A refreshing gazpacho, moving day, and what you get for €3000 a month in Turin?

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Summer Gazpacho

I've never really been a fan of gazpacho. It's not something I would ever think to make on my own, and it certainly wouldn't be the dish that would jump out at me on a menu at a restaurant. In my experience, it always seems to have red bell pepper in it, which gives me a stomachache, so I try to avoid it. But my friend

Vika Finkel Daniel

opened my eyes to how delicious and refreshing this soup can be on a hot afternoon without bell peppers! She brought a batch to our house a few weeks ago, and Andre and I were both pretty surprised with how much we enjoyed it. She even gave us leftovers, and we devoured them for lunch the following day. It's a very rejuvenating soup, and my body felt nourished and healthy in the best way after eating it. I also love the addition of the salty, crunchy croutons on top to add some texture to the dish. I'll definitely make this during the hot summer months when the tomatoes are sweet and juicy!

VIKA'S GAZPACHO

Serves 4-6

• 2-3 pieces of thick country bread, cut into small cubes

• 6 medium/large tomatoes, cut into large chunks

• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1/2 small white onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1/2 small red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil + more for the croutons and finishing the dish

• Basil leaves for finishing

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread cubes onto a baking sheet, toss with olive oil to coat, and season with sea salt. Cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Place all the ingredients and a generous pinch of sea salt into the food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Taste. Season as needed with more salt. Chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

To serve, divide the gazpacho amongst individual bowls. Top with croutons, a few basil leaves, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and freshly cracked black pepper.

---

Moving In Italy

And here we are again - it's moving week. Our exhaustion level is high, but we're working hard to keep our spirits up and push through these final days of relocating our family to Rome. Since we are now officially moving professionals, we wanted to share a few things we've learned in this moving experience from Turin to Rome, as, like all things for an expat, it's been full of valuable lessons.

1) Ask people you know for recommendations. As we've mentioned, the best way to find anyone for anything here is to ask someone you know and trust for a referral. Especially at an international school, you have access to families from all over the world, many of whom have relocated multiple times. They have been our most valuable resource and support this year as we navigated many new things in a new country.

2) Get at least four different quotes. The estimates we received ranged from €6000 to €12,000, so they were all over the place. Two companies came to the apartment to do in-person surveys before providing their quotes, and two companies asked us to send images of each room and then based their quotes on that. We negotiated down the €6000 estimate to €5200 and moved forward with a company called Cucchiarale Traslochi.

3) Not all the fees are included in the estimate. Unlike estimates we would receive in LA, which contain line items and include any anticipated costs, some costs are often left out of estimates here. With the movers, €600 was added for street permits needed in Turin and Rome for pick up and delivery, bringing the end total to €5800, not €5200.

4) Tipping is optional and not expected. Unlike in American culture, tipping is not a common practice in Italy. Of course, you can if you want, but it's not expected.

5) Permits. The moving company has to get permits from the city to park the trucks on the street on the moving days. And even though they apply for a specific day, they aren't guaranteed to get them. Our movers were supposed to move all our stuff into our apartment in Rome today, but Rome did not approve the permits for a Thursday delivery. So, they must stay in Rome an extra day and move everything in tomorrow. So, be sure to have some flexibility with your time when going through this, as many things will be entirely out of your control and not go according to plan. The Italian way!

---

Our Apartment in Turin

Let's talk about the cost of renting in Italy. Like everywhere, costs can vary depending on details, but here are some specifics about Turin and some general things to remember. Turin, located in the north, is more affordable than Milan, Florence, and Rome. It's less international, tourist-driven, and maintains a more local feel of the northern population. Many people from Milan have started to move here because the cost of living is lower, they can get more space, there is lots of nature in the surrounding hills, and Milan is still less than an hour away by train. We know several people who still work in Milan but have moved their families to Turin. However, although rent is lower here, finding a great place is challenging because the city does not have the rental inventory of other major cities. Good apartments go fast, so you have to be on top of checking the rental sites and be ready to schedule an appointment as soon as you see something you like. Naturally, this goes for any city, but because Turin is smaller and more local, there is not a lot of turnover.