Nirvana
For my husband and I paradise is Vicenza, Italy. We had the
opportunity to live is this delightful city for three years in the
late '80s. We lived in the top section of a 400 year old villa. Our
landlord and landlady lived right next door. They would bring us
fresh vegetables and eggs everyday. Our son, who went to an Italian
preschool/kindergarten, would go and help their family pick grapes to
make wine. My husband would bike the four miles to the Army base
where he worked at the hospital. I would take
the train to Venice, Padua, Verona, or just walk through a local open
air market. On the weekends we would drive through the "wine roads"
of the Vent stopping and sampling local wines and looking at churches
and fortresses. Leaving Vicenza was one of the hardest things we
have ever done.
This past summer we took a family trip back to Italy. We visited
Vicenza, and our landlady and her family, with our now 16 year old
son and 9 year old son. We were fully prepared to have our memories
tarnished. The square wouldn't be as charming as we remembered. Our
friends wouldn't be welcoming. But, none of this happened. While the
city has changed some (it's now Italy's Silicon Valley) the essence
remains the same. I was able to find all my favorite stores. The
little cheese shop that carried our favorite cheeses. The pizzeria
we used to frequent was still there, making wonderful calzone. Our
paradise is found.
Paula
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