A Day in the Life - A million small moments

INSPIRATION

A Day in the Life – a million small moments

‘A million small moments happened today, each an explosion of wonder, a tiny minute of joy’

Lisa Chiodo

We spent the afternoon chatting with our elderly neighbor Antonio. He lives just up the road from us in the next Borgata. His nephew was busy planting potatoes one at a time in neat rows. I feel the sun warming my back as I watch him, now that the sun is here everyone is out and about.

Silvio helps Sam clear the trees for our orto {vegetable garden}, chopping the branches with his machete and he laughs when I tell him he reminds me of Mel Gibson (yes he knows who that is). Marino takes the cuttings for the goats and we put up the fence to keep the chickens from the veggie garden to be. Anna wanders past with a machete hanging from her apron.

Antonio takes us on a tour of his Borgata, he gives me a stem of Lilly of the Valley and asks me the English name. His wife kept a beautiful garden but passed away last year, he talks of her as if she is about to appear at any moment. He has tiny cactus planted in an old pair of shoes and at last I find a thriving wisteria so I intend to plant one at our house next year.

Our children are minding the goats, two have tiny babies all wobbly legs and wagging tails pulling at their mothers for milk. Carina has a feather in her hair and Luca is carving away at a branch to make a walking stick, it’s already smooth.

Life is simple ….. A million small moments

A million small moments

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and the gang x

35 replies

Rocky says:
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Wonderful! You and your family are fulfilling the dreams so many of us wish for. Love and blessings to all of you! Ciao!
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Trisha Thomas says:
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What a beautifully written post with gorgeous photos. I just love the little old lady with the machete shoved into a belt on top of her dress. Fantastic. And your son is so handsome. The whole post if filled with happiness and tranquillity. I am so happy for you Lisa, it is what you deserve!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ah married to an Italian it’s not all tranquility here, and especially now we are all out of our element. Still the moments are wonderful and beginning to grow, perhaps one day I will have tranquility base here lol x
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Talia says:
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What beautiful reflections of your journey!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  How perfectly put Talia xxx
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Linda Chapman says:
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All beautiful. Truly makes me yearn to be there instead of here. I know in my heart I originated in Italy. However I arrived in United States, I have no clue. But I know my heart will always be found in Italia. Thank you for all the photography of the land I truly love and for which I long to claim as my own. Blessings and good wishes to you and your family, Lisa.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Funny now I’m here I yearn to be home, I think it’s a natural part of being human. So many people have their heart in Italy and it’s easy to see why she is captivating. thanks for your wishes and sending them back to you xxx
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La Contessa says:
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Love Love Love the photo of the RONCOLA…….on the older woman.Most likely I’m not spelling that right but thats what they are called!You seem to be settling in just fine!BRAVISSIMA!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  OH thanks for that, we have three older ladies here and they all carry them. Not for me quite yet lol x
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Margaret | Destination Here&Now says:
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Lisa this is so lovely because it reminds me of our friends in Sottovalle, not far from you. Such a beautiful beautiful part of the world. Your photography feels stronger in this post too, like you’ve had more time to frame your shots. The one of the elderly lady walking up the hill with the machete in her belt is classic. xx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  It is a beautiful area and this valley is glorious, a popular place for holidays and we’ve already seen the effect of a warm day on the traffic here. We are told you can’t cross the road in Summer and I can see why. Thanks for that lovely comment about the photography, it’s usually my husband Sam who carefully composes his shots, I am a bit of a snapper. Here it just seems natural to slow everything down and take the time to think things through. I’m also getting back into photographing people and getting up close and personal, Luca is funny he just walks up to the people he want’s to photograph and they always pose for him lol xxx
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Catherine says:
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What a heartfelt post. Glad the warm weather has arrived for you too. It’s time to get our hands dirty!! Xcat
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ha Ha a new experience for me, Sam loves the garden so I hope we get lots of veggies. Our neighbor gave us some bean seeds that are his own little secret stash and ‘foreign’ he whispers to us. He gave us two dates to plant them, we’ve missed the first because of all the rain so waiting for the second. Let’s get dirty!!!
  xxx
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Lisa Wood says:
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Such gorgeous photos – what are you doing for homeschooling or will both children be going to school?
Luca looks so very happy, and it seems like the most perfect way to have a childhood – living, talking, sharing and being part of the community. Sounds ideal 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh gosh Lisa I am so disorganized with home schooling and struggle to keep the kids to a routine as they want to be off playing. How do you manage it, they can’t go to school until September and I don’t know if they will be together or in separate schools which is a bit of a worry. Carina is picking up the language quickly but Luca is taking a bit longer. I do love that the kids are able to have some freedom and learn from the locals xxx
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  - Lisa Wood says:
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    Never worry – they are learning more from life than any schooling can teach them xxx
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    - Lisa Chiodo says:
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      I certainly hope so Lisa, this year has been a total year off school so we’ll see. Looks like the kids will be going to different schools starting in September so I am just enjoying this freedom until then. We parents often doubt ourselves don’t we. sending love x
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Debra Kolkka says:
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It is these little moments that make life fun here in Italy. I planted 6 wisteria yesterday, as well as roses, fruit trees, lavender and rosemary. Here’s hoping they all grow.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Deb can’t wait to get planting some flowers especially wisteria, lavender, and the iris’s here are glorious. Love the poppies and lilly of the valley. I’m sure you have a green thumb and will have a riot of flowers x
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Heather in Arles says:
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What a gorgeous post, Lisa. Sending all my Best to you from Provence!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Merci Heather and our neighbor Claudio tells me it’s only a three hour walk over the mountains and I will be in France! The dialect here is strongly French and so are many of the names in fact the previous owners (and half the valley) are related to the Bonjour’s x
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jann says:
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Ah, how sweet, Lisa–your kids, the goat kids, the flowers, potatoes, and Anna with her machete. All of it precious. Moments of joy & wonder, indeed. xxxxxxxx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  I have to be careful now how I use the word ‘kids’ or I cause confusion lol x
  You know these moments Jann I see them captured so beautifully at your blog.
  love lisa x
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Anne caddy says:
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Lisa love reading and seeing your pictures this is the life Deegan would love think of you all often

Anne
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Luca loves it here, he has so much freedom, of course Mummy is freaking out a bit but I’m learning to deal with it xx sending love x
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Krista says:
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I so love these moments you’ve captured. 🙂 The photo of the old lady with a machete is PRICELESS!! 🙂 I’m so glad you have such people around you to make your life rich. xo
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  It seems like most people here carry them around, not us quite yet. Leave the house and put on your machete ….even when going visiting lol xx
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Jackie Stenhouse says:
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Loving your knew way of life. Seems so simple but I can see everything would be done for a purpose and time would not be wasted.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  So true Jackie, everything has it’s purpose and often one we are unaware of. We are total novices and it shows. x
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Val Smith says:
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Oh my god. If only I could transport myself to this gorgeous existance that you and your family are living I would do it in an instant. What a wonderful thing to be able to achieve your dream and to have a wonderful husband and children to share all the special moments. The simple life that these people live in your villiage and surrounds is enspiring. They don’t need lots of worldly goods to live a happy and fruitful life. The pleasure of seeing the crops that they have planted and the new spring arrivals of goats etc is all that is need to sustain their lifestyle.

These people have wonderful tales to tell and I am sure that you will bring these stories to life in your future blogs. I wait with baited breath to hear all the new tales that will ensue over the many months. Your photographs are gorgeous. I hope that you are able to grow your Wisteria and also to grow Gods flower “The Lilly of The Valley”. I can smell the fragrance just looking at the picture of it hanging like little snow drops.. Lilly Of The Valley is a favourite flower of mine, as it invokes memories of my childhood and a mother lost too early in my life.

I am thinking now that it is never too late to take up a new challenge in life. I would love a simple existence and to be able to take off and do what you are doing now. Who knows? Maybe Italy beckons to me. better go off and get those Italian lessons post haste.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Val I could so see you living in Italy, each day brings something new to inspire. The people here don’t seem to long for something else like we do, they live within nature and her cycles. I thought of you immediately when Antonio handed me the little stem of Lilly of the Valley. So fragile and beautiful, he had it growing along his fence. So I will wait to hear of your new challenge and what you plan, Italian lessons sound perfect lol xx
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Deborah Rusconi says:
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Lisa,

This is beautifully written and photographed! What a glorious existence for you all……… I always love seeing your latest posts but this one is particularly beautiful!

Please keep writing so that I can keep enjoying……!!!!!!

Best wishes to you everyone.

Deborah
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  So many small moments Deborah, thanks for reading along.
  sending love lisa x
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