Beautiful Pietralcina

This past weekend my husband and I decided to go to Pietralcina to see where Padre Pio, a well known Saint here in Italy, use to live. It is a small town in the province of Benevento and in our region of Campania. It has become a tradition for us every year nowto go to San Giovanni Rotondo in the region of Puglia where Padre Pio's body now rests but we decided to see his birthplace this time around before the arrival of our baby.

This town was absolutely beautiful. I didn't expect it at all. Firstly, the drive there was magnificent. We drove along the fields and hillsides and although nothing compares to the Tuscan hillsides I lived in and fell in love with and am a little biased, they were just as beautiful and breathtaking. This town was so cute and the small streets and white cobblestones reminded me of Capri. It certainly had character. It was so interesting to see how homes were built back then and still plenty of them now that have never been remodeled. You can have your one bedroom in one room and then have to go outside and downstairs for your bathroom or kitchen. There was a lot of separation and connected rooms were uncommon. It is also amazing to see how simple life was back then by just seeing how minimal their decor was. It was actually really refreshing to see. It was great to get away from materialism and just immerse myself in the simple life back then and nature.

I have surprisingly become more religious since living in Italy, partly because religion is all around us here, then partly because of my husband and his family, and mostly because I think I always needed to find some peace with the help of faith. I have been so blessed these past years that it has really put a lot more in perspective for me. Thus, I love the fact that I get to visit these little towns that may not be major foreign tourist spots but definite hidden treasures that the Italians know about. It truly is a different experience being a resident here rather than a tourist. There is a much more in depth appreciation for the culture, people and traditions compared to just scraping the surface as a tourist with limited time. It is truly a great learning experience.