Perks

As many of you have heard, and my last post alluded to, there are difficulties in Italy.  There are difficulties anywhere you live really, and often times following the Lord leads to even more difficulties. But amid the difficulties and culture shock and language barrier, there are some sweeeeeet perks.

As we've been settling in, we've been gather items to finish 'making our home'.  Those items include dishes!  I saved my dishes in America and used them often to host friends and family for parties or dinners.  We love to have people over, so great dishes, and lots of them, are a must!  After living with the Marcos' for 3 weeks and eating on and eyeing their beautiful dishes, I was eager to get my hands on some for our home.

So last week Tricia graciously took Finn and I to Nove, about 2 hours north of Bologna.  Its a small town with beautiful architecture and manicured flower gardens.  But the real treasure there is La Ceramica VBC.  Many people know and love ceramics and pottery from Italy.  And you can even pick up some great pieces at our local market on the weekends, but this particular ceramic boasts quite the reputation.  Familiar with Tiffany & Co?  William Sonoma?  Vietri?

This hidden gem makes the pottery and dishes for these brands and stores and exports them to the US!

The entry display at the store.

Finn was angelic in the car as we made the trip North.  We pulled into a simple gravel drive and walked into the pottery factory.  There was pottery in all stages, with Italian craftsmen sculpting, firing, and painting!  You walk through the factory and up the stairs to a giant showroom of all the beautiful finished pieces!

A quick shot of the factory.  The boxes in front are ready to be shipped to the US.

It's a little overwhelming at first, walking up and down the aisles looking at all the choices!  The last time I considered dishes was when we registered for our wedding.  That day I needed to get dishes and serving ware for a whole kitchen and a big team coming in August (praise the Lord)!

Overwhelming!

I had a real struggle initially deciding between bone colored and white.  Guys may mock this heavy choice, but I hope the female audience can empathize.  I settled on a few of both.

My personal rack I filled with my selections.

My favorite area of the store was the back racks where they place very slightly imperfect dishes and mark them down to nearly nothing-even lower than the already steal of a deal!  I scored a beautiful platter.

I paid 5€ ($6.56) for this platter with a minimal chip.  As seen here, it retails for $142 in the states!  Praising God for this cost savings!

I worked especially diligently to pick out some great coffee cups for Alex.  He was very pleased with all of my choices and we feel like we've been dining royally since my trip.  

Working to put away the dishes in our cabinets.

We're on the final leg of settling into our apartment as a friend from church finishes painting this week! Then I can hang photos and decor on the walls!  Wall decor really makes a place feel homey.  

Another small perk is our proximity to wonderful towns!  Alex was able to tour some cities two summers ago while he was here on Summer Project.  I've seen very little of Italy.  Throughout the summer we'll be trying to take several 'daycations' on the weekends to get to know our new home country!  The greatest perk is the low cost of traveling to some of these wonderful historic cities from Bologna.  We hopped over to Verona last weekend for just 9€ a person each way!  We save greatly from not having a car here-so we funnel some of that savings into travel!

My guys looooved Verona!

We saw Castelvecchio, 1345 AD.

And toured Basilica of San Veno.

Construction began in 1045 AD.

We saw Juliette's balcony.

And I naturally signed the guest book proclaiming our love.

On the Ponte Pietra bridge.  This bridge was completed in 100 BC!

Looking out over the city.  My great husband wore Finn on his back all the way to the top.

 We're so blessed to live in such a historic country, and traveling really helps us learn the history of the people here and a great deal of the back story to the ideologies of the students we minister to.  Praising the Lord for the sweet perks of Italy and the opportunity to serve the Lord in this rich culture!