The morning sun on the color-washed walls, the wooden lounge chair, the stone patio, the wreath convey the mood and the moment of this stay.

The day starts later than normal for us. Sometimes M. just can’t get out of bed, he’s so relaxed. Breakfast on the terrace can be as early as 8:30 a.m. and I like to be downstairs for a cup of strong, Italian coffee with hot milk, sipped in the Italian morning sunshine. If the light is good, I’ll take photos while I wait.

When I hear Micha’s steps in the gravel behind me, I know the coffee pot and pitcher of hot milk are moments away.

Diana does a “5-thing” breakfast. Yogurt. Fruit, A sweet. A savory. Bread right out of the oven. Sometimes muesli. An egg if we want one. Yes, more than 5 things, but at least 5 things. M. might stay down and read in one of the lunge chairs. I might go up the old stone stairs and shower, get dressed. We read, I write.

We look at the clock–how did it get to be noon? We’re definitely not hungry for lunch. So we read, or I write. He might nap.

The countryside is beautiful and yet there is no rush to sightsee. We’ve both been to Italy multiple times. We’ve seen antiquities and churches. We’ve carried the guide books. But here, we are in the mood and the moment.

Perhaps about 3pm we’ll get out the prosciutto and cheese we bought earlier in the week. Slice a pear or plum. Pour a glass of wine. And while away the rest of the afternoon, inside or out.

Around 7pm, or 7:30pm, we’ll take the five-minute drive to town, park in our usual parking lot and find a ristorante, a bistro or a pizzeria. Maybe we’ll walk around a bit or hang out in a piazza.

Then back to our rooms, relaxing, reading or writing in our living room.

The pace of life, its simplicity, feels good. It’s a place to create: food, art, writing.