#2: A New Home
Ciao again!
Settling into life officially living in Lucca has well and truly commenced. We have farewelled our last visitors for the summer and our apartment is starting to feel like home. We've had to buy a few decidedly non-Italian items in order to survive (like an electric kettle - which seems not to be a thing here at all) but otherwise we're trying to make do / embrace how things are done in the bel paese.
The major point at which we are excelling is eating pasta every day. We get an A+ for that. The kids are happy, I am happy, and David is bearing with our carbohydrate enthusiasm admirably - being the only true carnivore in the family. Hopefully a good bistecca alla Fiorentina every so often will keep him happy!
Raffaella started 'campo estivo' (summer camp) on Monday this week, at the same school that she will attend for kindergarten come September. It really could not have gone better. She loves it there, and already has a best friend - Aurora, an Italian-Australian girl in her class - who she has talked about non-stop for the last three days. I think Raffy is especially happy about the change in company. After all, we have spent more time together as a family in the last month than we ever have before! Time apart is precious too...?
This weekend we are renting a car and going to explore the coastline south of Viareggio. We have booked a day at a beach club in Marina di Vecchiano which is apparently the pick of the spots for the Lucchese. I know that the concept of a beach club is outrageous (bordering on sacreligious) to Australians, however I am quite taken with the concept of an assigned spot with a large umbrella and chairs that someone else sets up for you. Plus a bar and a small canteen on site. We shall see how we go.
Our next project is deciding on what to do for Ferragosto. It is nominally a single day of public holiday on 15 August, however most Italians seem to extend it out for at least two weeks. This includes most local shops, bars and restaurants which close their doors for the month of August.
The mass migration of locals seems to head towards either the coast or the mountains, causing huge traffic jams that last many hours. Do we join the swarm, or take the opportunity to explore inland? We shall see.
Abbracci e baci,
Kate
