Ok....its time. For those of you who have been listening to me whine for months, I have finally decided to move to Cortona.

Won't babble and bore everyone with the why and how come's (might put everyone to seep) but have posted some info on my blog, American Girl in Italy which I am trying again to keep up with, albiet somewhat haphazardly.

Hopefully this move will give me the time to write more.

Here's hoping anyway.

~passerotto~

Not all who wander are lost. JRR Tolkein

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Originally posted by Passerotto:
... but have posted some info on my blog, http://americangirlinitaly.blogspot.com/ which I am trying again to keep up with, albiet somewhat haphazardly. Hopefully this move will give me the time to write more. Here's hoping anyway.

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I've read your blog and didn't fall asleep. I am sure you will be also happy in Cortona, which it seems to be a very nice town according to this web site: Cortona.

Do you know that the University of Giorgia has a great studies program there? Love places where you can see young people running around. Makes me feel young myself

"Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza..."

"I sing to life, to its beauty, to each of its wounds and each of its caresses..."

well my dear, give us the dirt - why are you moving to Cortona?? and please don't make me read your whole blog about it- just the facts darlin'
or give me a buzz!

I read the blog and did not see the facts - yes, tell us!! Are you going to keep blogging? Should I add you to our blog list in the footer of the message board?

Pauline from Slow Travelers

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Should I add you to our blog list in the footer of the message board?

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Personally I think hers should be added too! And since I've known Passerotto for quite some time and was fortunate to have been her apartmentmate for a while, I'm confident she's going to make it in Cortona. She's strong, intelligent and has a hell of a head on her shoulders -- and now maybe she'll finally get her chapters to me so we can get our book published!!

Maria
www.wanderingsicilian.com
When you know even for a moment that it's your time, then you can walk with the power of a thousand generations

Moving to Cortona for a lot of different reasons.....one of which is obviously the economic reality that Florence is piu caro and Cortona troppo economico.

Also going to be working part time with a real estate company there that sells and restores homes throughout Europe but mostly in Toscana, this instead of the IT sales and marketing job I did for a large DC consulting firm.

It is a step out of my comfort zone into unchartored waters, but as it isn't my first career change and I usually come up ahead, I think this too will bear fruit soon enough.

of keen interest to me is the time to enjoy Italy, something my present occupation hasn't let me do, but has continued to mirror (and for all the bad reasons) my existence in DC.

I think the slower pace will force me to finish some of the things I always claim I will get to, if nothing else by the sheer fact that I will be working less hours per day.

And yes Maria...your and my story is top on my list of unfinished writing business, I promise as is several articles for various publications I have been asked to work on and keep stalling on due to lack of time and energy.

Pauline, feel free to link my blog if you feel anyone would be interested.....be forewarned though, I am apt to use a colorful metaphor or two and I don't always post what is politically correct or intrinsically related to expatriate life. I see that space as an echo of my head and as a way to jounce ideas round.....some links are likely to be to less popular or romantic (and more politically charged) blogs as my biggest beef on line continues to be the censorship of fine journalism at the hands of today's newspaper owners.

my two cents worth...sitting down and shutting up now,

~passerotto~

Not all who wander are lost. JRR Tolkein

Hi-
Sorry I didn't get to write this sooner, but wanted to say I found your blog very moving. I give you a lot of credit for sticking to your dream to live in Italy, even if it means making some adjustments.

We have been fortunate enough to spend some time in the Cortona area, and just want to say, you are headed to a great place. We found the town was remarkably "normal" for a place that has been so written about...in fact none of the Cortona folks knew anything about the books! We actually spent quite a bit of time trying to explain the whole phenomena to some locals one evening at a bar...they were incredulous. The people in the town seem to associate any Americans with the University of Georgia program.

More importantly, we have found the people of the whole area to be some of the nicest we have met anywhere. They were invariably patient with our HORRIBLE Italian; we had bus drivers make extra trips to get us closer to where we needed to go, and our taxi driver wanted to wait on the train platform with us when it was time to leave so we wouln't "be all alone"! I think you will find it a welcoming place.

Best wishes on this new part of your Italian life!

Kate

I love your blog. Please come for a visit when I finally get to Castiglione. I think we met at the Castellina GTG, didn't we?

Joanna:

I was supposed to go to the Castiglione get-together but ended up working instead. But yes I would love to catch up and finally put a face with pixels.

Thanks to all of you who have written words of encouragement about my coming move.....it realy helps. (The big day is March 1st).

Once I get settled I should have time to update my blog on a more consistant basis, just running around Florence with last minute stuff....permesso renewal, contracts, work, etc and it has left me too tired to construct coherent sentences of late, even if I have lots of things floating in my head that I plan to write about.