Three years ago this week, I relocated from Tuscany to the Veneto. In less than 11 days I had met with a realtor, and settled on the first house I saw, after looking at only three. Pianneze del Lago ended up being the perfect place to be. What is it that we love so much about being here? Let us count the ways…
1) This View
2) Amazing Neighbors
When I first moved in one of the first things that attracted me to the housing complex was the sense of community that I felt almost immediately. Previously, all the other houses I’ve lived in internationally were very separate from the rest of the neighborhood. Yes I’ve had nice neighbors, but nowhere else have I felt so at home as I do here. When Alicia entered the picture, everyone was thrilled! Upon returning from our honeymoon, the gate to the complex and our garage door was decorated with ribbons extending congratulations. Our immediate neighbor, Anna, has become one of Alicia’s closest friends. Just yesterday we had lunch with her and her family and enjoyed a passeggiata around the neighborhood.
3) The Countryside Ambiance
People at the office keep telling me I should move to central Vicenza to be closer to the nightlife, restaurants, and easier commute. “A young couple shouldn’t be living in the middle of nowhere!” they say. We couldn’t disagree more… One of the most enjoyable things about living in Pianezze del Lago is the ambiance! The church bells that let us know what time it is, but not in an obnoxious way. The birds singing in the morning when we open up the house. The fresh breeze from the hills on hot summer evenings, or that amazing fresh smell the air has after a rain shower. These are things you don’t get living in the city, and things we will truly miss when we leave this summer.
4) The Bike Commute
Yes we can bike from wherever we live, but no place else I could have chosen to call home would I have been as excited about biking from as here in Pianezze del Lago. When it isn’t too cold outside for a bike ride (which basically means any morning low less than 15°C for me), nothing gives me greater joy than waking up by way of an invigorating 30 minute bike ride through the countryside and into the city to the office. 30 minutes is just long enough to make it a worthwhile workout, but not so long that I have to wake up ridiculously early in order to make it to work “on time”. A commute in my Volkswagen takes the same amount of time with stop-and-go traffic, so I might as well do it on the bike!
5) Fare una Passeggiata
We’ve written about this cultural phenomenon at least a few times already. But it’s worth mentioning again because Pianezze del Lago is actually a passeggiata destination for hundreds of Vicentini each and every weekend, holiday, or summer evening. The Colli Berici have been a retreat from the hot cramped confines of central Vicenza for hundreds of years, so the fact that people still get in their cars and drive out here to escape and enjoy a cool walk in the countryside is not too surprising. We’re just lucky we live here and can do it whenever we want without having to drive anywhere 🙂
One of the great things about living an international lifestyle is that we are forced to adapt and enjoy the best things about wherever we end up calling home. So while we might not ever live in a place like Pianezze del Lago again, we look forward to discovering what makes our next home the perfect place to live.
Intentionally International 