For the next 11 days, I will be reading my short novella set around Valentine’s Day called Anna in Tuscany. The text is below the podcast. We’ll start today with Chapter 1.
Click to hear Chapter 1 (6 minutes, 56 seconds) on Spotify. Enjoy, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Anna in Tuscany Podcast: Chapter 1ANNA IN TUSCANY
Chapter 1
I remembered a story my late grandmother, Nana, told me years ago about how lucky the number seven was for her. She married my grandfather, Vittore, (seven letters in his name) during a light snowfall on the seventh of January (a month with seven letters) in Livorno, Tuscany, (a town and region each containing seven letters), where they raised seven children and lived for many years before moving to the United States. It was one of those stories she would tell frequently, laughing about how ironic it was that her life had seemed to be determined by all things related to the number seven.
Incidentally, Nana’s name was Arianna (seven letters), and I was named after her, although I am called Anna, a shortened version of the name we share.
Like a movie playing in my head, I pictured her sitting around our large dining table, her animated face telling that story the night I sat on a small suitcase begging it to close, the contents of it stuffed with clothing and reminders of my life here in America. In a matter of hours, I would board a flight at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 7, 2017, with the intention to live in Italy for a full year.
I wondered if Nana would think this meant my luck would change.
“Anna,” my father shouted up the stairs. “We’ve got to get going or you’ll be late, and check-in takes forever at this hour!”
“I’m coming,” I said.
As I looked around my apartment for the last time, most of my belongings already moved into a storage facility down the road—my father and my brother promising to move the remainder of my things out after I’d gone—I swallowed hard. And while it was a big leap for me to leave my immediate family for twelve months, Italy was a second home to my parents. They were the ones who had pushed me to study abroad in Rome during college.
Life throws us unexpected curve balls, and at the age of thirty-three, my editor approached me about the opportunity to plant myself in Italy and write about its various regions. I’d been writing travel pieces for the magazine and website for three years, when the idea came to my editor to plant me in Italy. When I mentioned having family there—and possibly a place to hang my hat for while—I’d been selected as the obvious choice to go. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I spoke a little Italian.
The family apartment in Siena had just been emptied, as the previous renters moved out at the end of December, and my mother’s sister Rosa was more than happy for me to take on the lease. Rosa, who lived in our family’s long-standing home in Tuscany and who was busy with her own children and grandchildren, in addition to caring for my great aunt—my grandmother’s sister—was pleased to know that a family member would be the renter. It lessened her burden to find a tenant.
“It will be such fun, let me tell you!” my mother had said to me when I had shared the news of the magazine’s offering. “Not only will it give you time to clear your head and to write, but you’ll also get to spend some time with your extended family who lives in Siena.”
Once the logistics had been settled, I was now Rosa’s favorite American relative. The added bonus for Rosa was that my mother—her sister—planned to come for a visit during the year. The idea of a large family reunion in the summer made everyone happy.
However, that was not the only reason I jumped at the chance to set myself up in Italy; it also had to do with the fact that my dating life was an absolute disaster and finding the right match for me had become nearly impossible. I longed to have children and a family of my own, but luck had not been on my side. As I attended wedding after wedding of my friends over the last several years, I had yet to find someone who suited me—intellectually, passionately, and spiritually. I also traveled way too much for my job, and it was difficult to meet someone who could tolerate my work schedule. I was looking forward to having Tuscany as my home base in Italy, and I would venture out from there for day trips or an overnight stay, my editor’s list of possible story ideas to cover for the magazine saved on my laptop.
“Got everything?” my father asked me as we closed the door behind us, knowing we had to get moving to get to the airport on time.
“I think so.”
“It will be an adventure, Anna. Enjoy it,” he said, patting me on the back.
I’d never taken less time to make a big life decision, and I prayed my time in Italy would be a good choice. And for seven seconds, as Dad tossed the luggage into his car, I second-guessed the decision to go.
END CHAPTER 1
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About the author:
STEPHANIE VERNI is the author of THE LETTERS IN THE BOOKS; FROM HUMBUG TO HUMBLE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF EBENEZER SCROOGE; BENEATH THE MIMOSA TREE; INN SIGNIFICANT; LITTLE MILESTONES; THE POSTCARD; and ANNA IN TUSCANY. She is also a co-author of the textbook, EVENT PLANNING: COMMUNICATING THEORY & PRACTICE. Currently an adjunct professor at Stevenson University Online, she instructs communication courses for undergraduate and graduate students. She and her husband reside in Severna Park, Maryland, and have two children. On the side, she enjoys writing travel articles for marylandroadtrips.com.
Connect with Stephanie on Instagram at stephanieverniwrites.
