Dolce far niente

I believe everybody, once in a lifetime, has dreamed about living in Italy or visiting Tuscany.

I grew up with the Hollywood version of the Italian lifestyle full of pasta, pizza, wine, fields of purple frosting grapes, Vespas, nonnas preparing food, opera singers selling fruits, castles and mountains, turquoise sea, cathedrals...

Diane Lane was cursed with an inherited house in Italy in the beautiful movie Under the Tuscan Sun, released in 2003. After that, I was also condemned by my passion for the Italian language and landscapes, adding Italy to my travel bucket list right after watching that.

We have been here since the beginning of March, after a very disappointing trip to Portugal, and it's true. It's a beautiful, warm, naturally blessed place, and better than our past experience in Porto.

The food is incredible, even if you're eating in the train station cafe. People are charming, outspoken, and extrovert - and also very, very well dressed.

The Dolce Far Niente is possible and real.

We enjoyed just walking around and eating, just doing niente.

There are lovely stone houses, green wood windows in the Cinque Terre mountains, and stunning views around the Arno River. Little alleys and houses that look like castles in Pignone, great wine, and nice nonnas in the church in Genoa, and it is, for sure, a very good feeling of accomplishing a dream to walk these streets - despite not at all similar to inheriting a house, moving to Tuscany and falling in love with an Italian, like Diane Lane.

But, maybe for now, we feel like Italy is a bit difficult for a long-term life - for foreigners trying to raise a trilingual child. Narrow streets, no parking spots, piled houses, difficult rentals, complex language (not for me), prices against our currency, and no clear legal path for us to stay more than 90 days as tourists.

We don't have much time available to stay in a "doing nothing" mood or to learn how to make gelato for fun and learn more than Buongiorno, for now.

Unfortunately, having a child, stability, and facilities are more than necessary. A system made of a good school (and, in this case, international), childcare, hospitals, and fun activities are as essential as routine. We couldn't build properly without residence permits or while trying to figure out our citizenship documents.

As we entitled ourselves travelers, we are ready to say goodbye to Italy to seek a place with a more accessible and clear path, at least for now.

One of our golden rules is not to force. Not force a place to fit, a shoe to fit, a relationship, or anything if you're feeling a weird "beating the head into the wall" kind of feeling.

The movie is worth watching, as Italy is a fantastic place to visit and set roots. But right now, we will keep searching for our little home.

So, we might stay here for a few more days to finish our stuff and charge our batteries for the next adventure.

Arrivederci!