i'm going to come out and say it. i have loved italy for as long as i can remember. my sister always had a thing for england- the beer, the cheese, the tall gangly men with bad teeth.....
but me? give me italy any day. gelato. pizza. wine. pasta. these are basic food groups. not to mention- the scenery? the history? good lord, the architecture...
part of my heart belongs in italy. always has.
in my family it has always been a tradition to go abroad in college. so when the time came, i decided to spend my year in rome.
rome. one of the greatest places on earth.
i spent nine glorious months living in rome. i ate, i walked, i learned, i walked some more, i visited the vatican a total of 10 times (10. whenever people come to visit they always want to see the sistine chapel....) i was giving my own personal tours of the forum. i knew side streets and local restaurants. i brushed up on my italian in the local supermarket. i learned the bus system. i had a room that looked out onto a small orange garden (i'd call it a grove, but it was only 2 or 3 trees). in many many ways it was an amazing year.
that was 8 years ago. 8 long years. in that time i've had dreams about rome. i'm walking on the streets from campo di fiori back to my neighborhood in trastevere. there's distant music playing in the background, there's a slight breeze. the buildings are old and kind of dirty, which suits them just fine. the streets are cobbled. and i feel oddly at home.
and finally- finally, i'm going back. tomorrow night i'm getting on a plane and spending 4 full days in one of my favorite places. followed by 4 more days in verona- city of romeo and juliet (among other things). it seems surreal. i don't think i'll truly feel excited until i step off the plane into the heat and noise of the city. at which point i'll probably giggle with glee, and want to run around hugging the buildings (especially the really really old ones).
so in the next week, think of me- in my own personal paradise. walking around with my eyes wide, smiling at everything and just relaxing back into my life. the most amazing part of life, which usually exists solely on vacation. :)
