Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Ti penso ogni giorno

The allure of Italy is holding my heart captive. As the date of my summer trip fast approaches, I daily find myself dreaming about and preparing for my vacation. I've noticed that when I have something like a trip to look forward to, everyday stuff seems a little more bearable in the meantime. Yesterday, for instance, I had crazy back pain, had to get my blood drawn, and capped my day with a four-hour history class. But you know what? “It’s cool…I’m going to Italy!” That heightened sense of anticipation makes Life so much more enjoyable.

I love thinking about what to pack and wear. I love making lists (first in my head, and then typed out) and buying cute little travel-sized items of things I really don’t need. I dream about all the paintings I’m going to cry over and the statues I’ll say hello to, the ancient walls of buildings I’m going to touch, and the dirt in the Coliseum and the Forum that I’m going to rub between my hands. I think about the weather—are the morning hours going to be cool as we sip our daily cappuccinos? Is the day’s heat going to linger into the dark evenings as we stroll through the ancient stone streets? What are all the interesting things I’m going to see and ridiculous things I will laugh at and delicious things I will eat and strange scents I will smell? No matter what I’ve planned, how much I research, or what kind of lists or itineraries I make…I’ll just have to experience Italy’s mystery, variety, newness, history, and amore when I get there.

June 20th…please come soon.

But not too soon. Dreaming is fun, too…

1 comment:

Julie Hibbard said...

I must say that all my dreams and hopes for Italy were FAR exceeded by the actual trip through the incredible country. The PEOPLE may be the most attractive part...the people and THEIR love for Italy, their home, their food, their (amazingly extended) family, their heritage, history, etc, etc, etc.
And the FOOD! Oh my...canolis, gelato, cheese, pasta, pasta and pasta!
I promise, you will be a new woman when you get back. Life will never be the same!