Welcome to my blog!

In 2020 Jim and I moved to Lucca, Italy to enjoy our first years of retirement. I blog about Lucca, our travels, the fun and challenges of adapting to a new culture, and share our news with friends and family. I hope that you enjoy reading about my adventures and that the posts encourage you to follow your dreams. To return to this Home page from anywhere on the site, just click on “My Next Adventure” at the top of each page.

If you are specifically interested in my experience of moving to Italy (plans, visas, insurance, etc.), click on “Moving to Italy” above and read my posts from the bottom up. Warning… those posts also include other experiences that were happening at the same time.

Newest Posts

The Story of Kneeling Guy

After we arrived to Lucca in 2020 and the lockdowns started to be lifted, we began to recognize our “neighbors” on the streets. We live near one of the main entrances to Lucca and on the busiest shopping street of the city. So, we see visitors, tourists, Lucchesi, and our neighbors on a regular basis.…

Is JoAn still blogging?

It has been 159 days since my last blog post…  Here’s where I should provide a compelling reason, but “I’ve been too busy” just seems lame! Just a few years ago I worked full time, volunteered weekly, was a serious birder, and planned fabulous trips to Italy. I suppose the best explanation is that I…

Life in Lucca

I often get (and appreciate!) the compliments on my blog posts where we visit cities, churches, events, etc. and I post lots of pretty pictures. But I also get questions about day-to-day life in Italy. That’s a bit tougher to capture in a blog post, so this one includes a series of “vignettes” that I’ve…

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