Food

There are now supermarkets in Italy, but not in Panicale. There we shopped among the traditional array of stores: the butcher shop (la macelleria), the deli/produce shop (la salumeria), and the general store (la bottegha). There was also a small Friday morning farmer’s market just outside the walls, where I could purchase a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. Store hours followed the typical pattern: opening at 8:00, closing at 1:00 for lunch, and re-opening at 4:00 or 4:30 until 8:00. Nothing was open on Sunday, and in Panicale the shopkeepers also stayed closed on Thursday afternoons. It took a few weeks to get the schedule down, and I was frequently running out to get something only to run up against a firmly shuttered entryway. But eventually I learned to shop in the mornings along with all the other women in town, and to lay in provender on Saturday afternoon for the rest of the weekend.

Meat is expensive but of very good quality. For example, boneless breast of chicken ran around 9 euros/kilo, with pork and beef topping out at 14 euros/kilo. The local sweet sausage was a real favorite; I usually bought four large links for about 4 euros. Prosciutto and pancetta (bacon) were fairly pricey, but a little goes a long way, so we indulged regularly. Produce was also expensive, although I attributed that to the season and was told that things are cheaper in the warmer months. But everyone I spoke with about prices told me that Italy’s conversion to the euro resulted in a 30-50% increase in prices across the board, for all kinds of commodities, and that food was particularly hard hit.

The real bargains during our stay were pasta (naturally), olive oil (processed locally), and wine (also bottled locally). A bottle of decent red table wine cost just under 4 euros, although for special occasions I would splurge on something from Montepulciano at 15 euros a bottle. Umbrian bread is surprisingly tasteless; it’s traditionally made with no salt in a long-outlived act of resistance against a 16th century papal tax. But one of the local cafes makes a fantastic prosciutto and cheese sandwich called torta al testa using bread from nearby Tuscany, so when we needed a bread fix we headed there. (Also, when traveling out of Umbria, we invariably ate a lot of bread to make up for the deprivation!) Finally, we ate a steady diet of Perugia chocolate, arguably some of the best in Europe and wonderfully affordable, coming as it did from just 30 kilometers away.

Immigration and Visa Issues

Anyone researching a stay in Italy beyond the usual 2 to 3 weeks will learn that Italian law requires foreigners to register at the local questura (police) and apply for a permesso di soggiorno after eight days in the country. You’ll also discover that US citizens can enter the 15-nation Schengen area (of which Italy is part) without a visa and stay for a maximum of 90 days. Longer-term visas, in the few categories available, are difficult to get and require massive amounts of paperwork and time.

We entered as tourists and stayed for five months. In addition, on the advice of both Italians and long-term expatriates, I did not bother with the cumbersome and frustrating process of applying for a permesso di soggiorno. The local police knew we were there (very small town, remember), but also knew a) we were not planning to stay forever, b) were not planning to work, and c) were spending good money in town. So they looked the other way and never bothered us, and I never encountered any difficulties with passports or paperwork throughout our travels in the country. I vaguely wondered if we’d be questioned/reprimanded upon leaving, had anyone noticed our entry stamp, but again, we passed unchallenged. One thing I don’t know is what would have happened if I left the country, say for a few days in Switzerland, and then tried to re-enter. Would anyone at the border have noticed? I can’t say, as it didn’t come up for us. In any event, I don’t necessarily recommend this course of action, since legally I was on shaky ground, but that’s how it worked out for us.

School

Frequently, when we met someone for the first time and explained what we were doing, our new acquaintance would look at my daughter and ask, “But what about school?” in tones ranging from anxiety to outright horror. (On the other hand, some people responded by saying, “Great idea! Maybe she’ll actually learn something worth knowing!”) I did not enroll my daughter in school while we lived in Panicale. Firstly, she didn’t want to go, and secondly, I wanted to retain the freedom of traveling when we wanted to and not be tied to a school calendar. I’m fortunate in having a child who loves to read and write and does them both excellently, so I wasn’t concerned about that aspect of her education. I did bring along the 4th-grade math textbook and we managed to laze our way through seven chapters, enough to keep her up to speed with her peers. As for the rest, her education took place among the people and places of one of the world’s great cultures. History? A day spent exploring Pompeii would seem to fit the bill. How about some art? She can recognize a da Vinci at 30 paces, finds it amusing that all depictions of Adam and Eve include superfluous navels, and fell into entranced admiration of Bernini’s “Apollo and Daphne” at the Borghese Galleries. And then there were all those heated discussions of politics and world affairs around assorted dinner tables… deciphering train schedules, bus routes, and street maps in various cities… and evaluating the quality of gelato from one end of the country to another. Now that we’re back in the US and she’s in school, I have to say that she missed nothing of importance and brought back the beginnings of a real education.

Miscellaneous

For money, I used my ATM card from my bank in the US (Panicale has one machine) and my credit cards. I also kept $300 in US currency for emergencies (which came in handy later, in London, when my wallet was stolen and I was high and dry for a few days waiting for card replacements). Prior to leaving home, I set up electronic bill paying so as to stay on top of my statements and bills.

I had mail forwarded to my sister’s address and she would send me a package every month. It was important to keep a US address, as I did occasionally order things online, especially books from Amazon.co.uk, and you need a US address on your credit card.

As a self-employed writer, I don’t have health insurance. But before leaving, I purchased a major medical plan from International Medical Group (www.imglobal.com), valid only while I remained outside the US. I paid just under $1,000 for 10 months of coverage with a $1 million limit. I never used it, but I was glad to have the security.

And Was It Worth It?

Absolutely and unequivocally yes. In fact, we wish we could go back, and haven’t relinquished the idea of actually wading through the resident visa process. But that’s a long-term goal. Until then, we’ll vacation there next summer, visiting many of the friends we made, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with the many mementos we brought back of our special time away together. 

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