about us
Paula
Paula is retired from a career in education and psychology. She has continued working part-time as a contributing feature writer for L’Italo-Americano magazine. This magazine was founded in 1903 with the mission of preserving and promoting Italian language and culture in the U.S. Paula has other published works, as well. She also has a passion for fitness and has taught group exercise classes and Zumba. Although Paula has had Type 1 diabetes for 45 years, she managed to obtain her private pilot license, SCUBA certification, American Sailing Association “Bareboat Cruising” certification, and has run two marathons.
Marty
Marty is recently retired from a career in medicine as an anesthesiologist. He also has a hobby in software development and has a few applications published on the Apple App store. He learned to fly while in high school and over the years has acquired additional pilot certificates and ratings such as AMEL airline transport pilot, flight instructor and a type rating for the Boeing 737. He plays the piano and has recently taken up the flute and started to learn about music composition.
“You may have the universe if I may have Italy.”
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Italian opera composer from Parma
We first met Italy in 2006, and have since returned 28 additional times. Although Tuscany has been our home base, we have explored many other areas such as the Italian Alps, the northern lakes, the Ligurian coast, Umbria, Marche, Puglia, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. We often get asked what region is our favorite. It’s a very difficult question to answer! Each region, town, village is unique and full of special appeal, and so selecting a favorite is simply impossible.
We also have a shared passion for learning the Italian language. This began with audio and computer courses in Italian, then progressed to regularly attending an Italian language school in Montepulciano… Il Sasso. We try to keep the language fresh at home by listening to Italian music and watching Italian films. Hopefully a long-term stay in Italy will provide the language immersion that we need for speaking at a higher level than “un bambino di cinque anni!” Being able to speak Italian, even if limited, opens so many doors and sometimes even leads to new friends.
A shared dream of ours is to live in Italy. We have just entered that chapter in life where this is now a real possibility. Should we really do this? Since our prior experiences in Italy have occurred in full vacation mode, would living there full-time change our perception? Our hearts tell us that we should go and do it …and many people do just that. They simply commit, make the move, and don’t look back. Others try living in Italy for a season or longer for both the experience and to help with making such a huge decision.
This is what our website blog, Trying On Italy, is all about. With the intention of living in “real life” mode for three months, our mindset will be just that — could we make the transition to Italy actually becoming our home for a period of life? We have rented a small apartment in the centro storico of Spoleto, Umbria with intentions to engage ourselves in the local community as much as we can — make friends, improve our Italian, and ultimately see what it is really like to live in Italy more as a resident than a traveler. Along with the rewards of such an amazing experience, we also hope to have the answer to the big question: should we move to Italy for the next chapter in our lives?
As the months unfold, we will share our experiences, perceptions, and adventures through this blog. We’d love you to follow along!