Jim and I moved to Lucca, Italy, in 2020, thinking it would be an adventure for our early retirement years. Six years on, Italy has become our permanent home. This blog reflects our life here—exploring Lucca, traveling through Italy and Europe, navigating the joys and challenges of cultural immersion, and staying connected with friends and family. If there’s a recurring theme, it’s learning: especially Italian history and art, which have reshaped how I travel, observe, and experience the world. I hope you enjoy following along and feel encouraged to pursue the life you imagine for yourself.

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Name and Link	Date Posted	Key Words
Slowing Down with Art: Living in Italy and Falling for Fra Angelico	12-Jan-26	Art, Fra Angelico, Florence
Another Milestone in Our Italian Immigration Adventure	9-Nov-25	Moving to Italy, Immigration
Discovering Spello: The Art of Le Infiorate Festival	26-Jul-25	Umbria, Spello, flowers, festival
Alpine Splendor and Verona’s Charms	25-Apr-24	Dolomites, Mantova, Verona, wine
Belgium and Cologne Germany	17-Mar-24	Belgium, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Cologne
Rediscovering Northern Italy: Exploring Familiar Cities with Fresh Eyes	17-Oct-23	Alba, Bologna, Milan, Modena, Parma, Truffles
Two weeks in the Republic of Ireland	03-Jun-23	Ireland, birds
The Story of Kneeling Guy	08-Jan-23	Lucca
Is JoAn still blogging?	20-Dec-22	Lucca
Life in Lucca	14-Jul-22	Lucca
Flower farms	26-Jun-22	Lucca, flowers
La Foce, Etruscans, birding, and more for my Birthday trip	20-Jun-22	Tuscany, flowers, birds
Chiesa Di San Salvatore in Mustolio, Lucca	06-May-22	Lucca
My experiences with the Italian Health System	23-Feb-22	Lucca, medical, knee
A rather plain church but oh, the history!	30-Jan-22	Lucca
Our first visitors from America!	08-Dec-21	Lucca, Sorrento, Capri, Pompei, family
Val d’Orcia, the Southern Tuscan Countryside	23-Nov-21	Tuscany, Montalcino
Dinner in a vineyard!	05-Sep-21	Tuscany, wine
Fields of flowers or not!!!	11-Jul-21	Umbria, Castelluccio, Massarosa, lavender, lotus
Rome without the hordes of people!	13-Jun-21	Rome
Mini-vacation to Florence	17-May-21	Florence
Two quiet months but more freedom now!	26-Apr-21	Lucca, COVID-19
Yellow, Orange, Red but when White???	27-Feb-21	Lucca, Tuscany, COVID-19
End of Year Reflections	03-Jan-21	Lucca, COVID-19
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!	01-Dec-20	Lucca, Christmas
Another lockdown!	10-Nov-20	Lucca, COVID-19
Not beauty, but war	18-Oct-20	Lucca, World War II
6 months in Italy and some glitches!	16-Sep-20	Lucca, medical
The Siena Duomo and Learning Italian	10-Aug-20	Lucca, Siena, language learning
Gardens, Sunflowers, Beaches and our Apartment	05-Jul-20	Lucca, flowers, apartment
Day Trips and Driving	19-Jun-20	Florence, Bolgheri, Cinque Terre
Spring flowers & shopping for food	17-May-20	Lucca, flowers, apartment, shopping
Coronavirus update, Lucca walls and the trash	24-Apr-20	Lucca, COVID-19
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	05-Apr-20	Lucca, COVID-19
San Frediano and the coronavirus	21-Mar-20	Lucca, COVID-19, Moving to Italy
Journey to our new home	11-Mar-20	Moving to Italy
Visas approved!	05-Mar-20	Moving to Italy
No Visa Yet 😦	27-Jan-20	Moving to Italy
Too much drama!	20-Dec-19	Moving to Italy
Closer and Closer!	24-Nov-19	Moving to Italy, Florence, Lucca, apartment
Transitioning from Here to There	26-Oct-19	Moving to Italy
We sold our house!	28-Sep-19	Moving to Italy
House is on the market! When will it sell???	25-Sep-19	Moving to Italy
Dreams don’t work unless you do.	29-Aug-19	Moving to Italy
It’s Happening!	17-Jul-19	Moving to Italy
Back to Lucca May 17 to June 13, 2019	19-Jun-19	Moving to Italy, Lucca
One month retired	04-May-19	Moving to Italy
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)	15-Apr-19	Moving to Italy
My Next Adventure Intro	21-Mar-19	Moving to Italy, Lucca

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