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Archive for the ‘Travel to Italy’ Category

La Passeggiata d’Orvieto

Posted in Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel, Travel to Italy, Umbria, tagged , , on November 4, 2013| 12 Comments »

2013-02-08 11.17.39The clock tower bells ring out to announce it’s six o’clock. I jump up, grab my coat, obligatory scarf and run out the front door towards the main street of town! No one loves Sunday passeggiata (evening stroll) more than I do!  

All over Italy this ritual plays out as streets swell with well-dressed residents parading about to show off their new shoes or newest love affairs. Back and forth, up and down, back and forth.

I merge into the flow, but unfortunately find myself stuck behind three generations of a family: Grandparents, parents, children, baby buggy and even the dog. Linked arm-and-arm they’ve spread themselves across the width of the street like an Italian game of Red Rover. I wait for a slight opening in the chain and squirm my way around the group, rushing to secure a place on the bench in front of the gelateria – my absolute favorite spot for people watching. 

PasseggiataIt’s here at the intersection of Corso Cavour and Via Del Duomo that foot traffic builds to critical mass, bottlenecking to create a kind of pedestrian gridlock.

I’m so happy to have scored a front row seat for La Passeggiata d’Orvieto. All that’s missing is the popcorn. 

 *”Lo struscio” (I have been told by a local) is more often used to describe a city stroll – “La Passeggiata” is a walk in the countryside.

by Toni DeBella

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Vicolo Wars

Posted in Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Travel, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , , , on August 5, 2013| 31 Comments »

IMG_2416I live on a quiet little vicolo (alley) just off the main square in town. It’s very private – the entrance to my apartment is the only one on the lane. No cars are allowed to drive down this street, however, foot traffic, motorcycles and scooters are permitted. The motorcycle riders love to park their bikes here (rather than in the designated parking spaces just a few steps around the corner). Italian motorcycles are the iconic epitome of power and sex appeal: Ducati, Aprilia, Vespa. Motorbikes and their owners are immediately deemed “cool” in my book, so I figured living on a street where they congregate makes me cool by association.

I came home last week to find a motorcycle parked directly beneath my kitchen window making it impossible for me to water my geraniums. I left the guy a note on his windshield.

IMG_2072Yesterday I discovered two girls sitting and smoking on my stoop – their scooter helmets lying in the street. Okay fine, young girls need a secluded place to commiserate about boys, but did they have to leave behind their plastic orange juice containers and a bunch of cigarette butts on the ground? Who do they think I am, their mother?

The cigarette butts are starting to pile up. Do you have any idea know how long it takes to sweep up a month’s worth of discarded butts between the cobblestones? Forty-five minutes. That’s right, forty-five minutes! And the thin, hand-rolled ones are the worst!

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Is it really necessary to rev your engine for what seems like FOREVER, before driving away?

Today was the final straw…

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This is war!

by Toni DeBella

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Don’t Call Me “Expat”

Posted in Italy, Living abroad, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Travel, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , , , on July 26, 2013| 20 Comments »

American In Rome

I don’t like the word “Expat” –  it feels exclusionary, divisive and, dare I say it, a bit elitist. 

I never liked being a member of a clique in school either, preferring to spread myself around, hopping from one social and ethic circle to another.

1ex·pa·tri·ate verb \ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt\

1: banish, exile

2: to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one’s native country

…Nope, that doesn’t quite define me.

Look, it’s perfectly obvious that I am not from around here (especially when I open my mouth) so I see no real need to announce it, label it, or hide behind it.

Go ahead and call me an “American”, call me a “Straniera” (foreigner), call me “crazy”, but don’t call me “Expat”. 

 

Photograph “American Girl” by Ruth Orkin, 1951

 

by Toni DeBella

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House Hunters International: Mother Knows Best in Orvieto, Italy

Posted in Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto Italy, Travel, Travel to Italy, tagged , , on July 8, 2013| 71 Comments »

photo 2Yeah, I know, I’ve been in a lot of film and video lately. Fifty-six years of relative obscurity and then, all of sudden, a rash of media exposure.

House Hunters International came calling in January to film this segment shortly after my move to Italy.  The episode airs this Tuesday, July 9 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on HGTV.  

HHI LOGO

The best moments filming the show …

Appearing with my son, Andrew Todd.

Working with the fabulous U.K. crew: Director Ben, Cameraman Gordon and Soundman Martin.

…and the wrap party that followed.

The Irony….

I can’t watch it from Europe.

What I hope for…

 Good editing. 

Sincere and special thanks to… 

The City of Orvieto, Italy

Mayor Toni Concina & Riccardo Caracciolo Di Forino

David Tordi and The Bartenders 

Textile Conservator, Igor Honkanen

Painters, Massimo Chioccia & Olga Tsarkova

Marbled paper artist, Lamberto Bernardini

Bar Clandestino

Steve Brenner, Linda Martinez, Giulia, Paloma, Viola & Goji Martinez-Brenner

Daniela Tordi, Darya Tordi & Federica Romagnoli

Giulia Donato & Nick Magliulo

Consular General, Italian Consulate of San Francisco & Jeffrey Capaccio, Esq.

Biordi Imports, San Francisco

Ristorante Ideale, San Francisco

Manuela Calvet, Maya & Anais Bette

 Marisa Huber, Carol Carol Solfanelli, Suzee and Volker Ackermann & Dionne Garcia

by Toni DeBella

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Amore di Mamma

Posted in Italy, Living abroad, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Rome, San Francisco, Travel, Travel to Italy, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on May 30, 2013| 20 Comments »

Every single path we take in life has its price to pay. Fulfilling my dream comes at the expense of living far away from my son.

IMG_2181Today I especially felt the sting of that choice as I accompanied Andrew to the train station. I decided not to see him off at the airport because he absolutely hates it when I make public displays of emotion.

Honestly, I should have earned an Academy Award for this morning’s subtle and realistic performance as the upbeat and nonchalant Mom…smiling as I gave him a big hug, two kisses on the cheek (Italian style) and waved goodbye through the train window. I waited until I was on the Metro back home to burst into tears.

Andrew arrived in Rome in January to do a semester of university study.  This once shy, introverted child had become a confident, independent and adventurous man.  It’s astonishing how quickly he immersed himself into the experience: A year ago he was asking me, “How do you say “fork” in Italian?” and now I’m asking him, “Should I use the imperfect or simple past in this situation?”  I admit it does bug me a little when he orders the dinner in a restaurant to avoid the embarrassment of his mother (who’s been studying the language for six-something years) mispronouncing menu items.  I suppose I should be used to it by now – he’s been smarter than me since the third grade. 

We spent his last day in Italy quietly walking around Rome. I could tell he was sad too, but he claimed he was just tired. I know he’s ready to return to his life in San Francisco and resume his studies, earn his degree, begin a career and get on with building the life he wants for himself. I want that for him too, but I will miss my Amore di Mamma more than I can say.

by Toni DeBella

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That’s a BOY’S Name!

Posted in Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 24, 2013| 9 Comments »

Toni Perm boxFrom the time I was old enough to speak, I was a reluctant crusader against the relentless ignorance over the gender-bending name my parents assigned me at birth.  1960s Madison Avenue provided only one example to refer to when enlightening people on how to accurately write the girl-version diminutive of Anthony.  “It’s spelled with an “i” instead of a “y”, you know, like Toni, The Home Permanent.” I grew weary of the discourse and confusion about my androgynous moniker and envied girls appropriately named Mary, Cindy, or Barbara.

As I reached adulthood, the naming world evolved and it appeared the heat was finally off women with “men’s names”.  Thanks to Oprah’s Book Club, Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison became a household name and songbird Toni Braxton was a sexy girl-named-Toni babe. Things were looking up in the given name department…until I moved to Italy. 

“Mi Chiamo Toni.”  Oh, hell, here we go again.

by Toni DeBella

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The Pursuit of Happiness

Posted in Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , , , on February 20, 2013| 14 Comments »

I snapped this photo of a smiling dumpster a few years back and thought to myself, “If a dumpster can be happy, why can’t we?”

Happy Dumpster

For me happiness is like the AutoGrill on the Italian Autostrada; a pit stop on the road of life. You can pull in, park, take a coffee and hang out for a while, but you’re not permitted to set up camp. At some point you must get back into your vehicle and continue down the highway. Do you grumble as you get into your car, waiting and hoping to come across another AutoGrill soon?

When will we get it? Life is speeding past us like the scenery out our windshields. What we ought to do is run across the parking lot, jump back into our cars, roll down the windows and crank up the radio, singing bad pop songs at the top of our lungs.

Life is short. Be the dumpster.

by Toni DeBella

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The Light of a Candle

Posted in Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , on February 4, 2013| 14 Comments »

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I am very lucky to be included in your circle of friends.  Because of the distance between us we don’t see each other as often as I’d like, but when we meet it’s as if no time passes – we just pick up right where we left off.  I know what a rare and special gift this is.

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I lit a candle for you today. It burns brightly for happy memories, solidarity, friendship, peace and, most of all, love. 

by Toni DeBella

 

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Pizza in Casa

Posted in Orvieto, Orvieto Italy, Travel to Italy, tagged , , , , , on January 30, 2013| 25 Comments »

IMG_1646Just a few kilometers outside the center of Orvieto there’s an area known as Localita’ Ponte del Sole.  Drive slowly on the winding road and be careful not to blink or you might miss it: A small hand painted sign with the words “Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella” nailed to a tree.  The arrow points you down a white road that leads to a clearing…you’ve arrived at Zia Graziella’s place.

At first it might seem a bit unorthodox to find a pizzeria operating out of a private farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.  However, when you consider that Italy is a country where food is one of its greatest sources of pride and cuisine part of its national identity, a speakeasy-style establishment thriving on a word-of-mouth reputation makes perfect sense.

IMG_1645Chef Zia Graziella has been creating pasta dough for over thirty-five years – first as the proprietor of a fresh, homemade pasta shop in the historical center and now as a highly regarded, wood-fired pizza cook.  What makes her famous dough so extraordinary is that each batch is produced from an eighty-year old “mother” starter that she rolls out to a paper-thin consistency.  Her recipe uses no oil and toppings are made with only the freshest ingredients picked from her garden or gathered from local area farms.

IMG_1641The price for a pizza dinner is fixed but the menu is fluid and dictated by the growing season.  The meal includes antipasti, three or four different kinds of pizzas, dessert, wine, and coffee. Tonight, for example, we dined on Pizza Margherita (fresh tomato and mozzarella), Pizza with Fennel, Potato and Spicy Salami, and finally, Eggplant, Mozzarella and Tomato pizza.

The pizza flows like the nearby Tiber and can be stopped by leaving at least one slice on the platter – a signal to the kitchen that you’ve finished with the main course and are ready for dessert: a Pizza Nutella.  I think it was somewhere between the coffee service and the pouring of Limoncello that I slipped into a Graziella-induced coma.

IMG_1640Honestly, I’d love to tell you that this amazing, one-of-a-kind restaurant is the best-kept secret in Umbria, but I’d be lying.  Everyone knows the charming and talented Graziella: Martin Scorsese claims her gnocchi is the best he’s ever eaten and Richard Gere has her on speed dial. Not a VIP?  Don’t worry – when you eat at Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella, you’re more than just a celebrity, you’re family.

Risto-Pizzeria da Zia Graziella, Localita’ Ponte Del Sole, 38, Orvieto, Italy 05018, +39 389 792 5102

by Toni DeBella

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