We are leaving for our old Panicale, Umbrian home tomorrow, Thursday and are counting the minutes. What we should be doing is Packing instead of Counting Minutes.
If you go to the This just in! page of our web site you will see the amazing list of new Italian properties we will be checking out for you on the trip. Looks like that section will be filling right up but quick. That is our section where we try to put our first quick photos before we do the full blown pages on the site. Those take a lot more sorting as you can imagine.
The color picture there is a new painting our friend Kiki gave my wife for her birthday. It is the view of our house and Panicale as you drive up to it. The same as above here on this page but in dramatic oil pastels. Our big Welcome Home view. Our life has been so crazy here (way too long a story) that we forgot to tell friends in our Umbrian town exactly when we were coming. You know, the date. Woke straight up thinking OH NO, coming home to a stone cold stone house. Made many panicked emails, phone calls and finally connected with our friend Anna. Her daughter Eric answered Hi Stew before I could even say who I was (accent) and her mom said Oh Yes, Heat is ON. she already knew from other friends (Paulette of San Francisco?) that we were on our way, so Anna and her cousin in law Bruno took action, house is polished inside and out, garden the same.
Another cousin of Anna’s, our friend Diletta (isn’t everyone in Italy a cousin, at some level?) emailed us to “stai tranquilla, tutto a posto” and not to worry but hurry over – as they were saving us theater seats for Friday night – as soon as we arrive. I’m starting to tear up a bit thinking how blessed we are to be tiny part of the daily fabric of life in Italy. It truly is the little things that mean the most. And we are covered with little things, little moments of magic rain down on us every minute of every day and night there in Umbria. Moments of heartbreaking happiness that sneak up on us when we least expect or deserve it.
You can see why one of our favorite thing to say is:
See you in Italy!
Saluti a tutti,
Stew and Midge