Archivi per la categoria ‘expat’

by Estelle Tieman

After spending 30 years traveling back and forth to Italy, working franticly at becoming a sculptor, I knew one day I would have to move here, permanently. This was not an easy task, considering that my whole family, including my grandchildren, with whom I am very close, live in the United States. This was going to be a sacrifice. But, the time had come for me to think about what was going to make me happy. I needed a place where I could live and work at my art, without pressure, a place of tranquility and natural beauty.
After conducting a lot of research and driving around Italy for a month, I was brought to Allerona. There it was—my little hilltop village, everything I’d dreamed of. I knew I was home the minute I pulled into the piazza and walked down to Via della Buca 19, and opened the door to one of the most messed up houses ever. I knew I had found my challenge in the house, my tranquility in the vistas, and what would soon become my new family of friends. I guess I should have worried as I didn’t speak a word of Italian, nor did I understand anything spoken to me. But everyone was so warm and helpful, I just knew it would be alright. I quickly developed a new language that everyone seems to understand, called estellaronese.
My kids, on the other hand, wanted to know if I had lost my mind. That is, until they came to visit me. Then they understood. It was not only the house and the beautiful countryside, it was the people.
A place where people wanted to communicate with you, and made you feel like family. It’s been almost five years and I have almost forgotten all the American holidays, except for Thanksgiving, with all its trimmings. This was a holiday I wanted to share with my friends in Allerona, because I was thankful to find this place. This has been my ritual for the past four years. One year we even celebrated Passover with a table filled with Italians and Israelis. I thought, if only the whole world could see how we live here, with respect for one another’s faith, compassion for one another’s trials and tribulations, and a deep understanding of how important it is to respect and love each other. Just think, no more wars, no one fighting and dying for causes that governments insist are necessary. Yes, we here in Allerona could show the world how it can be done.