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Cortona is very small, very hilly, and most of all very safe – which has been great for the kids. They are really enjoying being more independent and doing things on their own. In a way, it reminds me of many small Brazilian towns where everyone knows everyone, kids roam freely, many times playing soccer in a piazza, and everyone keeps an eye on everyone else. Obviously the town settings are very different, but the “soul” of the town is actually very similar. [I feel that in many occasions I might have just passed an old relative on the streets.]

By now, we have settled into a nice routine, which being on an Italian schedule, is a flexible routine. Depending on how tired the kids are, or if we are going on a trip, we might wake up anywhere between 6:30am and 10:00am. Breakfast is usually cereal with fresh berries and fruits for the kids; and coffee with toasts, cheese, and fruits for Ashley and I. Ashley usually wakes up around 6:45 and leaves for the school around 7:45. She teaches until noon.

While the professor is doing real work, I’ve been taking care of the household. Laundry has become a big part of it. As I mentioned earlier, our apartment is very small, but quite nice and very cozy. What I didn’t mention is that the refrigerator is the size of a dorm fridge, and that our washing machine can fit in our shirt pocket – which is a catch-22 when you need to wash several shirts in it. You can basically wash a day’s worth of dirty clothes, which translates into daily morning washes. We have no dryers. So we hang-dry everything on a line in the balcony. To my surprise, it hasn’t been an issue at all. It is so dry here, that everything gets done by lunch time. We make beds, wash a few dishes (again by hand) and head out to Piazza Republica, the center of town.

We gave both the kids their own digital cameras, so we have been walking around all the different “viccoli” taking picture of just about everything: alleys, steps, wall, doors, knobs, flowers, people, etc. They have taken some awesome shots with some really cool perspectives. Since we had several family come and visit, we have also been visiting the museums, churches, and many art galleries around town. We have also been enjoying the many, and I do mean many restaurants in town. Before I left Athens, I was a bit worried about gaining weight on this trip, since I knew I was going to try plenty of good food. I can honestly say that I haven’t tried anything that I didn’t like yet. But thanks to all the walking and the many hills, I still fit in my clothes. What concerns me now is that I will keep eating as much as I have been after we return, and of course there will not be enough activity to burn it all off.

Ok back to the routine…We meet Ashley for lunch around noon, and we usually have a salad, or pizza, or a pannini at the town’s park; we do a little shopping (usually fresh fruits, water, olives, cheese and bread, salads, wine…you know, the essentials); and we head back home for the mandatory Italian “siesta”. Most all shops close sometime between 1:30 pm and 4:30pm. Nice! We sometimes skip the siesta and stay at the park, play soccer until we start melting down, and the hit the park’s pool, which is ice-cold.

With the exception of the weekends, dinner is always at Tonino’s: a four course meal with plenty of local wine to go around. Cheers! It usually starts with one or two courses of pasta, followed by a meet dish with either salad or vegetables, followed by either fruits or cheese or deserts – or some combination of the above. Every night, I tell myself that I will not eat as much as the night before, but I haven’t been able to follow through yet. Like I said earlier, thank the Italian Gods for the Tuscan hills.

Finally, keeping up with a very Italian and local tradition, we finish the day with a passageata (a night stroll). And sometimes, I’m afraid to say, some gellato. (Limone still my favorite!).

Bona Sera Y’ALL!!!!