From Puglia to Piemonte.. Settling as an expat in Italy
How was your experience when you first arrived as an expat in Italy?
This is the first question I am asking participants of the Calling Italy Home project.. so I thought I would share my answer with you all.
Like many expats before us (and since!), we arrived in Italy a little well.. naive.
We had big dreams that clouded our vision of the mountain sized mess in front of us in order to accept the Marco's family farm (and attached debts 😬), and to eventually begin restoring the abandoned house.
Our crazy ideas were crushed by reality one olive branch at a time (and there were 600 to prune).. and eventually after five months of labour and intense frustration- we decided that this masseria was not our battle.
Instead we decided to follow a different dream- for Marco to make Barolo. After years working abroad as a winemaker in the worlds most prestigious wine regions, it seemed only fitting that he should also make wine in his home country.
And so we found ourselves here, in Piemonte. Where Marco spent his days knee deep in wine (okay not exactly), whereas I've been spending most of my days in comfort, enjoying the view of Monviso from my home-office window.
Photos of us by Sarah Stangl
I run an online education platform for photographers, but I really miss what I did for almost a decade in Australia- professional portrait photography. I love meeting with people, getting to know them and seeing their faces light up when they see that they’re photogenic after all! So what better way to re-start my photography career than with a project that allows me to meet other expats.
If you’d love a professional photoshoot to celebrate your life here in Italy (I’ll be travelling to every region), and would be up for sharing your story for the coffee table book, I’d love for you to apply!
Find out more here: https://classicoportraits.com/expats
Calling Italy Home
Places are limited. Applications close January 10th.