Wake Up Call

This is my most special place in all the world. Once a place touches you like this, the wind never blows so cold again. You feel for it like it was your child.

— Moonlight Graham, Field of Dreams

You awake hun?

I am now…what’s up?

Well, I found a couple of houses for rent in this town not too far from Florence. They’re big enough to fit our group and one place even has a pool. They’re in the hills just outside of this neat little town called Lucca, its a walled city. It looks great from the pictures the owners sent.

So, it’s Italy for sure? Not Ireland or Scotland, the land of our heritage?

Yep its Italy. Mo said if we had one trip to take to Europe in our lives, we should go to Italy with the kids and right now, they’re at the perfect age, they don’t hate us yet, so this is that trip!

I’m in, which house do you think is best?

Well, this one in the village called Aquilea is owned by a guy named James, I think he’s English or maybe even American. His correspondence has been great and I just “have a feeling” Anyway, he just built a pool and it has great views, only 20 minutes from Lucca and we can get to Florence by train.

How about the other houses? Well, they look nice too, a little smaller and cheaper but no pool.

So, this one in Aquilea is pricey but perfect?

I think so…but it really is more money.

Well, we’re only going once, the kids are only young once, so we might as well go for it, you never know what the future holds.

That was 15 years ago and too many trips to Lucca to count. So began our journey. Two apartments and 15 years later, the feeling that Moonlight Graham described has never left; the scent of agrarian life in the morning air and the ever changing colors created by the Tuscan light are just some of the elements that have made each day in Tuscany special.

It’s knowing that while I look at my watch and the second hand is still moving, it just seems to be moving more slowly, giving me hope that our time in Lucca can continue to be shared with old friends, and ones we’ve yet to meet along our journey.

A presto,

Gillie