My "dream" wasn't to live in Italy like it is for so many people. 

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Since I can remember, I wanted a farm. 

That was the plan.

 

But as we all know, life takes its own path, and my career as a marriage, child, and family therapist turned out to be my focus for 40 years.

 

During my college years, still thinking I was going to be a farmer, I researched what to raise for the future farm. I set up little field trips to ranches, attended animal shows, did research, and spoke with people raising various animals, including miniature horses, emus and ostriches, llamas, and even reindeer.

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In my early 40s, I bought ten undeveloped acres in Northern California. It was a rocky hill with no soil, just dust - not the green fields and red barn I had envisioned, but it was my piece of earth, and I was going to be a good steward. In 16 years, I turned two of the dusty moonscaped acres, and, as a friend called it, into a little oasis.

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In the same year, I received a federal grant to open a counseling agency (N.C.A.T.) treating child victims of crime and abuse at no cost to the family. And I added REACH Counseling for everyone else. For the following sixteen years, I focused on counseling, the agency, and my land.

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Eventually, I created a hobby business, Celtic Farms, which produced flavored vinegar, jams, and spice blends, as well as sold heirloom vegetable seedlings. It never grew, but it was a good distraction from the work I was doing. I put in 10 to 15 hours of labor each weekend—raking, moving rocks, planting trees, and creating gardens. Most weekdays, I would spend a few hours after work and find myself out there at dusk, still moving rocks to make a path. I'd think to myself, this is silly; I should go inside, but then I'd remember the stories of neglect and abuse I heard that week, and I'd move more rocks!

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In a sense, my property was a good friend to me and is still a great source of pride. 

(Please take a look at what I did with that dusty hill. https://www.facebook.com/10acresforsale)

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I planned to stay there forever. It wasn't exactly what I had dreamed of, but it was my baby, one I had built from nothing, and it was beautiful. But after building several outbuildings (a chicken coop, sheds, greenhouse, cabana, gazebo, outdoor kitchen, a pool, a large pond, a little creek, and gardens), I had created a place much bigger than I could manage. It was time to pass it on to a family. 

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So, I retired and sold my house.

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Well, where to live? California, my home state, has the best weather. At that point, I wasn't thinking 'farm,' but I need to have land around me as much as I need air. I didn't want to 'have to' live in a neighborhood ... with neighbors ... and a small backyard. Sure, it's OK for many people. Having close neighbors has benefits, but it all depends on who they are … and my mood.

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Finding affordable land was not looking hopeful. The prices were far beyond my budget.

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Back up a few years: My maternal grandmother was from Ireland, and through her, I got dual citizenship and received my Irish passport. Friends would ask why I was getting dual citizenship. Why? I couldn't imagine living in another country, so I would joke, "For the novelty, or in case I needed a quick escape."

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Irish citizenship opened up the EU to me. 

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I traveled to Italy in 2015 to visit an old friend and meet new acquaintances I made on an expats in Italy Facebook cooking group. I am not a big traveler. The idea of visiting exciting and beautiful places and meeting new people is lovely—in theory. But I don't like to fly, and a homebody by nature. 

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Dorothy was right; there's no place like home!

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When I fantasized about long-distance travel, it would be to Alaska or Canada to see animals, or to an elephant sanctuary in Africa. I understand Italy is on the wish list for many people, but as I mentioned, it wasn't on mine.

 

Here's what happened. 

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Through FB, I was reacquainted with an old friend from school. She invited me to join an expat Italian cooking page. These folks were a lot of fun, and they ended up making me the admin, so I made many acquaintances.

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There was a lot of talk about visiting. So off I went.

 

I stayed at Solebello near Senigallia. 

Senigallia is midway down the east coast of the Adriatic Sea. It was wonderful to meet all these new people.

​* I highly recommend that anyone planning to travel join social media pages in the areas you'll be going. It's an excellent way to get information from the locals and make acquaintances before you even arrive.

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I liked Italy well enough, but I'm not at all fond of stone buildings. That's all they have here. And I'm not fond of the big cities. I've been to Rome and Bologna and don't have to return. The cities are ancient, with so much stone. But in all fairness, there is something genuinely magical about standing in a building built in the 1200s.

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The food was excellent, of course, and the people were incredible. Even though I don't speak Italian, I talked to everyone and anyone. It was a blast. And the countryside is beautiful. Overlooking the farmland with fields of different shades of green reminds me of Ireland, and, except for the humidity, it reminds me of parts of California. The flora is very familiar. Plus, Senigallia is a coastal town. I've been living in the Sierra Foothills for years. It was nice to be near the water again. I spent much of my youth hanging out on the rocky beaches of Northern California, like Point Reyes, Ft Cronkite, Bodega Bay, and Stinson Beach.

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When I returned home, I resumed the search for a place to live. There was nothing.

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So I thought, screw it, I'm moving to Italy.​​