South Texan in Southern Italy

First, let me explain that from now on Paul and I will be “dual-blogging” about our experiences here in Italy. We are not allowed to read each other’s postings. The hope is you get two unique accounts of the same life. One from a south Texan far away from home and one from a southern Italian returning home.

So on that note, I really wanted to bring over my cowboy hat for the final trip. After all, I’ll be doing a lot of work outside now, so it’s bound to come in handy. Knowing it might get crushed in transit, I decided to wear it. If a 6’3” guy didn’t get noticed before in Italy, I think the cowboy hat was like waving a giant US flag. But this being Italy, instead of riding in on my horse, we just had it for lunch.

The first few days, to be honest, were a little rough. It’s not easy moving away from anywhere after 15 years, much less to a foreign country. So I was a little worn out I think from the stress of the move. That, plus, I learned a horrible new Italian word: sciopero. The first day here, and all the truckers were on strike. Now we might not be able to fill a big order for Williams Sonoma for our products. Ugh.

Then there’s the list of stuff that I still have to do. Buy this. Organize that. Talk to this agency about that thing. It’s enough to stress out even the most organized German boy.

Luckily, as I was enjoying a wonderful sunny day last week, I quickly realized something. The same Puglia sun that has a way of melting your delicious gelato also has a melting away all your worries.

I think things are going to be just fine.

Day #1 of Life #5

Well, we finally did it. We moved here permanently. Packed up everything in NYC and moved to "the farm". It's kinda like "Green Acres" for modern times. The opposite of the Beverly Hillbillies.

I've come back to my roots and Steven has followed me - and his dream - will all his heart. I've made many darts and turns in my life. This is just another one.

I've lived as an immigrant who couldn't speak English. I joined a monastery without being religious. I married and have 3 amazing kids. I succeeded at the American Dream at the center of the storm: New York City.

Now, I have a new life; another dream come true: the dream of returning home.

It wasn't and won't be easy. It's Italy, after all.

There's a truckers' strike, so we're having trouble filling our first-ever order for Williams-Sonoma. We thought we'd be excited, proud, bragging. But not yet.

We're waiting for the rest of our belongings to arrive but, yes, there's a truckers' strike.

It will be beautiful, though. It's Italy, after all.

Summer Song

Summer at the Villa - as in most places - is a very special, magical time. People open themselves up to their surroundings. They seem to feel like they want to be a part of their spiritual surroundings. The scents, the light, the flora are accentuated by only one thing - the sound of human song. As some of you already know and have seen, music exists in our kitchen. It makes the meal transcend simple nourishment. It also exists outdoors. As the sun begins to set, our voices rise to slowly lower the sun and gingerly raise the moon. But, being human, we can't help but laugh: it relieves the tension. We're not accustomed to baring our souls. The atmosphere makes us giddy with delight - and we break the spell.
PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY A VULGAR (explicit phrase) ENDING.

Fashion 2011

In case you thought all we did at the villa was eat, drink, dance and sing, here's a recent example of something else that happens at the villa every year: an exquisite fashion show with large crowds, beautiful models and style galore.

Why our food tastes so good

Many people often wonder why the food tastes so much better - even if you cook the exact same dish here, using the same ingredients, it somehow always tastes better in Italy. Some people say it's the water, some say it's the air, and some say it's the sun. Although any or all of those MIGHT be true, here's a video showing exactly why it's better at the Villa:

The Weather wasn't great but the guests were.

We had two groups at the villa in late April/early May: One group was from Manchester England that comprised of at least three members of the widely acclaimed band, Elbow. You can see one of their performances here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItwaz0nLJA



The second group (without their own CD's) was made up of guests from Washington, DC, Virginia, Alabama and Los Angeles mostly. John Vocino and Diane Evans, the hosts of the group, came to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Besides having a totally entertaining Toga Party, they also decided to renew their vows with their family and friends. The ceremony was held up the street at the church of Santa Maria di Cesano, erected in 1055 AD and was officiated by the Monsignor Don Gaetano Valente - also the town historian. The Vocino's great-niece, Lucia Vocino Tarquinia, sang a goosebump-inducing rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" accompanied by her own beautiful guitar-playing.
When we returned to the villa, we were greeted and serenaded by a traditional folk group that sang Italian songs of country life from a hundred years ago. And a huge feast was prepared and served outside on the loggia. Needless to say, the entire week was emotionally packed.

New Year's Eve 2010

There's no better way to ring in the New Year than with family and friends. As usual, Steven prepared an AMAZING meal. He cooked all local dishes that had the guests bewildered: "How can a guy from Texas cook dishes from Terlizzi that are better than our mothers'?" Yet he does - year in and year out. And how do you work off such a great meal? With dancing, of course! But our wine cellar wasn't big enough for this year's party so we inaugurated our new Great Hall that is perfect for parties, banquets, conferences and exhibits. Take a look.