Moving to a Cold Climate - Piedmont Italy

SIMPLE LIFE

Brrrrrrrr…. baby it’s cold outside!

Can i tell you a little secret…. I hate the cold!

I love the winter, the snow and living here in Piedmont but I have never liked the cold…. or rather feeling cold.

I think perhaps I was a cat in a previous life, one that slept all winter by the fire.

Right now I have a hot water bottle under my socked feet, it’s 5pm and the wood fire has been going all day and I’m still freezing!

I have a circulation issue which means my feet always feel like blocks of ice. (anyone know a good remedy for this let me know)

Meanwhile Sam is wandering the house in a short sleeved shirt, like it’s the middle of summer.

So about now, mid winter I start missing my former home in tropical Queensland just a street from the beach.

Although I must say winter here isn’t as bad as you may think.

Cold weather in Italy is totally manageable.

Even with high snows we still have beautiful clear blue sky days and sunshine.

Living with cold weather in Italy

Here’s my cold weather short list:

Buy your cold weather gear when you get to Europe, it’s way cheaper and the variety is amazing.
Keep an emergency kit in the car! My husband keeps bringing this in and I keep putting it back in the car. It has a torch, extra clothes for the kids and a big coat for me just in case we break down on the side of the road.
Keep the snow shovel by the door, you never know when you’ll have to dig your way out.
Remember your teenage daughter will swipe your good black leather boots and warm black leggings you bought in Australia… just kiss them goodbye and use Sams track suit pants to keep warm about the house. (yep glamour is my middle name)
If you’re crazy enough to want to go spend the day out in the snow with your kids take lots of socks and never tuck their pants into their boots, learned this one the hard way.
You know the saying “Location Location Location” well for me during winter it’s “Layers Layers Layers” starting with a thermal (which you can get at most markets and stores). Best place to get larger sizes has been Decathalon.
Invest in multiple woolly hats, gloves and scarfs (we get them ranging in price from 1 euro up to 5 euro for the fancy ones) as they always seem to go missing.
Keep spare gloves because they always go missing, and when you fall over in the snow without gloves getting up is chilly for your hands.
Drink lots of Hot Chocolate Piemontese style (okay you don’t HAVE to do this but why not! Oh and be sure to ask for panna on top! Trust me it makes a difference!)
Keep telling yourself that summer will be here soon! Oh and for all my Aussie friends who keep sending me beach photos… I hate you lol x

Keeping the house warm: cold weather in Italy

Make sure your house is well insulated, with double glazed doors and windows.
Every opportunity you get, gather wood…. all wood is good wood for the fire! Whenever I go for a walk though the year I take a big bag and gather bits of wood…. great for getting the fire lit in winter.
Learn how to light a fire, it took me ages to get this right and now both of our children can easily light a fire (without firelighters).
Autumn leaves are great for kindling, gather them through Autumn.
Make sure you’re never the first one up and about…. especially if your fire lighting skills are slightly lacking due to shivering.

And my best advice is to just give in to the cold, put on lots of layers and get out and enjoy it!

and the gang x

12 replies

Carolyn Keane Franzoni says:
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Lisa, cold weather comments from Canada:
-Add booster cables to your car emergency kit
-during the winter, consider your gas tank as empty at the 1/2 way mark
-add some granola bars or chocolate
-hand warmers (the ones you activate) are wonderful
-always follow municipal rules for tire chains
-thin foil like camping blankets will trap body heat and don’t take up space
-have a container to melt snow if needed for drinking.
-extra hats! Our heads are a major source of heat loss!

Re cold feet-mine are large blocks of ice. A small tens unit ( dr Ho’s)can really help with circulation. A warming ointment also helps with circulation. There are also “spa socks” with inserts you heat in the microwave. Heavenly!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh love the warm socks idea… I keep telling Luca to take a hat and gloves in his bag to school…. stubborn just like dad!!!
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Di says:
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Beautiful!! I loved this xx
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Gary Francis says:
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Wow, looks chilly! We’re heading to Piedmont (Torino, Alba, Barolo) in April. Hope it’s warmed up. Enjoying the stories and imagining ourselves living in Italy. Cheers!
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  We’re having an unusually warm winter and sunny days, by April the weather should be lovely. We’re about an hour from Turin in Val pellice, have a great trip xx lisa
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Glenn Martin says:
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Thank you for ‘Baby…It’s cold outside’ You know my thoughts. Enjoyed your blog and wanted to mention something that I adore coming from Canada) A heated Mattress pad. Electric use is minimal and it is so much more wonderful than the weight and heat of a blanket.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  LOL now we’re talking!!! Sam just put in a wood heater in our bedroom for the first time in 5 years I’m warm in winter upstairs! I had electric blankets as a teen and often woke up roasting myself… thanks for being a shining light in my online world… can’t wait to one day meet in person… Buon Natale xx lisa
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Timothy Coode says:
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Close fitting silk vest first, on top of that short, or long sleeve, merino wool base layer.
Or, as both of these are not cheap I use close fitting poly wool mix vests from, of all places Australia, and cheap too.
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Joyce Pondrano says:
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I’m dying for some snow in sunny Hong Kong
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Krista Bjorn says:
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Oh girl, you made me laugh today. 🙂 I’d HAPPILY trade you this sweltering Queensland day for your snowy Italian one. 🙂 Your tips are awesome too. As a Canadian, I heartily concur with everything you said. 🙂
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Clare Galloway says:
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LOve it, Lisa! We’ve had a relatively mild winter so far down in Guardia Sanframondi, BN, but there are some cold winds closing in, and a few flakes of snow here and there – nothing like your spectacular photos… Fortunately, I moved from a colder country to this one, so everything is much brighter and warmer for me – nevertheless, I am also in bed with heavy duvets over my lap at 6pm – avoiding the hike up the hill to the piazza to get my tronchetti for the stufa ;-D Warm hugs to you! xx
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Wynne says:
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Ha! Your last sentence made me laugh out loud. I couldn’t survive winter without my silk long underwear – it has saved me many a time!

I remember the first time I stayed at your place (Nov. 2013), I went to bed with a hot water bottle – SO toasty for my feet! And socks, shorts, t-shirt, sweat pants, a hooded sweatshirt. And wore my winter coat all day like a sweater (jumper, to you).

You must have a guest in the apartment now, otherwise I imagine you’d be over there, nice and warm. Two more months and hopefully you’ll be more comfortable. And yes, I remember Sam being in short sleeves – crazy!

Love to you all – only 8+ more months!! xo
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