But you are in Italy, Signora: Prelude to an Italian Spring

Returning to Australia and restless after our French family adventure, I dreamt of doing the same thing again … but in Italy, Signora. When an Italian passport debacle surfaced, I threw my hands up in disgust, swearing that Italy wasn’t for me. Covid, becoming an empty-nester and the increasingly stressful demands of managing our French holiday rental followed, and I turned once more to Italy. I was asked if it were dissatisfaction with France. I asked myself the same question. Was it a battle for affection between two European countries that the world loves to love? Was it a need for a new challenge to reduce the ache of passing life goalposts? Or was I finally ready to take on Italian bureaucracy?