Some "Light" Moving Advice
/A lot of people dream of moving to Italy, after coming here to visit. We have a lot of ideas about that, of course; but one big one is LIGHT.
Recently we spent 17 days in Parma. We “moved” up there with our two cats, Socksie and Hoover, so we could spend some good time in the area researching for our itinerary business. We rented an apartment that was just one block from the old center of town, so we could walk around Parma every day.
The apartment was larger than our home! It was a big palazzo and we rented the downstairs apartment, which is a basement apartment. The owners lived upstairs and they were really nice people. The area felt totally safe, and we loved that there was a private parking space behind a gate, so we never had to worry about our car, or finding parking.
But there was one big down side: LIGHT. It was pretty grim in that little apartment, even on sunny days. There were windows, but they looked out on the sidewalk above, so you would see feet walking past you. For lovers of old movies, it reminded us a bit of the NYC apartment in the Audrey Hepburn movie “Wait Until Dark” – without the murders, of course!
We loved being in a vibrant town like Parma, and exploring the countryside around Parma as well. But after a few days, we realized that we really missed the natural light we are used to in our home in Soriano. After 17 days, we were really feeling it!
Our cat prefers our castle views!
When you visit in Italy, you are usually out and about every day. Exploring, seeing museums, people watching, wandering small towns. Often you don’t really notice too much about the B&B or hotel you are staying in…. after all, you are not spending that many waking hours there. But if you move here, you will be home, a LOT. Either for work (like us), or enjoyment, or maybe illness. So do yourself a favor and give a lot of thought to the light. Many Italian homes are darker inside that Americans are used to. That may have to do with them being a bit smaller, or in older structures, or unusually shaped because they are in medieval town centers.
It’s also worth noting that the sunniest days, summer, are also the hottest days, and for Italians that means closing the shutters from early morning until dusk. Closed shutters keep the cool in, but they also block out light (and air), which is one reason Italians love to be outside all day in summer. Air conditioning is quite expensive here, and not nearly as Arctic cold as Americans are generally used to.
So if you are shopping for a second home, or even a first home to live in, here in Italy, look for the light!
