CASA VALENTINE……Who We Are
We are Russ and Arlene Valentine and we call our site and our blog Casa Valentine (House of Valentine in italian).We have had many different houses over the course of our long story (we’ve been married for 50 years), and we both agree that wherever we are together we feel at home. We divide our time now between Italy and the USA…..a wonderful combination of work and play. Our work now involves teaching, helping and guiding others to experience the beauty and charm of Italy, and sharing our travel and life stories. Our play involves family, friends, the pleasures of the table, travel, and just generally appreciating and feeling gratitude for all the wonderful little things that pile up every day and combine to make a meaningful life.
We have had a number of different careers between us over the years. It’s always been fascinating to me to notice how one work experience leads quite naturally to another, or at least that’s how it seemed to us as we navigated our somewhat checkered paths. We’ve done concessions and catering which led to restaurants, we’ve done late-blooming college degrees which led to careers in teaching and design, and our love of houses and travel led to years in the field of real estate and vacation rentals. We’re a bit more settled now…..just one career each…but we love what we do: teaching at an international school and renting villas to travelers.
I hope that our blog posts are as entertaining to read as they were to us as we experienced them. Many are really funny stories about moving to another country post-middle age, some are interesting and informative such as how we made that move, some will be about cooking which we both love to do, some will chronicle adventures that we’ve experienced and one of my favorite blog categories….What We Saw Today….is simply a collection of photographs of the odd things, sometimes everyday things, that capture our attention and bring mindful joy to daily life.
Blogs are a great way to share and to connect with others. I find them inspiring and comforting, snapshots of beauty and useful information…..sort of like having a whole world of magazines at your fingertips. Which, by the way, is why I love our blog’s design!
Ciao my friends!
Dear Valntina I was reding your long letter and I remind when you wrote long leter for me too.
Now I have a little grand son of three years ald!1
And I am still renting luxury villas.
Let me have your news will be a great pleaser.
Ciao
Orietta
tEL. +39 346 3008876
ciao bella! (or bello if russ is reading this!)
a blast from the past to be sure, I am attaching the above thread in hopes
that it may jog your memory.
many many things have happened in my life since I last stayed with you,
when I moved to florence 10 years ago…now the baby that was in my tummy
when i left to move back to san diego is a big 10 year old boy and his
sister a lovely 8 year old (going on 18…).
we are finally ready to begin traveling abroad (i had a little colon cancer
spell, all better now, but it put a damper on things financially for awhile
there!), and the very first place we would like to bring the kids is to
florence. thinking a week’s stay would be a perfect start.
are you still renting in florence? if so would you be able to advise as to
the most economical time to visit and advice as to where to start looking
for a flat somewhere in the heart of firenze. of course air bnb is an
option, but i would prefer to start with you guys if you still are doing
the rental thing!
I have spend the past 30 minutes reading your blog and once again marveling
at my good fortune…bringing you both into my life at such a pivotal time
for me. so many fond memories, the most special being the simplest ones of
lunch on your patio, waking up with the excitement of a new day in your
little apartment attached to the house. a really special time in my life
for which i will always be so grateful.
much love to you and russ, hope all is well with wendy, and looking forward
to hearing from you!
grazie grazie!
heather (reilly hiemstra)
…no longer in san diego, we moved to ct for a few years and then
hightailed it down to sarasota florida last year. loving it so far, but i
never seem to stay in one place for too long…so we shall see 🙂
I love the BLOG! ESPECIALLY WHAT YOU SAY…wherever we are together we are home…lovely! I’ll be returning…