Tuscany, revisited
Twelve years ago, Stanford author Angela Correll and her husband, Jess, felt a connection to the Tuscany region of Italy so deep that they decided to purchase a second home there. With that, these seventh-generation Kentuckians who had never lived more than 50 miles from their birthplaces embraced a new culture that complements their Southern roots.
Previously, Correll detailed their Italian home-buying experience in Restored in Tuscany. She follows up with her readers now in Village Life, a detailed look at the day-to-day rhythms found living in a close community she affectionately describes as Kentuscany.
Correll’s love for her second home is evident in her eagerness to share beautiful photographs of everyday moments of the people and the countryside, recipes she has acquired from the locals and suggestions on how to bring a bit of the Tuscan way of life into readers’ lives here. Covering everything from language to food to customs, Correll blends her tips with humorous stories resulting from her own learning curve. For example, a word mix-up once resulted in introducing her brother-in-law as her rabbit.
While the rural agricultural influences there are comfortably familiar, the pace, the shared spaces and the respect for rest were a happy adjustment—particularly that last quality so distinct in the Italian culture. Correll first found it difficult to embrace the afternoon downtime due to finding businesses closed for an hour or two just when she needed to run errands. This built-in break even bleeds into simply popping in on a neighbor—rest time in the home is to be respected and not interrupted. Eventually, though, Correll came to appreciate the time to organize and regroup, to reset from the morning before facing the tasks for the rest of the day. She admits, “This never happens at home, this luxurious hour of restoration. Yet here in Tuscany, it is as natural as planting red geraniums in terra-cotta pots.”
Correll also notes the influence of living in a tight community with her Italian neighbors, like closely planted grapevines. “Maybe humans mirror creation in more ways than we can even imagine,” she observes.
The community has in turn embraced the Corrells, making them feel they are a welcome part of the village. “Someone asked me the other day what drew us to Italy. I began listing the many factors, the art, history, architecture, landscape, craftsmanship, food, wine,” she explains. “And then I paused and realized while all those things are incredible attributes of a beautiful country, those qualities were only amenities to the people in our village and the connections we made.”
Seeding Stanford
Jess and Angela Correll founded The Stanford Experience, including The Stanford Inn at Wilderness Road, The Bluebird, Esther’s Wellhouse, Mama DeVechio’s Pizzeria, Cerulean Catering and Kentucky Soaps & Such, all located on Main Street in Kentucky’s second-oldest city. Learn more at www.angelacorrell.com.
Find Village Life, (Ten Peaks Press, $34.99), at Amazon or other book retailers.
