Village Life: What I Love About It
When I moved to Italy, I spent the first few months living and breathing village life in my dad’s small town of Carpanzano. It was a refreshing change from the chaos of living in a big city like Toronto.
I eventually found a job in the city of Cosenza and found myself living the city life again. I love Cosenza, it is the perfect-sized city. You have all the luxuries you’d want in a city on a smaller scale.
But just like any city, it can be tiring. The traffic, crowds of people, long work days and deadlines. Sometimes, you just need to get away and fortunately for me, I live close enough to my dad’s village that I can escape for the weekend to recharge.
In Italy, I’ve lived the village life and the city life and I’ve found there are things about living in a village that you can’t find living in a city.
Friendly Neighbours
In the village, everyone knows everyone and it’s not uncommon to have neighbours pop in throughout the day, usually bringing gifts like freshly-picked fruits and vegetables or freshly made goodies. It’s nice that there is still a sense of community that, for the most part, has been lost in a city life Toronto. Since Cosenza is a small city, you do find that you encounter the same people who live and work in your area, so you do greet each other, but you most likely won’t find them ringing your doorbell with a plate of polpette di riso.
The Views
Carpanzano, like many villages, is nestled in the hilltops. Wherever you are in the village, you are greeted with vast panoramas of mountains sprinkled with neighbouring villages. There is one particular view in Carpanzano that completely inspires me. I’m not sure exactly what it is. Maybe, it’s the fact that on a clear day you can see for miles, reminding you that the world is a big place and there is so much more out there than just the little bubble we create for ourselves.
Just Breathe
Cities, big or small, can be suffocating – closed spaces, car exhaust, and not a lot of large green spaces. So, the first thing I do when I get to my dad’s village is take a long deep breath. Fresh air gives you renewed energy, increases happiness and is just overall essential to our bodies. I enjoy breathing the crisp air of a fall morning and the subtle aromas floating out of your neighbour’s kitchen. When you are in full-on city mode, it’s sometimes easy to forget to just breathe!
Embracing the Simple Life
You may laugh, but in Carpanzano there is no ADSL internet. We rely on not-so-fast cell phone data to connect to the internet. Since I don’t have a ton of data, I’m not spending hours on WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram. I’m literally disconnecting and opting for the simpler things like taking a walk, chatting with my family and neighbours, learning a new recipe from my Zia, reading a book or writing. We have become so inundated with distractions and time-suck activities that sometimes its difficult to find the time to do simple things like reading a book.
So, where do you live and do you prefer the quiet village life or the hustle and bustle of the city? I’d love to know, so share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Alexis
February 25, 2021 at 6:07 pmMy ancestors are from Carpanzano. Looks beautiful. Hopefully when travel restrictions are lifted, I can get there.
LuLu
February 27, 2021 at 10:43 amHi Alexis, thanks for your comment. Do you know if you still have distant relatives in Carpanzano? When you do make it here, be sure to let me know!
C.TdeF
October 6, 2017 at 8:53 pmWhat a lovely place to live! I totally agree that we often get distracted by technology and that taking time to log out is essential!
LuLu
October 7, 2017 at 8:30 amI’m so fortunate to have the oppourtunity to step away for a bit and just take a break. If I don’t go to my dad’s town, it’s almost 100% certain that I’ll find something to do.
Amy
October 6, 2017 at 8:33 pmSuch a great and informative post. I’ve been wanting to go to Italy for years. I need to add this place to my list of must sees there
LuLu
October 7, 2017 at 8:29 amI recommend the south, it’s less touristy and there are some interesting places to see! 🙂
Lauren
October 6, 2017 at 8:30 pmYour pictures are beautiful! I love getting out of the city and being able to disconnect – I love in Southern California so sometimes getting away means heading to the beach, but a bigger trip is definitely needed!
LuLu
October 7, 2017 at 8:28 amThe beach is also a great place to unwind…I enjoy sitting back and watching a good sunset! It makes me forget about that long to-do list back at home (at least for a bit!)
Cathrine Chicotka
October 6, 2017 at 8:20 pmI love finding some tranquility and escaping from the business of the city. Love these amazing views too!
LuLu
October 7, 2017 at 8:27 amThanks! I totally agree, we can get so caught up in the chaos of the city that we forget how important it is to just step away and recharge! 🙂
Ronald
October 5, 2017 at 9:31 pmI enjoyed reading this. I do like visiting the smaller ports and villages of Vancouver Island.
LuLu
October 6, 2017 at 7:04 amI really liked some of the smaller towns we visited in BC too! They have unique personalities that you can’t find in the bigger cities!
KareninCalabria
October 4, 2017 at 7:56 pmYou bring up so many good points. I think that ultimately I prefer the tranquillity of the countryside, even though it’s sometimes hard to relax in the face of weak or nonexistent internet. In the long run, the withdrawal is a good thing.
LuLu
October 5, 2017 at 7:17 amI definitely like the countryside when I want to get away for a bit. Some villages are still really well connected to neighbouring towns and cities but my dad’s town has very little (almost non-existent) public transportation. So unless you have a car, you are pretty much stuck there. I think it really depends on where you live, the population and what types of facilities are available.