I is for Italy
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| A quick trip to Venice. |
I is for Italy
My father suggested I study Spanish in college.
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| The view from my room in Florence. |
I wanted to learn something different. I studied Spanish in high school. After a few classes, I thought I needed to study Italian in Florence, Italy. Italy made perfect sense to me.
While some of the art and culture were wasted on my youth, the experience of meeting new people, learning how to live in a larger city and negotiating one’s way around another country was not.
My constant companion on the trip was my camera and a supply of film. I snapped away like a crazed tourist whether in Florence, Rome, Venice, Sienna, Pisa or Sicily — that’s my S for the A to Z Challenge.
I hope to see Italy again, but I hesitate thinking there are new places to visit and so little time. Of course, Italy would be a different experience two decades later. I doubt today’s me could be coaxed into a bikini this time, but who knows travel opens us to new adventures.
Italy whet my appetite for travel as well as Nutella.
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| My first day trip in Italy was a quick visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
aw, you make me want to travel again! Italy is a fabulous place.
Lynda, Writing these posts have made me want to travel again.
Oh, Stacy, glad I decided to trip by here. Love Italy, especially the medieval hill towns.
Denise
Denise, Medieval hill towns are great.
Its been a few years since I visited would love to go back to see more of it. Amanda
Amanda – Realityarts-Creativity
Art Blog
Amanda, Another visit would be fun.
I’ve never been to Italy, and though I don’t speak Italian I would love to go!
Susanna, I don’t really speak Italian anymore, so I would be in the same boat.
Italy is amazing, Florence especially is one of my all time favorite places on earth. It’s like the air is different there. 🙂
Mindthagap – I love that “It’s like the air is different there.”
My next novel is set in Sicily. Thanks to Google Earth I’ve walked the streets, but it’s not the same as being there!
~Debbie
Debbie, Not the same, but a good alternative to getting a feel for an area.
I’ve been to Venice … and I so want to go back!! Thanks for a glimpse of it today!
Beth, I liked Venice much better than Rome.
Love those pictures, it must be Italy day, I’ve just come from Ciara’s post on Italy too! Ciao!
“I” sounds like a great Italy day.
Totally jealous of your adventures in Italy… someday.
Love that your picture of the leaning Tower is not the cliched “I’m holding it up” one everybody takes.
Beverly, I’m hanging my head in shame. I’m sure I have a picture of that somewhere, but I didn’t put it in my album. 🙂
I traveled through western Europe with an orchestra and our home base was Italy. I loved travelling by train through the boot and staying in the different cities. I, too, snapped pictures like a crazed tourist! But alas, they were water damaged. But that’s another story. I hope you get to go back.
Karen, Sorry to hear your photos were water damaged. My pictures were all on film, so I probably should figure out a way to make them digital and put them in the cloud.
Visiting from the challenge. 🙂 I was in Europe a year ago and went to France and Italy. Florence and Rome were amazing and like you my daughter and I were never far from our camera! 🙂 I want to go again but, I think we need to visit other places on our bucket list before going back. I would love to go to Malta that is where my maternal grandfather was from. 🙂 Great post for the challenge.
Melondy-mae- Malta sounds great and the connection to family — even better.
You had me at Italy!
Obviously I share an enormous love for this country. I suggest you do go back. This latest trip I took to Florence was 20 years after the first, and it was indeed an entirely different experience. But comparing the two makes for interesting musings (and writings!)
Julie, I knew I would. I know it would be a different trip and one day.
Stacy,
Ahhhh…Nutella! I lived in Italy for 6 months when I was in 4th grade. I lived on Nutella. Boy, do I have some stories from that time. Electricity went off every night at 7pm sharp. Then we played Italian Monopoly by candlelight. I ate Italian rum cake every night before bed.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
The Write Soil
1st Writes
Dawn, What fun memories. I don’t recall power outages, but I could see that being an issue in some places. Thanks for sharing your memories.
Amazing you got to go to Italy!! How thrilling. Visiting from the A-Z challenge. ♥
Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
Kathy, It was a great trip plus I received college credit.
I can’t wait to go back to Italy either – Lago Maggiore is one of my favorite places. And I do love Nutella as well 🙂
E.D. Lago Maggiore sounds nice. i never traveled there. Nutella is too yummy.
Hi Stacy. Enjoyed your post about Italy. Earlier today I read another blog where the topic was Italy. Nutella is a favorite chocolate treat in our house. Mix some into a batch of Rice Krispie treats. Yum!