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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Closing the Italian Chapter of our Life with Jan Van den Munckhof and Wilma

Well, due to the earthquake region we were rather 'shocked' to find out that by law you had to put as much money in the ground as above the ground!
Nobody had told us that up front... duh and I did not embrace the fact for having to work till age 65 for all that is in the ground; never to be seen again. Concrete pillars that is!
Also the walls had to be one foot thick and even the roof; a solid bunker.
May 19 of 1990 we drove one final time to Cornuda for the sale of our property and closing our Italian bank account - end of Italian Chapter!
Photo got taken by my youngest brother Jan Van den Munckhof, while we had a break at the Brenner Pass in Austria, crossing the Italian border.
Me, sister-in-law Wilma and Pieter.
Pieter and I at the Brenner Pass through the Alps...
It was great for being with multiple drivers this trip!
Well, Jan had done it on his BMW motorcycle solo, with Wilma in the passenger seat and so did I solo coming back from my 2-weeks consulting in Germany. That took me 17 hours due to a strike at the Brenner border between Austria and Italy.
At the Brenner Pass...
Yes, working at a mushroom farm I always kept my hair long and did braid it as that was a perfect hairstyle. See link to post below.
Wilma was doing the next segment driving the red Opel Kadett into Italy...
On May 22 of 1990 we received our Italian Lire 36,000,000 and also closed our bank account, taking it home with us as US Dollars.
YES, we lived like millionaires back then, everything in Italy was in huge sums!

This was the end of Our Life in Italy...
The romantic creek the Runero, behind our property had been totally closed off now; it ran underground... So much of the original scenery had changed.
Fond memories and that's it!

39 comments:

  1. It is Sunday evening, our house is quiet, son Carl works at 6am tomorrow so it’s off to bed now. Your post reminds me of how much I enjoyed traveling to Italy in 2016. Into Milan and by auto to Montacatini, Florence, Pisa and other cities in that general part of Tuscany. A magical experience. I love your beautiful braid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Helen,
      So happy you got to enjoy that beautiful part of Italy! We did so with our best friends in 2002. Fond memories forever...
      Thank you, that braid I maintained for years, for hygiene reasons working on a mushroom farm. Pulling long hair back.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. Liebe Mariette,
    das sind schöne Fotos.
    Sonnige Grüße
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Elisabeth,
      Danke sehr und ich freue mich über die sonnige Grüße,
      Lieber Gruß,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. Ciao cara Mariette, non sapevo di questa tua parentesi italiana... O meglio, sapevo che eri stata in Italia ma non pensavo che volessi proprio trasferirti.
    Si qui le case costano tanto e se la zona è sismica, bisogna stare alle regole di costruzione o ristrutturazione che sono molto rigide e costose.
    Bellissime come sempre le tue fotografie.
    Ti abbraccio, Lorena

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carissima Lorena,
      Sì, abbiamo scoperto che è molto costoso. Nessuno ci aveva detto che in anticipo... Abbiamo pesato Cornuda contro Dublin, Georgia e abbiamo deciso di non costruire la casa e tornare indietro. Con un cuore pesante, naturalmente... Ci manca l'Italia sotto molti aspetti.
      Abbracci,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Hello Mariette, Despite problems, it is very difficult to admit that a part of your life is over and closed--afterward we tend to remember the good things. It must have been sobering to have to obey so many building rules, even though they are for safety and make sense. I imagine that Taiwan's anti-earthquake rules are at least as strict, and considering how many temblors I have felt, I am glad that they are!
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      We forever will remember the good things and we left with a heavy heart... Still miss Italy in many ways.
      Sure we understand those seismic rules, we just had no idea that we were moving into an area where it was mandatory! Italy is a long, stretched country and we assumed it was in other areas... The only time that I've felt temblors, was while sleeping in my former room at my Parents' on April 13, 1992 at 3:22. It ranked 5.5 on the scale of Richter. Who would have known that? The epic center was 30 km away and it caused an underground tear and still some damage to buildings.
      In Mexico we knew about those rules and it is quite understandable for that area.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. Great photos of you, your husband Pieter, and your sister-in-law. Such a lovely, peaceful scenery in the background!
    You must have made lots of wonderful memories while living in Italy :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tamago,
      Thank you, it was a nice trip together and with a heavy heart on one side you close such a chapter but the wonderful memories stay inside your heart forever!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  6. It's lovely to have those memories, though. Incredible vistas in some of those photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Kim,
      Yes, those are very special memories forever inside our heart and glad we got to share this emotional trip with my youngest brother and his wife. The Alps are giving you ongoing incredible vistas!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      Yes it sure is and it resides forever inside our hearts, a little piece of Italy forever.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. Beautiful memories that you shared with us Mariette! Italy is such a beautiful country and it's very nice that you got to spend a good portion of your life there. Those views of the Alpine foothills are so beautiful and dreamy! Hope I can go back to Italy someday and explore more of the remote regions and not just the big cities that I have been to :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Stevenson,
      Making decisions in life do come with consequences and our Italian chapter has left us with lots of fond memories forever. Also for driving back together with family, that bothered to visit us while living there, was meaningful.
      You are still young and no doubt will manage to go back again!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. Dear Mariette - I have travelled across the whole length of Italy, a country that I have always loved. It must have been very difficult for you and Pieter when you discovered how costly it would be to built yourself a property in that area of the country. Our DiL had friends who had a second home in Norcia, Umbria, and the whole family lost their lives whilst staying there in an earthquake during August 2016.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Rosemary,
      Yes, those earthquakes can be devastating and the building code for any seismic area needs to be upheld. It was just that we had no idea for that region, nobody informed us ahead of time...
      Very sad when so many lives get lost...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
    2. Beautiful photos, Italy is a lovely country!

      Hugs, Ida

      Delete
    3. Dearest Ida,
      It sure is and we loved living and working there too!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Lovely memories of your time in Italy. What a pity it would be so costly to build a house there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Sami,
      The memories sure are lovely, from having lived and worked there and from this trip together as well as others.
      Regions in this world with seismic rules indeed have to pay dearly for having a home!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  11. I, and my husband drove everywhere and certainly through Brenner Pass many many times, enroute to other Countries of course. This brought back pleasant memories of those times. After my oldest was born, we made fewer trips of that nature as he was of course, an infant, and it became harder to do with n infant and all he needed in our tiny V.W. XXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Katie Isabella,
      So glad you also left some rubber marks on the road there. Both of us have crossed the Brenner numerous times. Good that it did bring back pleasant memories for you!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  12. Enjoyed the beautiful photos. Looks almost like a painting, the picture at Brenner Pass of you and Pieter. My heavens what an expense to have a home built there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Betsy,
      Those are excellent photos made by my youngest brother and we rarely have a photo with both of us in it.
      It was a perfect day and the scenery is beautiful.
      We all can feel blessed for having a home for a reasonable price compared to other countries and also for not having to deal with those very costly seismic rules!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  13. Eine schöne Gegend war das dort. Aber in einer Erdbeben-Region zu leben ist sicher nicht so ideal. Da habt Ihr es jetzt vermutlich besser.

    Liebe Grüße
    Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Sara,
      Ja, da hast du völlig Recht weil hier gibt es so etwas nicht und braucht man auch nicht soviel Geld im Boden verschwinden zu lassen aufgrund seismischer Regeln!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete
    2. Das ist bestimmt ein ganz schöner Aufwand, liebe Mariette. Darüber macht sich unsereins hier in einer Gegend, in der kaum Erdbeben auftreten, keine Gedanken. Gut, dass Ihr das rechtzeitig bemerkt habt!

      Liebe Grüße
      Sara

      Delete
  14. Buenos paisajes has captado, en el curso del camino.

    Son muy bonitas las fotografías y tienen un buen recuerdo, para vosotros.

    Besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Querida Antonia,
      Sí, mi hermano menor capte muy bien esos alrededores en el Brenner Pass. Para los dos recuerdos especiales para siempre.
      Abrazos y que tengan un gran día de Asunción.
      Mariette

      Delete
  15. In Greece, we also have to follow anti-seismic rules when building a property and I can understand what you mean by high cost!!! I also love Italy very much and have travelled a lot in various parts of it. The Brenner Pass was very impressive (we have crossed it three times) and your photos reminded me of those moments.
    Many hugs, Marie-Anne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Marie-Anne,
      Yes, you in Greece will know what this means!
      Italy is forever a beautiful country, for its nature and scenic views as well as its old culture.
      Glad you have fond memories of this part as well.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  16. Dalla foto si vede un posto da favola, bella nostra Italia.
    Un sereno giovedi a te.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caro Giancarlo,
      Hai così ragione ed entrambi amiamo la bella Italia.
      Abbracci e felice giorno di ascensione,
      Mariette

      Delete
  17. I just know that Italy has certain rule about earthquake in Italy....thank you for sharing.

    # Stay safe, healthy and virus free

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tanza,
      Yes, Italy is one of the countries with strict seismic rules.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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