ve taken towards that. But NO ONE does it alone. That’s why I need YOU! Other voices to add to the exquisite chorus of Back to Life!"

Gathering momentum

2010-11-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

I am trying to gather momentum, ignition, fire to go in the direction of a new way of living for me and my family. I am trying some baby steps, but wanting to go giant ones instead! I am always in a hurry. I must exercise patience, I tell myself.

Although I have this firm determination to achieve my goals, I realise I cannot do it alone. It is way bigger than me. I have tried as much as possible to connect to new friends and my family, looking for support, but it is not very easy. Sometimes I feel very enthusiastic and everything seems possible. Other times, however, I ask myself what the heck am I thinking, dreaming that I can do it.
For now, at least, I am still being fueled by the hope that he/she who dares to take a risk, has a bigger chance of succeeding. I want to give it a big try!

Let life unfold itself

2010-10-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have been away from my Blog for a while now, finding it easier to post about my Italian side in few words, through Facebook. This is is due to the fact that there is really not much happening at the moment in this respect. So far I have done my utmost to make this side of me become a reality, but things take time, it seems. Since I was in Italy in June, applying in person to my Italian citizenship, no response has yet been received from the Italian Consulate in Rio to make the process go ahead in Italy.

Meanwhile, however, I have been dreaming on, of course. So much that I have felt extremelly anxious and impatient, many times discouraged. I have it in me to want things to happen always quickly. I like to be proactive and anticipate as much as I can. It so happens that exactly in this regard, I have realised there is not much I can do but wait and let life unfold itself (at least for a while).

My idea to move to Italy and start a new life there is still very present, but there is so much to be considered. At almost 50 years of age I am still a dreamer and I keep trying to convince myself to take it easy. I have plenty of ideas and plans, but no certainty that they are achievable in the short term, quite the contrary. So, then what? I need supporters, not to say investors :)))

I have been reading and learning about several foreigners that have made it to Italy and now have their own small business there. From what they write about, it sounds like they have such a lovely and pleasant life, all in allconsidered. Not that they have not mentioned difficulties and hardships to start with. In fact they have. However, is it an impression or do these hardships seem less burdensome when you are struggling to have your dreams come true? Maybe so, maybe so....

Anyway, I am making a sincere effort to let life go on in a less anxious way. But, I am also believing that the universe is indeed conspiring to help me and that everything is only a question of (hopefully) very short time.

Going towards my roots

2010-09-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am presenting above a short video recorded by my son when we were arriving in Latronico from Reggio Calabria last June.This short video represents a lot to me. It shows the moment I saw the road sign LATRONICO for real and for the very first time in front of my eyes! You may ask, what is the big deal about it? Well, it is a big deal when you are Brazilian and have always heard your mother say that her grandfather was an Italian, from Latronico, and that he immigrated to Brazil sometime during the XIX century.
After 8 long years trying to gather all my documents to prove my origins and obtain my Italian citizenship, I travelled to Latronico last June in search of possible living relatives and to know my great grandfather's home town.
The video was made when I was walking towards the Latronico sign to have my picture taken standing in front of it. I didn't know my son was filming me. When I was positioned for the picture he asked me (in Portuguese) how I was feeling (I realised then he had been filming me!). Then I just answer him by saying: "I feel happy!! A dream come true" and I say the word out loud: LA-TRO-NI-CO! Yeah!!

What do you want to do for the rest of your life?

2010-09-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Can you answer this question? I must admit I cannot! I know vaguely what makes me feel good and that is to help people, making their lives easier by means of my knowledge, feelings, intuition, efficiency and initiative. Where this leads me, though, I still haven't found out!It seems I have settled, however, where I want to be for this purpose: Italy!

I need to be feeling good with myself and happy with my surroundings if I want to do a good job. I need to be strong and with my feet on the ground. I want it and I want it badly, but still do not know how

Waiting and hoping

2010-09-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Photo Source: Massimo Valiani

Lately it's been easier to post about my Italian side on its facebook fan page, where often pictures speak for themselves, instead of lots of words. This beacuse nothing is really yet happening in my Italian citizenship process. My son is in Italy at the moment and he has applied for a residence permit there. Not that he wishes to live there, but this is the way he found to stay in Europe while he is not granted the citizenship.

I, for my part, try to experience a little bit of Italy through him. I call him often and ask about lots of things: what the weather is like, what he has been doing, what his plan are etc. By the way, tomorrow he is leaving Reggio Calabria to go to Genova, where he has got a temporary work assignment. I think it is so wonderful that he can experience Italy for a while, learn the language and culture before he is finally granted his Italian citizenship. I think this makes the whole idea of becoming Italian much more realistic. I wish I could be there doing the exact same thing!

It is not clear yet for how long we will have to wait for the process to unfold. I believe, however, it should be sorted out until the end of this year. Meanwhile, there is plenty of time to dream, visualise and hope for...

Birds know better

2010-08-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

"Why do birds head south for the winter? This is because they need to go to warmer regions before the winter settles in. Migration amongst bird populations is a way of coping for those species that live in environments that are unfavorable to live in the entire year round. Some species of birds are lucky enough to live in climatically and resource favorable environments(!!!).

These species of birds typically do not migrate unless some type of semi-permanent negative change occurs and they are then called resident birds. For migratory bird species, seasonal migration is a matter of survival. ..."

After having been a "resident bird" in Norway for 4 years, bearing with the cold weather despite my tropical origins, it seems that the cold is now having a firmer grip on me and is making me feel the urge to migrate. However, how? It is to so much simpler for the birds that do not need to consider income, housing, schooling and so many other factors that influence where human beings migrate to.

So, here I am observing the change of seasons in Norway from summer to autumn, watching the birds and wondering, how can I follow them???

Countryside life

2010-08-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Many times I feel overwelmed by city life and I long, long for a life in the countryside. Well, it is not only now and then. It is most of the time, really.

I have a picture in my mind of this new life I want to have one day. It would be more or less like this:

A big enough comfortable house, with big glass windows for the light to come at all times and for me to see the green and trees outside from every angle.

A safe place to be

At least one good room to receive family and friends

Simple but comfortable and cozy furniture

A lovely kitchen with a big wooden table in the center, where cooking will be a pleasure and not messy.

A good internet connection, to keep in touch with my family and friends and for blogging (about such a life I will be having)

A garden of a reasonable size, for my dogs to run freely

A lovely verandah for the meals on sunny days

Good friends in the neighborhood, for us to visit and be there for each other at all times

A school nearby for my daughter!

A good health structure around

Working from home

This house would be somewhere in Tuscany, Italy

What do you think? Is this a feasible dream?

The Sun

2010-08-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night"
-- Steve Martin

I miss Italy, this is for sure. However, I have come to one serious conclusion: I miss the Sun most of all, period. If you live in Norway, like I do, the shortage of sunny days can be a big problem. This year the sun has been scarce around here. Most days have been cloudy and windy, with a few sunny days spread in between. My only great "sunny experience" this year has been when I was in Reggio Calabria, last June.

I grew up in Brazil and lived there all my life, until 4 years ago when I moved to Norway. The sun, therefore, has always been part of my life and I never needed to rush to enjoy its rays and its benefits. On the contrary, sometimes I had to avoid it because it was too much! However, now that I live in Norway, the sun has assumed a new dimension to me. It has become more important to me than ever before! The sun makes everything thing look happier, the atmosphere becomes lighter and everybody seems to be having a great time, no matter what they are doing. In sunny days I see the cars passing by and I have this impression they are all driving somewhere to go sailing, to the mountains, to the beach or even to the supermarket to buy ingredients for a relaxing barbecue in the garden. It's just how I feel it. On the contrary, when it is cloudy, raining and windy I have the opposite feeling and my mood goes down.

The summer in Norway lasts approximately 3 months. One needs to be lucky here to have real summer weather during most of this time. If that does not happen, what we see is an anticipation of autumn weather, which will shortly be followed by winter. Then things get harsh! And you can't help feeling somewhat cheated.

What I like about Italy is that summer is really summer. There are no deviations from this fact, and one can enjoy it in a relaxed way, with no need to hurry and do things because tomorrow might be the start of another "autumn like" period which could possibly last for weeks.

Fernando Pessoa, one of my favourites poets, once said: "A rainy day is as beautiful as a sunny day. Both exist. Each is as it is."

What do you think? How do you react to lack of sun for long periods?

Gratefulness

2010-08-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³

I have started to read a book called 59 Seconds. This book was written by psycologist Richard Wiseman, who is a Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. I like his researches very much, having read another book of his called The Luck Factor.
In 59 seconds he talks, among other things, about happiness and what makes us feel good, bringing a smile to our face. He advocates that writing about our daily life beats talking about it. Talking about it, he says, does not help to make us happier, however keeping a journal of it does. Amazingly 90% of the public believes that talking (instead of writing) is more efficient. So, it is good that I have a blog and that I can write about things I am grateful for :) One of his suggestions was to constantly try to remember (and write it down regurlarly) what has been making us feel good the last week/month/year. This is supposed to help us immensely. It costs nothing, does it?

So, to accomplish this exercise, now and then you will see me talking about things that trigger a smile on my face. They do not need to be extraordinary things, but simple things that add up positively to your life.

Here it goes.
The last week the following things have made me happier:
1. My daughter returned home after having spent 2 weeks away with family in Ålesund
2. I am happy that my brain works and I can can make good use of it!
3. I am happy to be alive and healthy (as well as my family members)
4. I love to have my dogs around showing me their love all the time!

What about you? What has made you happy the last week/month/year? Would you care to share with me? I would love to hear it (and it would be a good exercise to make you feel better too!) :)

Angels in disguise

2010-07-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how sometimes you find yourself in difficult situations and someone unexpected, of no special relation to you shows a great interest in helping you? I have experienced it many times during my life in important and also less important situations. In both cases I feel impressed by how we are "rescued" and/or given support by these total strangers. I am always paying attention to this and I like to look at these people as representatives of my guardian angel in the physical plane. These people assume this special place in my heart and I never forget them. And when I (if ever again) look at them, it is with a feeling of great gratitude. I had such angel appearance during my last trip to Italy. His name is "Signor" Paolo!

Dreams x reality

2010-07-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. Dale Carnegie

Photo credit: h.koppdelaney

We all have our dreams and things we want to achieve. The question is, how do we combine the focus on those desirable things without missing out on our life here and now? This is something that has been on my mind lately. Since I returned from Italy I have been so taken by my efforts to find ways to make my "Italian dream" come true that I am afraid I am not appreciating my life and blessings of the moment. I am the sort of person that when I am being moved by my desire to achieve something, it feels like everything revolves around achieving that goal and I do not rest until I envisage concrete ways to make things happen. It is like I am in a constant state of urgency. This could be a good thing, but it could also be negative since we do not know for sure how our future will unfold.

I do not wish to live in a dreamlike state without being conscious of my days, my family, my friends, my work etc. I have done that in the past and today I know that much of my life was somewhat spoiled because of that. So, I find myself divided. One part of me is working non stop in the direction of my goals. The other part of me is sort of being dragged along in the daily routines. So, how do we combine both states: being aware of our dreams and the actions we are taking to achieve our goals, without jeopardising our life here and now?
Any good advice here?

Friendship

2010-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

I live in Norway and have left good friends in Brazil. I have been to Italy and made new friends there. We live in a new era and with the internet it should be easier now to keep contact with our friends which are far away. Through Facebook I have had the chance to reconnect with friends from Brazil which I had not seen in a long, long time and this feels so good. Far and yet close. My friends are jewels I want to take good care of. Recently, by the way, I read a text about friendship which I really enjoyed. It talks about how sometimes it is possible to feel the "warmth" of our friends, even if they are not physically close. The picture above was taken in 1988 in London. It is of me and my beloved friend David, who is no longer among us. This posting is for him.

Below the text I talk about.

“Once upon a time, there was a poor but very brave man called John. He worked for Gabriel, a rich old merchant. One winter’s night Gabriel said, “Nobody can spend a night like this on top of the mountain without a blanket or food. But you need money, and if you can manage to do that you will receive a great reward. If you don’t, you will work for thirty days without pay”. John answered,“Tomorrow I shall do this test.”

However, when he left the shop, he saw that a really icy wind was blowing and became scared, so he decided to ask his best friend, Marc, if it was crazy of him to accept that bet. After reflecting a while, Marc answered, “I shall help you. Tomorrow, when you are at the top of the mountain, look ahead. I will be on the top of the mountain next to yours, where I will spend the whole night with a bonfire lit for you. You look at the fire and think about our friendship. That will keep you warm. You will manage, and later on I shall ask you something in return.”

John won the test, got the money, and went to his friend’s house, “You told me you wanted some payment.” Marc grabbed him by the shoulders, ”Yes, but it isn’t money. Promise that if at any time a cold wind passes through my life, you will light the fire of friendship for me.”

Learning Italian

2010-07-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Photo by: dietrich

From my all my trips to Italy I have come to one definite conclusion: in order to have a full good experience there one needs to speak and understand some Italian. As a portuguese (Brazilian) speaker, I can say it hasn't been a big problem for me. It is possible for Brazilians to communicate with Italians with some level of mutual understanding. However, it is not the ideal thing.
During my recent trip to Reggio Calabria I had had the chance of studying a little of Italian before going there and yes, it certainly made a big difference!

So, how am I studying Italian? I have decided to learn it on my own, to save time and do it when it is possible for me. After doing some research on the internet to find what people are recommending, I think I came across the two best options: the Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone methods (for any language learning, by the way). I have tried Rosetta Stone for a short period and I like it, but I liked Pimsleur more, because we go straight into conversation mode and that seems to be more effective to me. I feel that I am really making progress. I listen to it in a CD when I am driving and on my mp3 player when I am walking my dogs, twice a day at least.
By the way, talking about language learning, I found a funny video, that I would like to share here :)

What are the Italians like?

2010-07-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

I like what I hear. Most have only positive things to say about us. Check it out!

What are the Italians like? from mmmarzio on Vimeo.

The South of Italy - Stunning!

2010-07-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have always had great admiration for Italy in general, but specially for the Tuscan area. I love the countryside there, the medieval buildings everywhere, the food, the general atmosphere of happiness. However, having had the chance to travel to the south of Italy recently gave me chance to know another side of Italy which I knew very little about and which I have learned to appreciate it enourmously.

Normally, I would prefer to go to the mountains instead of the seaside. However, the beaches of Calabria proved to be stunning and the sea amazingly beautiful and clean. I also noticed the people in the south are extremelly friendly, more than I had experienced it in the more northern parts. Therefore, I have become a big fan of the south of of Italy and hope to be able to experience it a lot more often in the future. The drawback is that since I live in Norway, travelling to the south takes more time and is, consequentely, more expensive.

Some of the places I visitted were: Tropea, Scilla and Marina de San Lorenzo. All highly recommended!

Tropea

The two below are in Scilla

Marina di San Lorenzo

Last, but not least, Reggio Calabria

Italian Citizenhip - Checking status online

2010-07-07T03:02:00.000-07:00

Today I found an incredible piece of information in the news site Oriundi. It says that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently created a service which allows foreigners to verify the status of their citizenship process in real time! The service has been activate since July 5th, 2010. One must first register in the site to access the citizenhip area. Isn't that an efficient move from the Italians? :)
Click here to check it out

Latronico in the old days - Homage to Emidio Raimondi

2010-07-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

While in Latronico I visited the "Comune" (City Hall) of the town and talked to the people working there, to see if I could find more information about my great grandfather and his family. There was not much to find out in a quick look at their databases, by the names of my great grandfather's parents. In the town there are only two Raimondi families left. One of them is a widow from a Raimondi that dies sometime ago. The names she gave me form her late husband's family did not ring any bell. Here is my photo with her:

The other Raimondi in Latronico is Signor Egidio Raimondi. I can't remember the name of his grandparents, but they were not familiar to me either. He did not know the name of his great grandparents! He also said that he was unaware of members of his family having emigrated to Brazil. He did know, however, that some had left for Argentina. So, the questions remained whether he might be a family member or not. I decided to "adopt" him as family member though. He was a very sympathethic gentleman and his name is identical of many of my mother's relatives in Conceicao das Pedras, Minas Gerais.
He is a picture of me and Egidio Raimondi:

An important person in my research in Latronico was Signor Egidio Giordano. He is the "vigile" (policeman) in the town and is very interested in the history of Latronico, having collected several old photos of the town and its people. From him I bought a book, which was written and produced by him and 3 other collaborators, with lovely pictures of old Latronico. From this book, I withdrew pictures to make a short video about Latronico, shown below:

Back from Italy - First part of Italian citizenship mission has been accomplished

2010-07-04T04:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I am back from Italy (unfortunately). Things went out well, with lots of delays, but in the end all my goals were accomplished. It was extremelly nice to get to know the south of Italy and be able to see another facet of this country that appeals so much to me! I had never experienced Italy by the seaside and I was amazed at how beautiful it is. I loved it.
I also had the chance to visit my great grandfather's home town, Latronico and it was a very emotional experience.

This are some pictures from the days spent there:

The little town where I worked on my Italian citizenship was called Marina de San Lorenzo.
Here are some of my lovely moments there:

Bye bye Norway

2010-06-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

We are leaving to the airport now. Next you will hear from us is from Italy! Wish us luck! Arrivederci!

New destination, Reggio Calabria

2010-06-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been! Many times I felt like the girl in the picture above, trapped inside a situation and trying to look for a way out of it. I am talking about the Italian citizenship process. My plans changed at least 3 times during last week due to circumstances outside my reach. First I was going to Cecina, then to Castagneto Carduci and finally to Piombino. It so happens that now my destination is Reggio Calabria, in the south of Italy. Hopefully all the changes, were for the better, for a path that will lead me to a happy ending. One positive thing that I see about going to the south is that I will be very close too my great grandfather's home town, Latronico. This means I will surely go there before heading back to Norway. I imagine this will be a very rewarding trip, which will bring even more meaning to this moment I am now living. The picture below shows the places I am talking about.

We travel on June 8th, arriving in Reggio Calabria late in the evening. At that point a new phase starts and if my access to the internet is not very bad I will try to update the blog as much as possible with every step taken towards the citizenship process. Maybe this can help others in the same situation. As to the obstacles I faced last week, I will get back to them after I have succeeded in overcoming them...

The Window to my Dreams

2010-05-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

Having a blog about my Italian side makes me want to learn about Italian things. This way I have come across some very interesting Italian artists, which I have come to admire because I identify with their work, find them beautiful and they reach my soul. I have already mentioned some here: Ludovico Einaudi (musician), Nicoletta Ceccoli (illustrator) and now I want to present the incredible Italian photographer GianFranco Budano. The picture beside is his and it is called "The window to my dreams". When I saw this picture I realised immediately the big potential it has to represent myself and how I "look at Italy", that is an open widow to a green beautiful field and within it a beautiful and peaceful life. I know this is a romanticized view that may not correspond to reality at all. Anyway, the picture is called The window to my DREAMS :) . Let it be so for now.

Is Italy getting out of fashion?

2010-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

I read the text below today and I found it extremelly interesting , specially for people like me that have a dream about living "la dolce vita". It was written by Simon Anholt.

"It seems pretty clear to me that Italy's brand is not actually declining in absolute terms: the reason why Italy's scores are falling faster than almost any other country's in the Nation Brands Index is because the world is changing its mind on a number of issues, and Italy is being very gradually 'squeezed out' of the new scenario. As I've often said, country images really don't change very much; it is somewhat easier to spoil a country's image than improve it, but even that is pretty hard work. People seem to need these easy, comforting stereotypes that enable them to put countries in convenient pigeon-holes, and only abandon them if they really have no other choice.

People's views of global issues, on the other hand, can and do change much more rapidly. And this is quite natural: the main reason why national images move so slowly is because most people spend so little time thinking about other countries. If a person in Canada or South Africa or India spends six seconds per year thinking about Italy, it's not surprising if their perception of Italy remains largely unchanged for years on end.

On the other hand, people in Canada and South Africa and India may spend several minutes - even hours - every day thinking about big issues like climate change, poverty, war and diseases, religion, the cost of living, oil prices and whatever else the media is full of at any given moment. In consequence, their views on such subjects are being constantly updated, or at least refreshed with new information.

What Italy seems to be facing is not a loss of attraction in its image, but a decline in the relevance of that image for many people. In other words, Italy could be going out of fashion.

Judging by the profiles of countries that people admire more as time passes, there are at least three areas of reputation which seem to have become critical in recent years:

1. A country's perceived environmental credentials. This is rapidly becoming a 'hygiene factor' for a country's basic acceptance into the community of nations.
2. A country's perceived competence and productivity in technology, which seems to be the standard proxy for modernity: and people, on the whole, admire modern countries.
3. A country's attractiveness as a place of learning and economic and cultural self-improvement: in other words, a destination for personal advancement.

Italy scores poorly in all three of these areas:

1. Worse than being just another country that isn't perceived to be doing very much in the area of environmentalism, it is perceived as a country with a hugely important natural and cultural heritage that isn't doing very much to look after it.
2. Italy, like Germany, is perceived as a country with mechanical rather than technological excellence: Ferraris and Fiats are great engineering products, but people are slow to accept Italy as a source of high technology (witness the difficulties faced by Olivetti when it tried to market its personal computers internationally).
3. And although Italy is a country most people would love to live in, they really only think of it as an extended holiday destination. When it comes to answering the critical question "what's in it for me?", Italy is not perceived to offer much.

Part of the problem is the view that Italy is not to any great degree an English-speaking nation, so the prospects for internationally useful educational or work experience or qualifications are very limited. The way to fix this, I firmly believe, has less to do with the standard of English-language teaching in Italian schools (which is admittedly poor) and more to do with the fact that English-language television is routinely dubbed into Italian rather than subtitled. Children don't spend many hours learning English at school and usually don't pay close attention: but they do spend hours a day watching television, and watching it quite closely. If a proportion of the programmes and movies they watch have English dialogue and Italian subtitles, they will learn English almost without realising it. Certainly, most of the countries where foreign television is subtitled have higher standards of general competence in English than the countries where it's dubbed into the local language.

And a word to the cultural protectionists who would 'protect' their populations against the rising tide of Anglo-American popular culture: competence in English has no real political or cultural significance any more. English is not the language of Britain or America or Australia or anywhere else: it's the operating system of the modern world, more like Windows than Word, and if you can't use it then you can't easily participate in the international community. Places that resist the rise of English on the grounds that it brands them as pro-American or pro-British are missing the point: it makes them globally competitive and doesn't brand them as anything in particular, except possibly as competent and modern. Oh, and there's plenty of good quality film and television programming made in the English language (and not all of it in Britain and America either) which will neither warp the morals of young people or destroy their native culture. A smaller proportion of higher quality English-language television broadcast in the original language will do far more good than the current high proportion of poor quality programming dubbed into Italian.

In the end, this final question about whether people would like to move to a country to study, live and work, is a good measure for the overall attractiveness of the place. Whatever people might think about a country's products, policies or culture, if they believe that they can improve their personal prospects by moving there, it means that they ultimately approve of the place (the United States, despite all the negative views surrounding its foreign policy and cultural and economic hegemony and the brouhaha about its failed public diplomacy, is still by a long way most people's preferred destination for education and professional development, and this is one of the main reasons why I don't believe that the country's current unpopularity is in any sense terminal).

It goes without saying that Italy's weakness in these three areas is neither absolutely deserved nor absolutely undeserved. There are plenty of great places in Italy for foreigners to study for internationally respected and relevant qualifications (Bocconi University in Milan, to name but one); some of Europe's most committed environmentalists are based in Italy; and some of Europe's most innovative, successful and highly reputed technology firms are Italian. The problem is that these facts are not feeding into the popular 'story' of Italy: they are known only by limited groups of people with specialist knowledge, and can do very little to shift the vast weight of Italy's traditional international image - the country of la dolce vita.

Italy's problem is that it is considered by the vast majority of people as a place that is decorative but not useful. The Italy that the world wants is full of attractive, soft, lifestyle values - it's a place where, at least in their minds, they can retreat from the troubles of the modern world - and people simply don't want that attractive myth, that imaginary refuge, 'contaminated' by the things that the rest of the world worries about. Italy wants, and needs, to work: but the world wants it to stay on holiday.

Not much you can do to fix that, at least not without wide-scale, long-term political and social reform, a prospect which with every change of government seems less and less likely.

Where are going in Italy?

2010-05-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

In the map beside you can see where our adventure starts: Cecina, Livorno, in Tuscany. In the map I also marked Rome, for distance references as well as the area where my grandfather comes from in the Basilicata region. It is far away from where I am going to have the citizenship process, but luckily it does not matter where you start the process. The reason I am going to Cecina is because there I have a Brazilian advisor that will assist me in having the whole process made a lot easier than it really is supposed to be. She hass been working with it for some years now and knows all the step of the way, of which there are many!.
I have been looking for interesting things to see in Cecina while we are there, but honestly, I have found nothing in particular in my internet search. Of course, it is part of Tuscany and there must be interesting architecture, history etc. Do you know any places worth visiting there? if so, please, pleaaase leave your comment! Nearby Cecina, however, about 28 km, I found Volterra. See picture below. It is definitely the kind of scenery that makes me open mouthed!

Moving always forward

2010-05-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

All right, I am moving closer and closer to the Italian dream. My documents have been analysed by my advisor in Italy and found to be in perfect order! I am happy with it because it shows my work (and that of my family's) has been accomplished successfully. I love efficiency and I love to solve tasks that at first seem difficult, but which become manageable as you dig passionately into them. This is a big part of who I am. Next step is to buy the plane ticket to Italy and move forward to the next milestone, the Italian authorities and their acceptance of my Italian ancestry and blood rights (jus sanguinis)!

My documents have arrived from Brazil!!!

2010-05-18T04:46:00.000-07:00

I am now another step closer to the Italian citizenhip! All the saga documents have arrived from Brazil!!
Wooohooo
To be continued
(of course) :)

Brothers and Sisters

2010-05-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

When I started the research of my family documents, it brought to my attention something that had never been of great interest to me: studying my family roots. Suddenly I became very curious about it and determined to know as much as possible (or impossible). So, I have researched in the internet, talked and tried to get something out of family members that might know something, havel old photos etc. Recently I have learnt about some possible relatives I did not know existed. Of course I am here talking about the side of the family coming from my Italian ancestor, Emidio Raimondi.
I have to start somewhere to gather information and my mother (84), thank God, is still alive and remembers some important things. For example she told me today the names of Emidio Raimondi's 11 children. I write them all down here, for the record.

Emidio Raimondi and Mariana Umbelina de Jesus had the following children:
Antonio, Emidio Filho, Francisco, João, Joaquim, José,Vicente, Ana,Marieta, Margarida,Virginia

Important to say, these family members were born in Conceicäo das Pedras, Minas Gerais or thereabouts.
It seems there are possibly other Italians that imigrated to Brasil with Emidio Raimondi. I am on the case to find out! :)

How do you feel on a rainy Sunday?

2010-05-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been raining the whole day and I am trying to feel good despite of it. Not sure I am succeeding much, though. There's a song by the Carpenters' that goes like this: "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down..." I am a bit like this. It is necessary a change of focus to blow these feelings away? I know, it is enough to open the internet papers and read about all the horrible things happening here and there. I am aware of that. However, how do I change the focus inside of me? I have so many questions about what to do, when to do and how to do it! Gosh, sounds like I am lost, doesn't it? A friend of mine said that everything feels so much easier when you are in the right place. That was a very simple sentence but amazing how much it can express! What is my right place? Norway? Brazil? Italy? Can you believe it I still have no clue? Must find out quickly!!!

Waiting for the mail...

2010-05-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

One thing leads to another, this is for sure. I am now waiting for ALL my documents to arrive by mail from Brazil. The documents that will allow me to go to Italy and start this new process in my life. I wanted to blog about it and at the same time add some beauty to the fact. This is when the Italian movie The Postman and the Poet (Il Postino), from 1995 came to my mind. It was a very beautiful and specially poetic film which I want to see again. For those that have seen it, you can remember it in the video below... For those that have not seen it yet, run and see it!!!

Why do you want to be Italian?

2010-05-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

The picture on the side is of the street I live in in Norway. It is quite a nice street, with lots of trees and only houses. The city itself is not huge. The population ranges around 110.000 inhabitants. It is quite a safe place to live in and technologically speaking, very advanced. The weather...well, do I really have to spoil everything talking about the weather? Let me leave it unsaid. So, when I tell my Norwegian colleagues about my saga to have my Italian citizenship recognised, all of them ask me the same question: "Why do you want to be Italian?"
Well, there can be many answers to this question, but basically I tell them that for one I want to pay homage to my Italian ancestor and rescue my original roots. For another, I want my son to have this valuable heritage from me, that is, an European citizenship. My son is 25 years old and has the world ahead of him. The more open doors, the better. That being said, my Norwegian friends accept these answers as good enough.
If I ask myself the same question though, I get a third answer, which is the dream of one day being able to freely live and work in Italy. But, how will I face Italy after having lived in Norway? It would have been much better to move to Italy after having lived previously in Brazil since the two countries have so many similarities when it comes to burocracy and slowness of services (there are several other good and bad similarities). I tend to idealise everything and I know this is a problem. Italy seems very romantic, very poetic, with beautiful nature and laid back people, that seem to know best how to enjoy life. But, how good is it to live there? Is it worth all the shortcoming, let us say, compared to the powerful Norway? What do you say?

After 8 long years....

2010-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I could not believe it when my brother sent me an email earlier today saying he had collected ALL my documents duly legalised by the Italian Consulate in Rio! In other words, everything is ready, everything was correct, accepted, considered legal! Not that I had any doubts, no! But this is a moment I have been waiting for for the last 8 years! It was a real saga to find all the old documents, have all the names that had been "made" Brazilian corrected to the real original name my great-grand father had, lawyer, judges, processes, inumerous notaries issuing the different documents... Whoever is trying to have their citizenship recognised will know what I am talking about. When you have reached the point I am at now it is really something to celebrate!
My brother likes to use football language to everything in life. He says we can compare this moment as something like having won the "semi-finals" of a world cup . The big final will now be in Italy, where I will be travelling to as early as beginning of coming June. It will be me and my son Igor. We will together face this new challenge, why not say this new chapter in our lives when we will have our Italian blood recognised. I am sure, pretty sure, wherever my "bisnonno" Emidio Raimondi is at this point in time, he must be rejoicing!

Baccio a tutti! :=)

Delayed by one document - CNN

2010-05-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, May 7th, was the day the Italian Consulate in Rio scheduled for my sister to pick up my legalised documents. All in all it took the consulate about 15 days to do the work. All was fine, except for one! The document in question was the one that certifies that Emido Raimondi did not opt to have the Brazilian citizenship and remained Italian during all his life. This document is called in CNN in Portuguese. The document was okay, but they claimed the signature of the person that signed the document was not verified and that it needed to be done. That created an uproar and my sister and I were trying like crazy to contact the lady that had signed the document to ask her where we could have her signature verified. I did manage to contact her in the end and she informed me the following: The CNN model I had was an old one, she said. Nowadays the Ministry of Justice in Brazil issues these certificates online and digitally authenticates them at the same time, thus making the whole process very easy and safe. So, now I have the new document ready to be quickly translated on Monday, May 10th and once again there goes my sister with it to the Italian consulate, both of us hoping they will accept it without problems.
In spite of this minor delay, I think I am now "armed" with all I need to go to Italy and start my citizenship process. This will most likely happen in the middle of June 2010.

Book: The Italians (Os Italianos)

2010-05-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am reading this book called "The Italians" telling the whole history of Italy. What called my attention was to read what economic stage Italy was in when my great grand-father Emidio was born in 1859. In 1860 Italy was reunited under one only state, having, therefore, a national economy and was no longer one of the richest areas of Western Europe. On the contrary, the Italian economy was, in general, among the poorest and the most under developed of Italy. At the end of the XIX century, thereforefore soon after Emidio Raimondi was born, 60% of the Italian population worked in the fields and 80% did not own any land. Most of the Italians were peasants, working in a very primitive agrarian system and subject to malaria, colera and other diseases. No wonder why so many emigrated and this was the situation of his homeland when he decided to leave it for a better life. How much he achieve in Brazil, however, I do not know. My mother says she remembers him in a tobacco farm. If it was his own, I am not sure. But what I do know is that my mother's father, Emidio's son, Antonio, was not a wealthy man.

Tuscan Backyards

2010-05-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

I love Tuscan backyards. I want to have one and as quickly as possible. How can a person be able to afford to live in the place he or she dreams of living in? Why do we have to spend most of our good years only working to make ends meet, but not managing to make our dreams meet? God, who can answer this question??

I want to be able to sustain my life in either Italy or south of France. I want to have a house with lots of light, a reasonable garden with lots of trees, birds singing and good friends around. I hope I am not very old when I finally manage toreach that stage.

Looking for relatives in Latronico

2010-04-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am desperately trying to find more about my great grand-father Emidio Raimondi, who was born in Latronico, Potenza, in 1859. I have written about this here before. I would so much like to get in touch with somebody from his family that did not emigrate to Brazil and remained in Latronico. Are you this person? If so, please leave me a message!

Documents delivered at the Italian Consulate in Rio

2010-04-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have started this Blog in English and then swicthed to Portuguese, but now have made up my mind to continue in English. Sorry about that

To what matters now. My sister, Meg, delivered all my documents to be legalised at the Italian Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. Guess what? They were all accepted! The Consulate gave her the date of May 7th to return the documents. That means I will most likely be going to Cecina (Tuscany) sometime in June, to start the citizenship process. This is extremelly exciting!! More news to come soon

Chegando mais perto do sonho!

2010-03-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

Uffa! Essa e a melhor expressão para voltar ao assunto da busca do reconhecimento de minha cidadania italiana. Muita água rolou e ainda vai rolar, mas agora acredito que bem mais suavemente!

Já estou com todos meus documentos necessários em mãos, depois de ter encontrado o que me faltava (certidão de casamento do bisavô italiano) e resolvido o outro impedimento, ou seja, meu avô, filho do italiano, não tinha certidão de nascimento! Foi necessária a ajuda de uma advogada para este último caso. A advogada também me auxiliou com a solicitação judicial para a correção do nome do italiano que havia sido "abrasileirado" em todos documentos. Li em algum lugar que isso nem mais é necessário, mas por via das dúvidas, resolvi fazer.

Próximo passo agora é atender a todas as exigências do Consulado da Itália no Rio de Janeiro para legalizar meus documentos, de modo que eu possa partir para a Itália e buscar o reconhecimento da cidadania lá! É muito dificil obter esclarecimentos do Consulado da Itália no Rio. Aliás, nada é fácil nesse processo. Os que vencem todas as etapas é porque realmente se esforçaram e merecem vencer!

The future

2008-12-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is me envisioning the future I want: a sunny place, a house in the country, full of light. Not too many people around, but good friends always nearby. Work, yes, but most of all pleasure of each moment lived.

Who can give me a nice job in Italy? Can you?

2008-05-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a good jon in Italy. Here is my profile in Linked in. There is no mistake, no regrets. I am a competent, dedicated and reliable employee. So, please contact me!!!

Table for Two

2008-05-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

I have this incredible attraction to everything which is countryside style, vintage, shabby and beautiful. I love flowers, printed in everything, like in paintings, blankets, cups, plates, fabrics. Sometimes I wonder if it has to do with some previous life I have lived were these things where present in my day to day life. Now, for example, I have taken an enourmous passion for quilts. I wish I could buy lots of them. Better than that, I wish I could make quilts myself!! Could my life take a different turn in Italy? Most of my life I have spent in the city, working in offices, where I was mostly satisfied with my work. Lately, however, things are changing and I have this feeling of anguish growying inside me, as if it was a steady force trying to move my direction in life. Somehow this could mean a more fullfilling life in Italy, doing other sort of things. But exactly, when, how and where in Italy, we don't know...
The beautiful painting above, called "Table for Two" is by Linda Paul, who paints Tuscany landscapes. Isn't it beautiful?

Inspiration everywhere

2008-05-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

Italy inspires me in many ways. The landscape, the food, the way of living. When we visited Italy last year (Toscana area) we used to go out for pizzas (of course) during the warm evenings in August and it was a pleasure to see Italians sitting outside talking. By outside I mean not only restaurants, but park and street benches. It seems they really like to get together and talk. This is common among Brazilians as well. Not so much among Norwegians, though.

Some people wonder why I want to move to Italy, being from Brazil (Rio) and presently living in Norway. Well, we have been in Norway for two years because after having lived in Brazil for 9 years, my Norwegian husband, our daughter and I came to Norway in search of better work opportunities for him. We have succeeded in that. However, Norway lacks good weather, sun and the social proximity one can find in Brazil and in Italy. Everything works fine here, no problem with slow internet connections, telephone lines or digital TV. You can have your passport renewed in one week and get it mailed to you. I call this efficiency. But, what are we looking for in a place to live? In Rio I resented having to live with fear. One is constantly afraid there. There is too much crime. In Norway I have only felt fear for the winter and how cold the wind will blow when I have to go out.

Italy seems to me to be in the middle of the two extreme situations described above. It seems to be safer than in Brazil and the weather is milder (in the winter) than in Norway. Not to mention that I would probably have many more visits from my relatives in Brazil, that seem to be convinced Norway is too far away (and too much out of the way) to come and visit me here.

Visualising and waiting

2008-05-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

Lately I discovered a very useful site called Expats in Italy, in which there is a very useful forum for people wanting to exchange ideas about expat life in Italy. I posted a first question there and quickly got nice and friendly answers from the expat community. One of these answers came from Kataroma. I checked her blog and read something that inspired me to write a little today. She wrote a very interesting posting on the different kinds of foreigners she has managed to distinguish during the time she has lived in Italy. She picked up 6 types and the one I identify most with is nr. 5 (with elements of nr. 2 as well).

Who wouldn't be inspired by the film "under the Tuscan Sun" (mentioned in point nr. 2)? I definitely was, mostly because it represents aspects of a life I would like to be living. I like Italian culture, food and Italian landscape. It does remind me of my own Brazilian culture too.

Brazilians and Italians have a lot in common, including the language. I can easily see the mess I was used to living Brazil present in Italy too. Anyway, why not live in Brazil then instead of Italy, one could ask. There are several reasons and I will mention them eventually in future postings. I have to say, however, that my family and I moved from Brazil to Norway almost two years ago. My husband is Norwegian and we have a 9 year old daughter. Rio de Janeiro, where we lived for 9 years, until August 2006, was not proving to be a good business environment for him and we then decided to try our life in Norway. I managed to be transferred from the company I used to work for in Brazil and presently I am still working for that same company here in Stavanger. Life in Rio was too caotic, crowded, with lots of traffic jams, not to mention a high crime rate. We longed for a calmer and safer life.

Norway, however, is too cold and dark most of the year and this is too hard to bear. So, as my husband also nurtures a big admiration for the Italian culture, we have decided Italy would mean a very nice middle way alternative between Norway and Brazil. But we have our feet on the ground and we do not intend to just throw ourselves into some kind of crazy adventure. This is why the move will not happen so very soon. But it will and in the meantime we dream and try to visualise, as precisely as possible, the ideal place for us to live in Italy.

A house in the country side in Italy

2008-04-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

A small farm, a cozy home, a computer with a high speed internet connection, some sort of work I could do from home, an international school nearby, my husband working from home and making enough for us to live a comfortable life and temperatures in the winter that do not go below 10 degrees C. Is this too much to ask for?

What actions am I taking to move to Italy?

2008-04-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, first things first. My great grandfather, Emidio Raimundi, was an Italian that imigrated to Brazil around the year 1880. He and his brother ended up in a very tiny place in Minas Gerais, called Conceição das Pedras. It was there my mother, Rosa, was born.
Since I was a little girl my mother used to proudly talk about her Italian grandfather, but I never paid too much attention to it. He can be seen in this picture, together with the Brazilian lady he got married to, Mariana, my great grandmother and their kids.
After I grew up and started to love things Italian, I decided to investigate this ancentry my mother so much talked about and started to collect family documents, in an attempt to claim my Italian citinzehip. It happens that I am now progressing and with the help of a lawyer in Brazil, I am putting together pieces of my origin and history. The happy ending will be the day I manage to put everything together and finally start the process for my citizenship in Italy. I guess this will be the first major
step in the direction of moving to Italy.
Emidio Raimundi was born in Latronico, Potenza, in the Basilicata region. I have not been there yet.

Poppi, Tuscany and Ludovico Einaudi

2008-04-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

Poppi is a small village in the Tuscany area, about 40kms from Florence. We were there in August 2007 and enjoyed our stay there very much. We stayed at a lovely hotel called I Tre Baroni and were very much welcomed by the owners themselves, three brothers, the real "Tre Baroni". What a charming hotel and what an espectacular view one has from there.
The main atraction in Poppi is a castle, "Count Guidi Palace", positioned to dominate the Poppi Valley. It is told that the castle was built in the second half of the 1200 as a strategic addition to the fortress.

Besides the Castle, we thouroughly appreciated another area called "Camaldoli". There we visited the Holy Hermitage of Camoldoli, a monastery situated in the middle of a lovely forest.

There is one thing, however, that we brought with us for ever from Poppi...the love for the music of Ludovico Einaudi. It was during our fist dinner in Poppi, at the "Tre Baroni" Restaurant, that we first listened to him. It was like being carried away in a very magical way. His music sounds actually like poetry in the form of musical notes. Click here and listen to him a bit. Then tell me if I am not right!

Things Italian - Nicoletta Ceccoli

2008-04-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered a magnificent Italian illustrator called Nicoletta Ceccoli.. She was born and lives in San marino, Italy and has illustrated a number of children's books for famous Italian publishers. I was very impressed with her drawings, so touching, so out of this world and yet so close to our wildest dreams and imagination.

What is my ideal life in Italy?

2008-03-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Many thoughts on what to do to live in Italy come to my mind. However, apart from several natural beaurocratic obstacles in the way, I ask myself: what will I do in Italy that will support me financially and will give me inner satisfaction? It dawns on me that this is the most important question for me to find an answer to, before we pack our bags and go.

I have always worked for big and solid international companies where my English knowledge and my experience as an efficient personal assistant secured me good jobs. This is still the case today. I have enjoyed this kind of work so far, but I am now feeling a bit restless and wanting to find something else I could do outside this field of work. Could I be my own boss in Italy? I have considered that running a Bed & Breakfast would certainly be something I could do very efficiently. Could I have one? Seems like too high a mountain to climb to get to the other side. Or would it be better and simpler to find a job in another big international company somewhere in Italy? Does anybody know one that is looking for someone like me?

Ooops...Earthquakes in Italy!?

2007-09-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research today about the Marche region in Italy when I came across a site with advices on what to be aware of when buying a property in that region. One of the things mentioned to be checked was if the house was prepared for the event of an earthquake. What? Earthquake? That was not part of my dream about living in Italy! Buying a house in Italy seems to be enough of a challenge with all the beaurocracy and paper work, ideal location, climate, prices etc. Now this? Oh oh.
This is a link to the source of this information. Below a picture of the risky regions, divided by category. Category 1 is the riskiest of all. Has anybody had any experience with earthquakes there or checking that the wanted houses are "fit" for this purpose?

Isn't this picture an incredible source of inspiration?

2007-09-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

Reality and Daring and Dreams

2007-09-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: miguel-ariel-contreras-drake-mclaughlin

I know I haven't written much here as bloggers normally do. I have always had this feeling that I should possess something quite new and interesting if I am to open my mouth. Not everybody feels that way and they openly express themselves in several different topics, not always having something extraordinary to say.

I have created three blogs and I try to keep to the main subject of each blog. Since this one is about our Move to Italy Project, I think I should only blog
about subjects that match the main topic. It happens that not much is happening in this front. As I said above we are maturing the idea, thinking about what we would do there, how to make money, how to find a house, WHERE, how would school be for our daughter etc.
A few steps I have taken though. I have started to learn Italian, by myself, for example. Italian and Portuguese have a lot in common, but I have seen that Italian is really as difficult as Portuguese learning is for foreignes. Anyway, this is a challenge not so difficult to overcome.
I have started reading about Italy and I am presently reading "Italian Neighbours".
I have also begun to network more and more in Italian circles in the Internet, like Ecademy, Facebook, LinkedIn etc, in an attempt to talk to people and learn a bit with them.
Additionally, I have been in contact with a lawyer who is trying to help me organise my documents for me to apply for my Italian citizenship. This would be a HUGE step in the whole process. I am counting it will work out.
Anyway, when it comes to work in Italy, I have several mixed feelings. I have seen so many blogs and books and articles about people advocating how one can have their own business and all seem to have this perfect wisdom on how to do it. It seems to me most of these people must be childless couples or single very young individuals. What person past their forties would just drop everything (a secure job and a reasonable well organised life) to just venture him/herself in a new business venture? Unless, of course, this person has a huge saving account to back him/her up? It is not that easy. I think when people are writing about "Be your Own Boss" anywhere, all these things should be taken into consideration. I am really wanting to move to Italy, but I must solve these issues fist.
This is why the real news in this blog might go a bit slower than the other more daring bloggers/achievers :))