Culture

There is a slow, sacred, heavy beauty here.The pace of life, the slower and more intentional rhythm of work and rest, is rich soil for renewal. Slowness invites parts of our being that seem almost inaccessible amid the frenzy of American life. In slowing down, the heart and mind take on a posture from which it seems easier to receive what God has on offer.

Italian rural life encourages this slowness. For example:
At noon every weekday parents pick up their children from school and return to their home where the grandparents will join with them to eat the lunch they've spent the morning preparing. Every day, three generations, eating together.
When you dine out you are expected to relax and stay a while. Look around you, tables are full of bottles not phones. Lean back in your chair and exhale. The table is your for the night, there is no else coming for a second seating.
You will also learn the word "passeggiata." After dinner, a passeggiata is made, a leisurly stroll through the vineyards in our case. If you find yourself at the chiesetta d'ascensiun (tiny church of the ascension) as the eight o'clock bells ring out their call to evening prayer, take a few minutes to pray protection over your family, the vines, and all the people in all the villages you can see from this hilltop.  

In the first couple years of owning casa isabella, the brothers and sisters of our local church and our wider community were and continue to be missionaries to us, bringing us along on a new and rich journey of experiencing our Father's wonderful character.

If it sounds like something you need, reach and let's explore if this kind of experience might be a good fit.