We have been in Bari for about 5 weeks now and have finally hit a groove. David and I started language classes at a language school 5 mornings a week and will be taking classes for a month. The teachers only speak in Italian so I truly look like a deer in the headlights most of the time, but am learning a little more each day. Nick plans to start at the school in a few weeks.

Nick and David joined a gym and go there 3 days a week. Nick and I go to yoga twice a week and I started running recently. We are all trying to get in better shape, which probably seems impossible living in southern Italy where pizza and pasta abound. But, somehow the Italians manage to maintain pretty healthy physiques so we will see how it works out for us.

We are still waiting to hear from the Commune in Bari about an appointment for citizenship. Our lawyer says we should hear any day now…. Such is life in Italy. The commune received the paperwork over a month ago, but has 30 days to respond. On the positive side, if you must wait on bureaucracy, Bari is not a bad place to linger. The weather here is almost always pleasant and if it hits 90 degrees, the sea breeze keeps one cool. Living here is also less expensive for food and dining. A trip to the grocery store is usually never more than 30 euros and most produce, bread, wine, lunch meat, meat, runs from 1 euro to 5 euros. A bottle of water is about 35 cents. Eating out is also less expensive with meals usually no more than 20 euros each to include alcohol.

We have two pizzarias on our block and decided to try one yesterday. The pizzarias open about 8 p.m. and stay open until 11 pm or midnight. They are always crowded and full of large groups of people. It seems like in Bari people go out in large groups quite frequently and it is not unusual to have groups of 8 to 12 people at most tables in the pizzarias. We will be lucky if we can muster a party of 4!

Because southern Italy is such a pleasant place to live, I have wondered lately how my grandparents felt after they emigrated to the United States. My grandfather lived in Monteforte Cilento, which is in the mountains and close to the Mediterranean Sea in southern Italy. My grandmother lived in San Martino di Pensilis, not far from the Adriatic and still relatively south. The closest big town is Termoli. They met in Pennsylvania, moved to New York City and then Jersey City, and later my grandmother left my grandfather and moved to Michigan after about 20 years of marriage. Southeastern Michigan is cloudy and overcast about half of the year and I wonder how my grandmother dealt with the weather and if she longed for the climate of southern Italy. I wish I could ask her, but she died in 1979. I do remember some oil paintings in her living room which were landscape and seascape scenes of Italy similar to what I see here on the coast. The My grandfather did return to Italy in 1953 after living in New York City alone for about 10 years and I am sure that he was happy to return to a warmer climate. I hope to meet his stepson this summer and learn more about my grandfather’s life from him. My grandfather died in 1968.

I had been so focused on my grandfather and wanting to know more about him that I have thought less about my grandmother even though we were close. I was her only granddaughter (she had 7 grandsons) so I was kind of spoiled by her! Being here and seeing Italian life up close, I now think about her a lot and how she imprinted Italian culture on all of us. She insisted that her family come to dinner every Sunday and so we did (about 20 to 30 of us)—every Sunday and holiday. She cooked and my mom and Aunt had to clean up! Besides her sons and their families, my step-grandfather’s brothers and sister also came to dinner every week too. And many more! My older cousins were not exempt from Sunday dinner so they brought their girlfriends and sometimes their girlfriends’ families too. I was happy to have some girls there even if they were older.

Before we return to the U.S. we plan to visit both Monteforte Cilento and San Martino di Pensilis so stay tuned!