It is hard to believe that I have lived in Italy for a whole year.  I moved to Lucca just before the start of 2019 and have now experienced all four seasons, and every month of the year, here. I’m still in the “pinching myself to see if this is real” stage and I am delighted to wake up every morning to find that it is indeed - I live in Italy!

Any big move, much less an international one, comes with challenges and surprises. Happily most of the challenges have been manageable and most of the surprises have been good ones.

Before arriving I wondered if I would love Italy as much in cold January or rainy November as I do in spring and fall (I do!). 

I also wondered how I’d manage the challenges of setting up a home here when I was less than fluent in Italian. Happily, my Italian is improving (thank you Lucca Italian School and some very patient Lucchese citizens) and I’m now able to manage most things on my own.

I had some doubts about the 38 steep steps that led up to my beautiful apartment with  amazing views. Those doubts were well founded and at the end of the year I moved to a new apartment. Though it is smaller and has no terrace, it is on the ground floor, in a great location, and charmingly cozy.

Making the move on my own, I wondered if I would find myself lonely here. The answer to that is a definite no. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was being welcomed into a vibrant community  where I’ve made dear friends and quickly established a busy, active, rich life.  

In celebration of the past year, I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos from 2019, the first year of a new life in Lucca, Italy.             -post by Joanne