Picture it: Italy, summer of 2006. I was a fresh-faced college student who decided that I wanted to study abroad for a summer. Why just a summer? It’s a decent commitment–if I hated it, it’s not too long; if I loved it–it’s not too short. It was my first time abroad and I did it all alone. I was off. To Rome.
The summer was a whirlwind of fun: meeting new and interesting people from all corners of the world; learning to stand up for myself; speaking Italian; eating fresh gelato, pizza, and pasta daily; getting lost meandering down cobblestone alleyways; spending afternoons soaking up the sun at the beach in Anzio.
When it was time to leave, I was a mixed bag of emotions: sad to say goodbye to la Città Eterna with all its art, history, love, and beauty. Happy to leave behind the heat, the barrage of sexual harassment, and the constant dodging of motorbikes while crossing the street.
Flash forward to 2013. I hadn’t stepped foot in Italy since that majestic summer. I could’ve planned any number of trips back to Italy–back to Rome–but never had. It’s a strange thing to put into words–the reason why. In Italy, I found love. Not love for a person, but love for a place, for a culture, for a language, and for travel. I spent the first few months after returning home from that summer abroad in a pretty deep depression: hibernating, avoiding friends, avoiding most everything except for the memories I’d made there. I missed it deeply and longed to go back almost daily. It’s a strange thing to have an experience like that and to come home a different person and see that everything remained the same while you were gone. And I didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to–anyone to relate to. I learned later that much of this was due to reverse culture shock, but for a long time I just felt a void in my heart where Italy once lived.
So, the years rolled on and I continued to study Italian language; have floods of Italian memories surge back when something seemingly innocuous happened; feel pangs of sadness when I saw scenes of Italy in movies.. and then I realized something: I’d been almost avoiding going back to Italy because I was afraid of how seeing it again would change my feelings for it. I’d built it up so much in my mind (like you often do with ex-lovers–remembering only the good times after a breakup) that I was scared that I might not love it anymore.
While the original plan for my European road trip never included Italy, my travel companion (whom I’d met that beautiful summer in Rome) said, “Why don’t we see how far it is to Italy from Innsbruck. If it’s under 5 hours, what do you say we go?” It didn’t even take a second for me to respond, “YES!” and the research was underway. Since we knew we didn’t have much time to spend there, we settled on visiting just two places: Verona and Milano.
I’ll write about each in more detail in their own dedicated posts, but I just wanted to say that it was wonderful to head back to Italy. And while I haven’t been back to Rome where “it all began”, going back to Italy was symbolic enough for me. To once again see the country that truly inspired me to pursue travel. It didn’t take long after crossing that Austrian/Italian border to realize I was back in Italy. Everything felt quintessentially Italian–from the vineyards to the impossibly beautiful and crumbling villa-style homes to hearing Italian spoken again on the radio (and I can just hear my teacher telling the class to speak “la bella lingua con musica!”).
I can’t wait for the day that I go back to Rome and revisit the place that was the source of so much happiness, growth, and love for me. But until then, just stepping foot back in the country will do.
I -dream- of visiting Italy! It’s number one on my list but I keep choosing other countries – France, Spain, the UK – over it whenever I’m in Europe.
Thank you for sharing such beautiful photos. I must check out some of your other Italian posts to be inspired to -finally- travel there! :)
Nicole recently posted..Eating at Tim Ho Wan: the World’s Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant
Thanks! I’m glad I can inspire some Italian dreaming. ;)
I have done the same thing lately–sort of putting a lot of other destinations above the ones I really want to visit for some reason or another.
I’d been to Rome twice before: Once after graduating high school and again on my honeymoon. Both were a long time ago and both were shaped by my very budget means. Each time, I stayed outside of city center and did only the touristy basics…quickly. My impression of Rome was “meh”. If I never visited again, I’d be okay.
A family trip this June found me back in Rome. It had been long enough that my ambivalent feelings about the city had faded, and it made sense that if we were going Italy, we visit this monumental city, mostly for the (teen & adult) kids.
To say my impression this time was different would be an understatement. I feel in LOVE with this city, as did the rest of my family! I truly think the big difference was that we stayed in the center of everything. Because we are a family of 5, our accommodations were an apartment. We came downstairs and found ourselves on a lovely cobblestone street. Around a couple of corners and a short walk away was Campo de Fiore. Everything about the city this time was magical. Now, I’m aching to get back! My advise to anyone visiting is to be SURE to stay in the center of things, even if you have to do so in a budget manner. Don’t go the budget route outside of town. It’s a whole different experience.
Hi Tamara! Thanks for you comment. I’m so glad that on your most recent trip to Rome you finally realized what a beautiful and wonderful city it is. And you offer some great advice–staying in the city definitely makes the difference. It’s great to be in the middle of it all, rather than being on the outskirts and needing to commute in every day.