Q u o t e o f t h e d a y: "Sometimes the journey has to be traveled alone in order to appreciate the strengths that lie deep inside of you." -- Steven Aitchison
What happened?
Did I fall in love again? Well of course I did. It might have been the history, the language and the food. Could have been the romance, religion or the Aperol Spritz. Whatever it was, the vibe in Italy stole my heart -- for the second time that is.
Every month on Remote Year you are faced with a challenge;
“where in the world do I want to side trip this month?”
Even more challenging; is it worth it to go back to a place you’ve already been? During my month spent in Bulgaria, with no knowledge of the city of Sofia where we lived, the country in general or whether I’d even like it there, it seemed a good time to book all the side trips. Conveniently located just a short flight from all the popular European cities I knew of, the options were endless.
I do want to pause and tell you all that looking back at month four, had I known how much I’d love the outdoorsy-ness of Bulgaria like canyoning between the cliffs and rafting and cliff jumping into the rapids, climbing mountains to view the Seven Rila Lakes and the many bars and restaurants that made up Vitosha Boulevard, I wish I would have spent more time there. But I do know that I’ll go back, and this time with a fresh and anticipated perspective.
The Deets
Arriving back from NY after a vacation home and leaving shortly after that for a week long trip in Italy, I had a million things running through my mind. Eight years passed since the last time I frolicked the streets there and this time, I was traveling solo. It’s important to do some exploring alone, it gives you a great perspective on what you’re experiencing and allows you to learn more about yourself. It’s also best to go with no plan, meet people and discover things along the way.
Ironically for me, my solo trip turned into a few days spent in Valentina’s home in the south of Italy with her family and a couple days showing Michael how to "do" Rome. The two that i'm closest with happened to be traveling to Pisa for Remote Nation -- a gathering of remotes from different programs who are passionate about a topic that they are willing to share, learn and experience with one another -- so we figured if we were all headed to the same country we might as well meet up.
That’s the funny thing about Remote Year. You’d never hear me say, “oh, you’ll be in the U.S? Great, let’s pick a state to meet in.” But on Remote Year, when you find yourself in the same country as someone you know, it becomes easy to jump on a short two-hour plane or overnight train to make sure you cross paths. It is generally cheaper than traveling from Florida to New York, but still, total mindset change.
You know you are home when…
It took nearly five minutes in the south of Bari for Valentina’s mom to ask me what I wanted to eat, her cousin to invite us to his Mozzarella-making event, her best friend to invite us to her winery and three pounds gained from just smelling the air. Just accept it, you’ll gain weight in Italy and if you don’t, you are doing it wrong. After I met her Aunt, her cousin, her cousin’s husband, their two kids, her parents and basically the whole town that is somehow related to her, I was reassured Italy was the right choice. Catching the sun at the beach, snorkeling for and eating sea urchin, diving in the water with bread to make frisa and a reggae bar with a 9-year-old DJ made for an epic start to the trip.
What to do when you smell truffle oil, see gelato and hear wine being poured at every street corner?
Embrace it. I packed my computer up and grabbed my converter, stopped at every single one of my favorite cafes and panini shops and got some work done. Eight years ago, in Florence, the Italians would have thought I was crazy for opening my lap top with a plate of spaghetti in front of me. However, in 2017 they seemed impressed and maybe only slightly offended when I had to turn down the vino de la casa.
Was that the school bell? Never mind. Although no longer a student, I visited my old university, the street corner that I used to meet my friends at after our 4pm class ended, the leather market and the central market. I was experiencing all the feels. I even went ahead and splurged on my second leather jacket, from the same place I bought my first. I went back for a gourmet dinner at La Giostra, my all-time favorite restaurant in the world and ate in peace while everyone around me wondered how this little Italian girl could have seven plates to herself. Truth be told, I couldn’t, and much of the food was wasted, but I had to have a bite of all my favorite dishes! I got a great night’s sleep in my lovely loft and woke up to the sunrise in time to catch a train to Rome where I’d meet Michael.
What to say to your friend who’s trying to see the inside of the largest church in the world?
Forget it. Michael and I looked at the line that wrapped all the way around Vatican City and decided to google the image instead. We stood outside it, we were there, and that’s what we’d tell people. I will say we were much more successful in all the other tourist stops we made.
Is it hot or is it just me?
The day we arrived, we were greeted by the friendliest AirBnb host who gave us the keys to his (thankfully) air conditioned architecture loft. This place was heaven on earth for us, and its roof deck became the staple of our trip.
In the five hours we had before we’d begin our evening work shift, we managed to walk 10 minutes before stopping for pizza and Aperol Spritz. On a little side street, we got a table for two, let our mouth’s water for a half hour and chatted with a lovely couple who relocated from England to Italy. Besides the fact that they wanted to know where my children were, it made for a great conversation. But I swear, after this hiatus we used our remaining four hours to see Villa Borghese Gardens, The Gallery, The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and my favorite Gelateria. I’d been to Rome many times before so it was easy to navigate through all the tourist traps quickly. Each of our nights ended with an antipasto on the roof for sunset, a bottle of vino and some good music.
You can take the girl out of Italy, but you can’t take the Italy out of the girl – and in this case, you can’t keep her from coming back.
