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. Our neighbors include people that live close by, those that work in the businesses, and a variety of interesting characters. Some are well loved characters, such as Mario, who wanders the streets of Lucca singing, greeting the locals, and begging from others.
We also noticed a guy outside our palazzo that kneeled on a pad most evenings while begging. How could he kneel for so long without being in terrible pain??? We call him “Kneeling Guy”. Very creative, eh? He doesn’t really beg, but holds up a sign that says “Un Po di Aiuto” which roughly translates to “Some Help?”. I also noticed that many the locals stopped and chatted with him; he stands up and engages with them in lively conversations, just like many other groups on the streets. He often talked to the shopkeeper across the street. After a while, I greeted him with a friendly “Buono Sera” or “Good Evening”. He seemed like a healthy man in his late 40’s and Jim and I wondered what his story was.
One evening I was sitting on the step waiting for someone to arrive and we acknowledged each other. A person then left the B&B across the street and left the front door open. You don’t do that on our street – too busy! “Kneeling Guy” and I both looked at the door and exchanged puzzled looks. He got up, closed the door and I acknowledged his neighborly action. Our first interaction beyond simple greetings. I never gave him any money and he never asked for any or even seemed to expect it from me.
Over time we chatted briefly. He spoke Italian and was quite difficult for me to understand. For Christmas 2021 I made American-style muffins and gave them to many of our acquaintances. I gave him some muffins and a monetary gift. He was very appreciative and there were many “Buon Natale” greetings exchanged.
Through 2022 we continued to chat. I asked his name at one point but didn’t really understand what he said. I learned that he had a heart condition and was not allowed to work. One day Jim and I were walking down our street for the Italian tradition of an evening stroll called “passegiate”. I was shocked to see him in a different place – he was always right outside our door. Not every evening but several times I week. He saw my shocked looked and explained that it was just too busy at his usual location so he decided to move. Funny how we react when things unexpectedly change in our world.
The week before Christmas I saw him on the street, still in his “new” location. I gave him the gift and again he seemed quite pleased. He even mentioned the muffins that I gave him last year – I was touched that he remembered the gift! We chatted for a few minutes and he mentioned something about getting a new job, but I didn’t fully understand what he said.
For Christmas this year, I didn’t plan to bake but I wanted to give him a gift. I want it to be appropriate and useful, but more like a gift than a handout. I discussed this with my Italian tutor and she suggested socks or a hat, common gifts in Italy. There is a family that has sells socks from a stand on our street; I also consider them neighbors. They helped me select some warm socks and they even put them in a festive red bag with a bow. Perfetto! I included a Christmas card with a monetary gift and now I just need to carry it each evening when we out until I saw him again.
The next evening, we saw him again and he stopped us to chat. Again, he thanked us for the gifts and then shared his good news with us. That day he had succeeded in finalizing a contract for a new job. It sounded like he would be delivering the vehicles and then taking the train back. But that could be wrong… my comprehension with him is pretty low. The contract part is key; in Italy, with a work contract you have many protections and it is assumed to be a long-term position. He said that he would start at four days a week, but that it would increase. He would be starting on January 2nd and would need to buy some new clothes (which I assumed would be purchased with our monetary gift).
He also said that he would be here this evening and the next, but then no more. That is, no more kneeling on the street and he pointed to his sign. And he told us this with such gratefulness but not with a sense of shame either. He said that he hoped in the future to see us on the street but not kneeling, instead he would be walking on the street, greeting those that he knows. And he would greet us. We stood on the street celebrating his news and congratulating him. He remained kneeling, but not for much longer…
When Jim and I moved to Lucca, we set a goal for ourselves to “become part of the community” which includes learning the language, developing friends (both expats and Italians) and eventually to volunteer in the community. But that evening on our street, while celebrating with “Kneeling Guy,” I truly felt like a member of my community and especially my special neighborhood.
And none of my blog posts can be complete without some pretty pictures, so here are a few pictures that I took of my “neighborhood” – within a minute’s walk of our front door.
The front door to our palazzo
Closeup of the ironwork by our front door
The door to the Bed and Breakfast across the street
Beautiful marble sculpture above a store’s door
Former church, now a clothe store
Closeup of former church
Beautiful carved brickwork about the gelato store’s door
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 am now living “La Dolce Vita” at a (slower) speed than ever before. Why blog when I could visit with friends? Have an apertivo? Take a walk around the city? Play a game of Mahjong?
So, this blog post is going to be my “catch up” blog that gives a quick overview of our special visitors, recent trips, winery visits, and an Italian wedding. I’ll finish up with some updates on day-to-day life in Lucca.
Special Visitors
Visit from Dave, Jill, and their friends
Dave, a former colleague of JoAn’s, visited Lucca for four days with Jill, his wife, and their friends. They had visited Lucca several times, but never stayed here before. We loved showing them our city and they were even here for Lucca’s biggest procession of the year. (September)
Visit from Mickey and several of her friends
Now this was a complicated visit! Mickey, my sister, and Vicki, her best friend, stayed for a month and her five friends stayed for two+ weeks. Their trip included day trips to Florence, Cinque Terre, Pisa, and a nearby winery. They all travelled by train to Rome for several days, including a trip down to Pompeii. Of course, we spent a good amount of time wandering through Lucca as well. I suppose the trip would have been better if some of them didn’t miss a train connection and if two of them didn’t get COVID! Despite the challenges, it was wonderful to spend time with my sister and her friends. (October)
Visit from Derek and Dani
We had a short visit from Derek, our son, and Dani, his girlfriend, in November. After their short trip to Dublin, we prepared a traditional American Thanksgiving and shared with it them and some local American friends. We spent a day in Florence with them and another day at a winery in Chianti. A short but sweet visit! (November)
Recent Trips
Trip to Val D’Aosta and Piedmont with Gary and Ilene
An 8-day trip with four people in a Mini Cooper required planning and an installation of a luggage carrier. We headed way up north in Italy to Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc. We explored the area… and struggled with all of the French words and pronunciations. Then we headed to Piedmont region where the emphasis was on winery visits and the famous Alba White Truffle. But my favorite activity was the visit to the Hazelnut farm! (October)
Trip to Lisbon
Mickey, Vicki and I went to Lisbon for a few days. Why Lisbon? Megan, my niece, and her family moved to Lisbon in early 2020. In the meantime, her daughter has grown from a baby to a pre-schooler full of energy and her own personality. AND Megan had a baby boy. So, we enjoyed seeing Lisbon with Megan and Ben as well as hanging out with them and the children. We even saw the house that they purchased and the big renovation plans for the next year or two. (November)
Lisbon, view from one of the many hills
Beautiful art at the Tile Museum
Enjoying some Portuguese wine and other drinks
The Pasteis de Nata were delicious!
Monument to the Discoverers and that bridge!
Megan and son, enjoying time at the playground
Loved my time on the playground with Megan’s daughter
Megan and Ben in their neighborhood
Trip to Bolzano for their Christmas market
Jim and I took a two-day trip to Bolzano in Northern Italy to enjoy the biggest Christmas market in Italy and to see the area. I posted a description (in Italian and English) and a bunch of pictures on my Facebook page here. (December)
Winery Visits
La Sala Winery with friends from Virginia
I connected with Bill on Facebook before his month-long trip to Lucca because we had mutual friends, the owners and staff of Pazzo Pomodoro, our favorite Italian restaurant in Virginia! Jimmy, one of the owners, was going to be in Florence and planned a lovely wine tasting at La Sala in the Chianti Classico region. Bill, Jim and I jumped into our Mini Cooper and met Jimmy, family, and friends at La Sala. We enjoyed a wonderful wine tasting including our second-ever barrel tasting. We enjoyed a lunch nearby then wandered to the nearby town of Panzano. We had a wonderful time getting to know Bill and shared a passion for older Italian wines. (July)
Barone Ricasoli winery with friends from Lucca
This wine tour came in four parts – castle tour with incredible history, wine making tour, wine tasting, and then a four-course lunch with wine pairings. I recruited Gary, Ilene, Guy and Lita to accompany us and we headed deep into the Chianti Classico region. This castle was built between Florence and Siena so that the Florentines could keep a watchful eye for any invaders from Siena. Incredible history, fabulous views, and delicious wine and food. It was such a lovely day that we repeated it with Derek and Dani! (July)
Castle at Barone Ricasoli
Lion, to protect the family and castle
Fancy ring to tie up your horse!
What a family chapel!
The formal gardens with Chianti hills
Gary and Ilene preparing to taste the wine
The barrel room
The group, enjoying the weather and the setting
Tempranillo Wine Festival in Tuscany???
The Beconcini winery discovered Tempranillo wines on their property a few years after they purchased it. Tempranillo is native to Spain so there are several theories about how it ended up in Tuscany. I like the one that has the Spanish pilgrims bringing it here on their journeys. However it got here, we like their wine! Each Fall after harvest, this winery holds a festival where many people from the area come to enjoy a great meal and their delicious wine. Last year we went with Gary and Ilene. The event was so much fun that Ilene spread the word amongst the expat community here and there were about 20 expats from Lucca at the event. Thanks for the picture, Ilene. (September)
Italian Wedding
Rebecca and Nicola’s Wedding
Rebecca and Nicola, Italian friends, own Vinarkià our favorite wine-cocktail-dinner bar that is steps from our front door. We met them the week that they opened in 2020 and have developed a strong friendship with them. We were thrilled to attend their wedding in August. Many of the traditions were similar (but not identical) to those in America and then there were some surprises for us too. Mostly we were just delighted to attend their beautiful ceremony with their family and friends. (August)
Day-to-Day Life
Italian language. Jim and I are continuing to study the Italian language, each working with a tutor one-on-one. I am working on becoming more comfortable using the grammar that I know, rather than learning new grammar. For my homework I read an article than write a few paragraphs about a related subject. Topics are varied from the structure of our governments to pieces of art. During our one-hour session, we discuss the topic, mistakes that I made in my writing, and work on my pronunciation. I’m now able to chit chat with Italians about lots of different topics and my stress level is down when talking on the phone. I hope that with a few more years of study I should be comfortable have substantial conversations with Italians – at their speed and with ample use of hand movements!
My knee. I’m approaching the one-year anniversary of my total knee replacement. I’m still slow on steps but my knee is no longer holding me back from exploring Lucca or any towns that we visit. I average about 7000 steps a day and have hit 17000 several times post-surgery. I’m satisfied with that!
Mahjong. This game has always interested me but I really had no idea how to play it. Several women expats in Lucca have begun playing weekly. Most of us are newbies, so it is a low stress learning environment. I’m having lots of fun learning the game and spending time with these friends – and have even gotten Mahjong a few times!
We are about a week away from Christmas and are currently staying busy enjoying the local activities and decorations, doing a bit of shopping and planning a lovely meal with friends. Jim and I hope that you have wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. One of my resolutions will surely be to blog more regularly!
When Jim and I started seriously considering moving to Italy, we investigated the Italian health system. It is as different from America’s as you can get… The Italian constitution states that “The Republic safeguards health as a fundamental right of the individual and as a collective interest, and guarantees free medical care to the indigent.” And we learned that Italy has a highly rated medical system – second in the world, according to Wikipedia! I want to use this blog post to share my personal experiences with the medical system, including my recent Total Knee Replacement surgery. No pretty pictures in this blog post…
Year 1 (and 2!) – Private Medical Insurance
We applied for Elective Residence Visas to allow us to move to Italy. One of the many requirements was to show that we had Private Medical Insurance because the Italian Government recognizes that there are many actions that must be taken before new immigrants are eligible to become part of the Italian health system. During a pre-move visit, we signed up for a plan that covered major and unplanned medical expenses – similar to what we would call catastrophic coverage in the USA. The coverage values seemed low to us (€30000 each) but our lawyer said that it seemed adequate to him. The annual cost was €1614 for both of us. We expected not to use the insurance, but unexpectedly Jim needed hernia surgery. I wrote about this experience in one of my earlier blog posts. We had to pay all costs at the hospital but the insurance reimbursed us for all of it! Because of COVID, we still weren’t able to sign up for the Italian medical system as our insurance was getting ready to expire. We renewed the policy and used it one other time, with the same results – all costs covered with no deductibles. During this period, we paid the full cost for our prescription medicines, but they cost us less than half of the co-pays that we had in America with our health insurance.
Participation in the Italian Health System
Once we became official residents, we were able to sign up for the Italian Health System and received our coveted Tessera Sanitara cards. We had read many places that this insurance is “free” but also read that there were costs involved. It turns out that the Constitution and the laws state that it is “free” but with the kind of visa that we have, we were required to make a voluntary contribution for the insurance. LOL! The first of many bits of confusion regarding the Italian Health System. We pay €2788 per year for this “public” insurance. We selected a primary doctor that speaks some English and has an office close by.
Working with our primary doctor
I don’t actually visit our primary doctor frequently. After my initial visit and a review of my medical histories, he provided prescriptions for my regular medications and encouraged me to use WhatsApp to send further requests to him. So, whenever I need a prescription for medicine, a referral for a special visit, or a medical test, I simply send him a message with WhatsApp. He writes the prescription and leaves it at the pharmacy in his building and I pick it up that day or sometimes the next. Very easy and efficient but a bit impersonal! Many prescriptions cost nothing, some have a co-pay up to €20.
When it is time for a visit to our primary doctor, I send him a message via WhatsApp and he tells us when to come. Usually that day or the next. When you enter the waiting room for several doctors, you simply ask the group of people waiting “L’ultimo per Dottore Morotti” or “Who is the last person waiting for Doctor Morotti?” Someone should acknowledge that they are the last and you sit down and wait your turn; you need to remember who was last, so that you can enter the doctor’s office after that person finishes. When the next person enters the waiting room with the same question, you acknowledge that you were last and they now know where they fall in line. When the doctor is ready for the next patient, he simply appears at the door and says “Chi è il prossimo?” or “Who is next?” This sounds like a wonderful and informal approach, but seldom works as smoothly as it should. They typically are confused by my pronunciation and there are often disagreements about who is actually last or next. This approach is so characteristic of the Italian culture… I giggle to myself every time I watch it in action.
Once it is your turn and you are in the doctor’s office, you share your questions, requests, concerns, problems. There is no nurse, no unnecessary blood pressure readings or weigh-ins and frankly I can’t remember him actually examining me. He fills out needed forms and prescriptions and hands them to you. At the end of any visit to a doctor, they give you a one-page summary of the results. You wait while they type and print it or simply hand write it. The doctor may keep some records for their patients but the expectation is that you maintain your own records. There is no charge to see your primary doctor. Once I needed to pay to have a specific form completed and I had to pay €50 for the administrative costs. He took out his credit card machine and I gave him a credit card… no billing department needed! A specialist visit typically requires a payment of around €30.
Working with a private orthopedic doctor
When my knee started hurting in November 2020, we still weren’t covered by the Italian Health System so I went to a private doctor. Once we were covered, I continued to see the same doctor as I had a lot of confidence in him. His office is run a little closer to an American doctor’s office. He has a receptionist who checks you in, accepts the payment, and schedules appointments. This doctor speaks some English and his receptionist speaks English very well. During an early visit he reviewed my Xrays and MRIs and said that my right knee was in terrible shape. I would need a total knee replacement within a year or two. I was definitely in pain but had no idea that my knee was so bad. Jim had struggled for years with his knees and visited the same doctor. The doctor said that mine was much worse and I would “get to go first”. My initial visit was €130 and included a cortisone shot.
The cortisone shot helped a lot and I was back to walking the streets and wall of Lucca pain free. About six months later the pain started to return and we were getting ready for Derek and Dani’s visit to Italy. I had plans for lots of fun activities and did not want to be in pain for their visit! I returned to the doctor and got a second cortisone shot (only €50 this time) and was pain free again. The doctor indicated that I should plan to have knee surgery in 2022. But the bad news was that the cortisone shot lasted only about a week… After an exchange of emails, we targeted February 2022 for the surgery. I was in pain during their visit and skipped a few of the activities, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying my time with them.
Surgery – private or public insurance?
We had planned to use our private medical insurance because the doctor is a private doctor. But then we learned that we could not renew the same private medical insurance policy because we were now residents; that kind of policy is only for non-residents. So, we asked our insurance company for a similar policy for residents. Bad news, cost was higher and all pre-existing conditions were excluded. I had heard horror stories about people waiting many months for knee operations using the public insurance and was in too much pain for that. I visited my primary doctor to ask how long it would take to get a public orthopedic doctor and get the surgery scheduled. I explained my situation and he confirmed that my orthopedic doctor was the best in Lucca and said that he would certainly accept my Tessera Sanitara (i.e., the public insurance) for my surgery. Another moment of confusion – could my private doctor use the public insurance for the surgery??? I contacted my doctor and waited anxiously for the response. Of course, they would accept the Tessera Sanitara. Certainly no one would be expected to pay the full cost of the surgery! Confused but happy!!!!
Time for surgery – Total Knee Replacement
I won’t provide the full story of the surgery and recovery. If you are familiar with this surgery, you’ll know that it is particularly painful and a difficult recovery. Instead, I’ll provide a list of some of the similarities and differences between an Italian and American hospital visit:
Different – my hospital is a 9-minute walk from my apartment… if I could walk that far. It likely took Jim 12 minutes to drive there…
Similar – pre surgical tests and meeting with the anesthesiologist scheduled a few days before surgery
Different – bring your own crutches, pajamas (no gowns provided!) and all toiletries
Similar – bland food. Even the pasta.
Probably similar – no visitors because of COVID
Different – minimal pain meds. I received intravenous acetaminophen (Tylenol) several times a day. When the pain got bad, I insisted on a stronger pain medicine and received “something like” morphine. Two times.
Similar – high quality staff (doctors, nurses, aides, therapists, etc.).
Different – 6 nights in the hospital versus 0-2 in America
Different – cost for doctors, surgery, hospital, Xrays, physical therapy in hospital, etc. was €0.
worst breakfast ever…
not sure what the meat was… instant mashed potatoes. I ate the pasta – it was bland but edible.
basic hospital room for two people
Recovery – Total Knee Replacement
From the moment I heard the word “surgery” I started worrying about all of the steps in our apartment. We live on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors (with the ground floor designated as zero). There are two different sets of stone steps before reaching the elevator then once you reach our apartment, we have four more sets of stairs. Some have just a few steps… one has 12 steps. There are two ground-floor Airbnb apartments in our palazzo complex that are owned by our neighbors. We rented one of them for my first two weeks home from the hospital. The apartment was perfect for those initial weeks, including a front door that opened directly onto a paved road for my first walks. Most of the streets in Lucca have cobblestones, so a paved street seemed like a luxury.
Given that my knee would hardly bend, it was not easy to get into our Mini Cooper. My doctor referred me to Marco, a physical therapist who comes to your house. He comes 3 days a week and I do need to cover the cost of these sessions. We have had several friends visit us and provide meals. A month or two ago we met a woman who recently moved to Lucca. It turns out that she was a nurse in America and worked at a hospital in Reston, Virginia that we visited more than we would have liked. Joanne visited us nearly daily, giving me my blood thinner injections, changing the bandages, and answering my stupid questions.
I have now moved back to my apartment. Marco walked me to my apartment from the rented Airbnb. He gave me instructions on how to tackle each set of stairs. My days are now filled with PT exercises, time using an automated knee bender, and walks around town. I’m also trying to pick up my daily chores. The weather yesterday was unseasonably warm so after our walk, we stopped for a Spritz at PuntoZero, a café across the street from our apartment. Allesio surprised us with a candle in our Aperitivo snack.
I have months to go before I am fully recovered but I feel very blessed by the good medical care that I have received and the many family members and friends that have supported me through texts, phone calls, visits and meals. And most of all the help provided by Jim all day and all night.
It’s been about two months since my last blog post. I’ve thought about writing, but not much has happened for the last two months. The coronavirus restrictions have varied between very strict and strict, so our activities have been greatly limited. But there are a few updates to share.
One year anniversary of living in Italy: We arrived in Lucca on March 9th one year ago, excited to start this new chapter of our lives. COVID and coronavirus were new words/ideas for us, but so was so much around us. The excitement of retiring and moving to Italy sustained us for most of the year and we treasured our opportunity to spend so much time in Lucca and wander around Tuscany occasionally. As we passed a year, I found myself grumbling… second Easter in lockdown, second time we’ve celebrated Jim’s birthday in lockdown, second time for this and second time for that. But I know that we have been so greatly blessed to pass the pandemic here and (being retired) were not greatly impacted financially. I still need to remind myself of this every few days…
Medical care: we now have full access to the Italian medical system. For our first year in Italy, we delayed most medical activities and only dealt with issues that needed to be handled – because of the pandemic and our medical insurance only covered larger issues. We now have a general physician, are catching on preventive medical activities, and addressing issues that we have ignored.
Eye surgery for Jim: The biggest medical issues was that Jim needed outpatient surgery on his left eye – Epiretinal Membrane (ERM) Surgery. This is not a typical / routine surgery so we had the condition and recommendation confirmed by two doctors in Italy and more confirmation from Jim’s doctor and ophthalmologist in Virginia. After waiting for a few months, he was scheduled for outpatient surgery last week. Everything went smoothly during the hour-long surgery and all indications are that the problem will be fully resolved. The recovery has been a bit more involved than we expected with three different eye drops four times daily AND he needs to keep his head down as much as possible. We have been very impressed with the medical care, with multiple follow-up visits. No cost for the surgery and the eye drops cost about €12 each.
Language study: Jim and I are continuing to study with online tutors. As part of our Integration Agreement with the Italian Government, we need to achieve a competency level of A2 within two years of arriving. Because I started studying the language a few years before we moved here, I was ready and took my A2 test on April 15th and should hear the results soon. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m fluent or anywhere close. That became clear to me after a very confusing episode at a medical clinic when I went for my appointment at 14:00 on April 8th rather than 8am on April 14th. Oh well…
Driver’s license: I am now turning my attention to studying for the driver’s license test. The test is a challenge even for Italians and is in Italian only. The test has 40 true/false questions drawn from a known set of 7000 possible questions. You can get a maximum of four wrong in order to pass. I can drive with my US driver’s license and an international driver’s permit until January 2022. There is a lot of new vocabulary to learn, including 100 new verbs: to tail, move away, support, take advantage of, compress; squeeze, flow out, avoid, brake, throw/jettison, crack/deteriorate, …
Time with friends: We have been fortunate that we’ve been able to continue meeting with friends, including having two people (and their children) to our house at a time. We’ve continuing meeting with Brian and Victoria for Bible studies and enjoyed Easter with them and their two daughters. We’ve had Pasquale (an Italian friend) for dinner weekly, had a few cooking lessons from Evelin (Pasquale’s chef), enjoyed a brunch at Sharri and Jedd’s house, and visited with Nicola and Rebecca when Vinarkia was opened for takeout. And I have certainly appreciated staying in contact with family and friends through social media and phone calls.
Here are two pictures that I’ve took one evening from our apartment:
A quiet evening in LuccaMoon rising over San Francesca
San Frediano, a nearby church replaced a bell in its tower and installed a new system that allows their bells to be played by electric motors or moved by string. The changes were announced in the local newspaper and we enjoyed a mini concert from our apartment on Sunday. I’ve included a bit of the audio and a picture.
Church bells from San FredianoSan Frediano, ready to share her new bell with the community
Starting today the coronavirus restrictions have been eased. We now have a Yellow status, meaning that we can travel within Tuscany and other Yellow regions, restaurants are opened for outdoor dining and there are plans in place to start opening museums and cinemas. And talk of opening up Italy for tourist in the months to come! Will we see you in Italy this year?
At the end of the year, I think that it is natural to reflect on the year that is finished and look forward to the one just about to begin. I think that we all agree that 2020 is a year like no other in our lifetime. We watched movies and read stories about pandemics, but none of us had experienced one. Each of us experienced it differently, depending on our circumstances, our nature, our faith, and those around us. We had the additional unique experience of retiring and moving to a foreign land. So, how did we manage? Here are my reflections of our first ~10 months living in Italy during a pandemic.
Fireworks over Lucca
Our new town: We had visited Lucca three times before we moved here, so we had a good idea of what to expect. Yet on a daily basis, I still see beauty that I missed before. The walls, the streets, the churches, the museums – none are world class (well, except maybe the walls) but all dazzle me! And they are right outside my door! There are some aspects of Lucca that are “on hold” because of the coronavirus, such as concerts, celebrations, shows, and most street performers. We are definitely looking forward to them restarting!
Our new home: We are very thankful to have a beautiful apartment in a 500-year-old “palazzo” with amazing 360° views of Lucca. It’s on the third, fourth and fifth floor, and thankfully we have an elevator. But within the apartment there are still four sets of stairs! The layout is sorta odd, undoubtedly due to the multiple renovations that have taken place. But we use every part of the apartment and it is serving us well. It was renovated about 12 years ago but we have experienced several problems, such as leaking windows, leak in bathroom leading to some mold, steam heat & hot water that stopped and started every few days, and electricity that would shut down if we used too much. We continue to work through the problems; each time learning more and more about how to get things done in this culture.
View from our apartment, looking South
Our residency status: Before coming here, I generally understood the steps needed to become a permanent residence, but I underestimated the time needed to go through the steps and the number of times that I would need to copy our documentation (passport, codice fiscale, bank statements, birth certificates, …) and present it to a person who would painfully take us through the next step. Thankfully we were introduced to Tony, who helps us each step of the way. He tells us what the next step is, what documentation to bring, gets in line early for us, and talks to the person. For this, we give him €20. A very low price to pay for this valuable service! Jim has finished the process but I am still in the middle (due to an error that I made days after our arrival here). But it is nearly time for Jim to start renewing his “permesso di soggiorno”!
Our health: One of my goals for this year was to “Learn about the Italian medical system”. Well, I nailed that goal! Italy has a highly rated national health program that is generally covered by the taxes paid by residents. But in order to move here we need to get private medical insurance to have before we were able to sign up for the national program. We have been to the doctor several times each, gotten Xray’s, MRIs, blood tests, and Jim had a minor operation. So, yeah, I’ve learned a lot about the medical system… The best parts have been finding good doctors that can speak English (easily or with some difficulty), pharmacists who are really very helpful and relatively low price for services and medicines. But we are still waiting for reimbursement for that operation that occurred at the end of August. In general, our health is probably a lot better than in the past. We walk more, ride bicycles again, and eat fresh & healthy food every day. Just still too much food & wine, so we plan to work on that in 2021…
Our friends: Despite the coronavirus restrictions, we’ve been able to develop friendships with several Italians and American expats. There was an active group of English-speakers that would meet each Monday afternoon in Lucca. Given the coronavirus restrictions, they aren’t so actively currently, but we look forward to engaging with them in the future. So far, all of our Italian friends speak English fluently (or nearly so). I know several non-English speakers, but relationships develop slowly when the conversations can’t go very deep!
Our church: Lucca is sometimes called “The City of 100 Churches” but they are nearly all Catholic… Our faith is very important to us, but we are not Catholic. So, we were thrilled to find a protestant church in one of our early visits to Lucca. Once we arrived, we started attending regularly via Zoom or in person, depending on the coronavirus restrictions. The church and people are wonderful, but frankly we really struggled with the language. A few months ago, we decided that we would attend an English-speaking church in Florence (about an hour drive from here) once things re-open. In the meantime, we watch various church services online and share a Bible study with an American couple here. Maybe one day there will be an international church in Lucca. We are looking for volunteers to come to Italy and help start it!
Our language skills: We consider this our full-time job. I’ve been studying Italian off and on since 2017. I’m currently working with an online tutor two times per week and a local tutor once per week. I can comfortably talk with people in stores, ask for desired items, and pay for my purchases with a bit of chit-chat mixed in. Phone calls are still challenging but I was very pleased that I made a follow-up doctor’s appointment last week with no major problem. As part of our “integration agreement” to become permanent residents, we need to pass a language test at the A2 level. I hoping to complete the test this Spring or Summer. Jim essentially started over when we moved here. He works with an online tutor three times a week and I think that he is making great progress. His biggest challenge is that he depends on me to communicate in challenging situations!
Our transportation: We mostly stay in town given the coronavirus restrictions and our primary mode of transportation is walking and riding bicycles. But in late December we purchased a car, making local trips to doctors, supermarkets, and home improvement stores easier. We look forward to the time when we can drive around Tuscany and Italy. We can use our U.S. driver’s license with an International Driver Permit for one year after establishing our formal residency here. Then we need to get an Italian driver licenses. The test is difficult for everyone AND is in Italian. It typically takes expats 3 months of intense studying to pass it. And because we will be considered “new drivers”, we will get provisional licenses and can only drive cars with very small engines. Really… with 45 years of driving experience…
Our finances: We are doing ok, especially given that we retired several years before we expected to. We have a great financial planner who is guiding us through new situations for us. I’ve learned to deal with our bank better but we are still adjusting to managing our cash flow, utilizing debit cards, an Italian credit card, and occasional trips to the bank for withdrawals. Some of their rules still don’t make sense to me. The exchange rate dropped a lot but fortunately our planner suggested that we transfer several months of money before the big drop. I’m hoping for better exchange rates before March! I’ve also started to prepare for the Italian and US tax activities that we’ll tackle in early 2021.
Our retirement: I still can’t believe that we don’t have to go to work on Monday… or next week… or next month…
And what about 2021? Jim gave me a funny look when I said that we ought to come up with goals and objectives for 2021, but all of those years of annual planning cycles have trained me… I won’t bore you with all of the details but two that we are really looking forward to are:
Travel within Italy, including Sicily wine tour and regions that we haven’t visited before
Welcoming visitors, and helping them learn about the beauty of culture of Italy
We hope and pray that the coronavirus will come under control in 2021 and we will all have a good and healthy year!
The week before Christmas I saw him on the street, still in his “new” location. I gave him the gift and again he seemed quite pleased. He even mentioned the muffins that I gave him last year – I was touched that he remembered the gift! We chatted for a few minutes and he mentioned something about getting a new job, but I didn’t fully understand what he said.
My Next Adventure 