John and I were both born and raised in the USA. John is from the upper Midwest and I’m from Jersey. We met in 2001 while both working at a resort in Nelson County, VA. Started hiking together, fell in love and got married. Our first trip to Italy was in 2011 for a few weeks. We were immediately bitten by the Italian bug and never regretted one minute. We fell for the people of the small villages, the food (of course), the beauty of the land, ancient and historic ruins and culture, the beaches, the mountains, the list goes on and on. We visited a few more times, made the decision to get my dual citizenship and retire there. John received his dual citizenship through marriage to me just a few years back. We now have been living full time in the village of Tufillo situated in the mountains of Abruzzo for these past seven years.

Helene Rosalie Jordan Dodge – I’ll be going by my maiden name, Jordan, as that is what the Italian women do and so says my new passport. I’m a hiker, lover of dogs, been doing search and rescue in the USA with my dogs for the past 26+ years. Italian-American. My parents met in Brooklyn. Dad’s family, of what I know, is from Naples. Giordano is my Italian name that was legally changed in the early 1900s in Brooklyn. My mom’s family is from San Salvo, Abruzzo and it’s through her line that I pursued and received my Italian citizenship recognition. Poor John, he had no clue what it would be like being married to an Italian woman. 😉 I have one amazing child, my daughter Brooke, from my first marriage. You will meet her at some point in my blog. She has been able to visit us a few times here in Italy. I’d love to have her here full time but she has an exciting career in Williamsburg, VA.

John Robert Dodge – Born and raised in the Chicago area, John eventually ended up in the DC area, attending culinary school. He is an amazingly gifted chef, though semi-retired. I do get to enjoy his cooking skills at home as he loves to share his talents with me, as well as with our friends. He got hooked immediately on Italy. First guess, the food, of course. John actually is the one who said, “let’s retire to Italy”. I’m the realist with the cold feet. John has two daughters and a grandson and granddaughter from his first marriage, and we hope they make the trek to see us soon in Abruzzo.