Can you believe that Thanksgiving, the official start of the holiday season for Americans, is already upon us? It seems just yesterday we were complaining about summer’s heat and humidity in Italy !

I’ve spent the last 5 Thanksgivings in Italy, shared with a revolving group of friends which included a mix of Americans and other stranieri (foreigners) living in Italy, along with some Italians.  A true international celebration.  And although Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Italy, the Italians still go out of their way to wish us a Buon Giorno del Ringraziamento.

Thanksgivings in Lucca over the past 5 years have had an Italian flair mixed with American traditions.

We’ve found a good substitute for big American turkeys in local butcher shops, though fresh cranberries and canned pumpkin can be hard (sometimes impossible) to find. You don’t even want to know what I paid on Amazon to deliver 3 cans of pumpkin to Lucca last year!

On Thanksgiving day, everyone’s favorite dish adds up to a coordinated pot luck dinner. The celebration begins with Italian style appetizers and local wines. Dinner brings holiday comfort food American style - our “almost” turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussel spouts, and gravy. Of course there is pie for dessert. The gatherings have always been marked by warmth, laughter, and several exclamations of “boy, aren’t we lucky to live in Lucca”.

This year is different.  Several of my group of friends have moved away – some returning to the US and others moving to different parts of Italy.  It’s sometimes hard to remember to give thanks in the face of big change, but I’m working on it. I know those friends are excited to embark on new adventures and I am happy for them. But I’ll be a touch sad to give up this holiday tradition. The photos here are a way for me to treasure the memories of all the Thanksgivings we have shared.

In addition to my still vibrant Lucchese community, Italy continues to provide many things for which I am thankful. This is especially true in the fall, my favorite Italian season - walks along the walls that surround Lucca’s historic center, fall colors in the leaves and in the markets, the annual olive harvest (and the chance to buy great EVOO straight from some friends’ olive trees), the smell of roasting chestnuts, my friendly farmacista (pharmacist) who gives gentle flu and covid shots, great cheese and wine, beautiful sunsets, game nights with friendly competition and lots of laughter, opportunities to travel, and a life-style that suits me perfectly.

 This year, for the first time since I moved to Lucca in 2018, I find myself in New Mexico for “turkey day” and the upcoming Christmas holidays. I will enjoy spending Thanksgiving with my family who are negotiating some big changes and challenges of their own.   I get the feeling that CHANGE is going to be the operative word for me in the coming year.  I am trying hard to embrace it !

So, this Thanksgiving, I will be thankful for friends near and far, my healthy wonderful family, and beautiful New Mexico skies.  I will also be happy that cranberries are so readily available here which means my family’s traditional cranberry apple pie will appear on the dinner table. There just might be some pumpkin cookies too.

I will also give thanks for the fact that I will be able to return to Lucca in early January, just in time to catch the last of the holiday season in the days leading up to Epifania (Epiphany).  And I’ll be really, really happy if I find my long term Permesso waiting for me when I arrive (fingers crossed!).

One more thing for which I will give thanks - this year I have met many blog readers as they have ventured to Lucca.  What fun that has been. I hope to meet more of you in the coming year - it’s not too early to start planning 2025 travel!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends and family around your table, gravy without lumps, and an appreciation for all that we have to be thankful for.   Add to that the grace to negotiate life’s changes!