I hope your New Year is off to a good start! I'm still recovering from the "extreme holidaying" in Calabria! Things are a bit quieter here in Soverato for Fra and I...but not for long.
We've got a couple of really big things happening this year.
A Wedding! In Italy!
Yes, it's every girl's fantasy. Getting married in Italy. In a castle, no less.
Fra and I are getting hitched this summer, and I couldn't be happier. And before you ask, there wasn't a grand proposal. We've just known that we wanted to get married, and the conversation evolved over time. Now we're mired in the myriad details that come with planning a wedding.
I've attended exactly one Italian wedding, so I'm not completely an expert on them yet. They are a bit different from ours. We won't be getting married in a church, as many here do. Instead, we're planning a small ceremony overlooking the sea, followed by a fabulous party with our friends.
Speaking of friends...if it were up to me, we'd have just 20 people there. But given that his family alone numbers more than 50, this wedding is going to be bigger than I imagined! And everyone is so happy he's finally found love, so I doubt we will have many people turn down the invite!
I didn't have a wedding for my first marriage, so I'm very much looking forward to the big day!
A Renovation and Move
Because I am who I am, I can't leave well enough alone and let the wedding be the only gigantic thing that eats my money and stresses me out this year. Oh no.
We have decided to also move to Davoli, where Fra is from. He adores the town, but he moved to Soverato for me. I could never imagine living in Davoli, but then we toured a house his parents own (it had been rented out until recently) and I kinda fell in love.
By now, everyone in Davoli knows me. I can't say I know everyone yet because there's just one American with a funny name, and there are lots more of them! But I feel at home in this tiny town.
I've never, ever paid for a coffee or beer. Our friend runs one of the (three) bars in town, and every time we're there, someone offers to buy us a drink. I've made friends with a handlebar-mustached man, and we discuss books and herbs at the bar. He even brought a giant crate of herbs he picked for me to Fra's parents' house!
And there are so many festivals that happen in Davoli in the summer. I'd like to eventually get involved with them.
Now, onto the house, which is over 200 years old. Fra's great grandfather bought the house over 100 years ago. I fell in love with the giant kitchen, fireplace, and view of the sea. However, there's a lot of work that needs to be done before we can move in. So I've declared that we won't move in until after summer, which gives us time to get the money for the remodeling work. Still, I literally dream about how I want to decorate and paint the place!
I'll be sharing our adventures in updating the house, so stay tuned!
It's just like me to take on two major projects in a single year. Here's hoping I stay sane!
Wow, I love this about the new home! I can't wait to see before and after photos. Oh yes, the wedding is exciting too 🥰