UPDATES

Work on the park continues. The men told me they hope to be finished by Easter, which means it might be finished when we return from our visit to the states at the end of May.

In October we had to submit pictures and a request for permission to cut down the trees in our yard. Today the permission arrived at the commune, but of course we still have no idea when the work might take place.

The paths throughout the upper area of the park (the part right behind our house) have been widened and trimmed. Now you can tell that there are paths.
The main steps connecting the different levels of the park have been rebuilt and now the steps up to the hotel pool area are being rebuilt.

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Our neighbor Frank called the other day and told us that the commune might offer Italian lessons if enough people are interested! We signed up the next day, now we’ll just wait and see.

Frank did get his Italian driver’s license. I think it ended up costing him about €600 in all….it’s quite a racket over here. In order to pass the test it seems to be a given that you have to sign up with a driving school. Then they charge extra if you use their car for practice…and for the book….and for the doctor’s exam….you get the idea. Oh, and if you want to take the exam orally instead of the written exam, that costs extra too. Frank did take the oral exam and it seems as if there was more discussion about the various questions rather than just a “right” or “wrong” approach. Frank argued with the examiner about several points, and I’d guess that his age and experience behind the wheel counted for a lot.


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The first of the two boxes we mailed to ourselves from the states arrived today…..TEN weeks after it was mailed. Yes, we did send it the slowest route, via an “M” bag, but I was starting to get a little concerned. Everything was intact and the box hadn’t been opened for inspection. The second box was mailed a week later, so I’m hoping it will arrive sometime next week.

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San Venanzo is getting more English-speakers! A Canadian family has bought one of the small houses next to the church and will be arriving at the end of January to close on the sale. Although they won’t be living here full-time, they do plan to return in the summer. Their story sounds interesting….the grandparents migrated from Italy to Argentina, then to the states, then to Canada. Everyone has their Italian citizenship which will help in a variety of ways. We’re really excited to meet them.