Signora Sheila

Our Towns is really our Tale of Two Houses. Ah, the complex fascination of life overseas (challenging, frustrating, but so blessed)! In fact, new acquaintances often ask, “So where are you from?” Our response? “Um, do you have an easier question?”

So, to cut a long story short… 
Having lived all over the USA and Italy, with a brief stint in Mexico, we were honestly at a loss. Where are we from? I was born and raised in Michigan. And hubby, born in Italy, was raised in the Bronx by non-English speaking parents.

We should probably ask, “Do you want the long version or the short?”
I stopped counting moves at number 50. I guess I figured what difference does it make? I just say “Too many to count!” But I have thought about starting a Making Moving Easy blog, or something like that. I mean, hey I’m a pro!

But maybe you’re thinking, “Well, at least tell us where you’re living now!”

Our Home

But even that is not an easy question to answer. We divide our time between two villages and many trips around the country. Maybe home is really just a suitcase and a bag for our pillows. Our motto is: Have pillows will travel! No, wait, let’s add an espresso pot and coffee! Then we’re ready to travel!

Our two villages.

Our main home

In Abruzzo, a place that is Beautiful but Forgotten.

Nestled along a ridge of the Adriatic foothills, our peaceful little town of 3000 is surrounded by countryside as beautiful as a “patchwork quilt.” On one side we have a breathtaking view of the sea and on the other a view of the snow-capped mountain peaks.

Our house, between 200-250 years old, has odd nooks and crannies, rounded cupola (dome) ceilings, and a bathroom halfway between the two floors. We also have a lovely little garden and veranda out back. The espresso pot’s on – want to come over?

Sounds breathtaking, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s just because of the great love I have for this place. And awe over the miracle of our little house. At age 50, we had given up on ever owning our own home. But God has a way of doing even the unthinkable and the impossible!

But it’s really the people, known as snail lovers in this region, that make it special! With their quaint (and sometimes frustrating) country ways: You shouldn’t water your plants. Why are your lights on? You’ve got your heat on already? And their warmth and hospitality: Come in for coffee! Let’s go out for coffee! Or sit down and eat with us! It’s an open-door society and we love it!

And now, please journey with us to the deep south down to… 

Our summer village

In the Campania region, in a place that is Beyond Forgotten.

Becoming the owners of our main home left us in awe, but when we inherited Hubby’s ancestral home, which we call our summer home, it just seemed crazy!

This village in the province of Salerno is right in the heart one of the National Parks in Cilento, one of the sadly forgotten areas of Italy. Only two roads lead in and out of this, my husband’s isolated birthplace. Forgotten, in so many ways…

My feeble words cannot convey the desolation and emptiness of this tiny hamlet of only 500 people. Or the scenic, almost haunting, beauty of it and its people. It’s beyond indescribable. One of those places, that once experienced is forever etched in your mind and senses. With its people forever lodged in your heart.

So how do we answer the question, “Where are you from?” 

We are from the places of our hearts.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from so many moves, it’s that home is neither a building nor the stuff in it. And it can be anything from a tent (which we’ve actually lived in) to a shack with clapboard furniture, or a palace with fine antiques.

Home really is where the heart is. Because Home is the people that live there. The ones you live with and would die for. And they’re not always blood relatives.

So Home can be many places all at once. Our hearts are scattered all over the world. Wherever our loved ones are, fragments of our hearts remain there. In New York, Michigan, Colorado, Mexico, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota, Connecticut, Rome, Salerno, Latina, Frosinone, Modena, Abruzzo… All of these and even more are home to us!

That’s why, for us, Home is above all living safely nestled in the heart of God.

And how do you answer? Where is home for you, and what makes it so?

Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends and family belong, and laughter never ends.

Unknown Author

📷 Image credits: flowers; others are mine