To kick off the five part series on the Ciao 60 trip to Italy for my dear Ted’s birthday, we must first chat about friends. We actually began our sixteen-day Italian adventure in France, where our friends Andrew (a fellow writer) and Christiane and their children now live. There is no better way to get over jet lag than to cook in their Provence home, play with their children, and take naps in a hammock overlooking rolling farms.
A few years ago, Andrew and Christiane took on the immense task of revamping a 17th century farmhouse, amid their work, raising a family, and Andrew’s writing. The house and farm speak to all of it. Work areas mesh with rows of books that line ancient walls, with beams in mid-repair among rooms containing the sound of children’s laughter. For a gal without kids, and for Ted whose grandchildren live far away, time with children reading books (me) or flinging them around (Ted), makes for an incredibly joyful way to begin a break from work.
To help celebrate our visit, they also threw a dinner party (very Jane Austen of them), and as we set the dining table, the late afternoon sun made everything feel like a Rembrandt painting. The light, I’ve written about this before, is incredibly different in Provence. Brighter. Softer. Sweeter. It turns moments into memories. So does sitting at a friend’s table, surrounded by old and new friends and family… what a lovely way to celebrate life. Happy birthday.