Teverola, Italia~Behind Closed Doors

The little village where the kids live is called Teverola and I have been pondering how best to describe it for a couple of days. It is very old, quaint, and has very narrow streets. From the outside nothing looks contemporary but~behind closed doors you are in for some surprises.

What I mean is that the store fronts are much like what a storage unit front would look like at home. Each day they roll up the door, set out their wares and sell their merchandise on the sidewalks and inside the shops. They are surprisingly nice inside as compared to the outside. You'd make more money here as a designer than as a landscaper.

Once past the front door of the restaurant we had lunch in on Tuesday, you could imagine you were in a rather posh place, but the outside did not "invite you in" as we say in the staging business. Same with the shops and the mall Laura & I visited yesterday. If you know where you are going you can find some great places. Exploration is a big part of living here for sure.

The Parko Gated Complex~Outside Laura and Robert's Bella Villa

Arriving at night we couldn't see much outside but we were so impressed with the Wadsworth Bella Villa. Honestly, this is our favorite home they have ever had. It is so well-built and absolutely so comfortable inside.

It feels very safe behind a large metal gate and once inside you feel a piece of the more familiar around you. At the same time we are loving the things that seem rather different like the bathrooms with their bidets. Laura has cleverly made a little turtle habitat for their pet turtle in one as they are not used in the traditional fashion. The boys love having their pet "Oscar" in their bathroom.

They have three balconies that are fun, tile rounded staircases, gorgeous new windows with real shutters, and a great kitchen with a six burner gas stove. Laura has decorated it just beautifully and I think you all should come for a visit! They were very generous and gave us the master bedroom and I think it is one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. It truly feels so vacation-like! I want to make a slide show of their house at some point but for now I will just put in a picture or two.

Their Master Bedroom where we are fortunate enough to be sleeping!

The Bella Villa Living Room

One of the things that makes me feel like we are flashing back and forth between antiquity and now is that once you go on to the base you are definitely feeling the American influence. You feel right at home. My first lunch in Italy was at Taco Bell. Yup, pretty sorry, but true! It was fun for Laura as she hadn't even noticed the TB there before so she chose it for a fast meal while we were shopping at the commissary. The best Italian meals we have had so far have all been at Laura and Robert's house!

Today Jim, Robert and Spencer went to Pompeii for the day. They had a great time even though it was quite rainy. They found it fascinating and I think James is planning to do a post on it at some point. Laura surprised me with an appointment with her friend that does reflexology this morning so I had a very relaxing foot massage to start out the day. Then we went out exploring the local area while we waited for Ross to get out of school. It was really fun.

We had a pizza slice for lunch and this is what hers looked like. She got it just so she could blog about it. Who would ever think to put French fries and sliced hot dogs on a pizza? It was as gross as it looks!

Hot dog and French fry pizza??

It has been a fun, relaxing, and interesting few days. It is really great to see how people actually live in a different culture. We are starting some touristy things tomorrow in the area and leaving for the Almalfi Coast on a day trip on Friday and then heading out for Rome on Saturday and then up into northern Italy for eleven days.

It is all so spectacular and the best of it all is being with Laura and Robert, Spence and Rossie!