29 October 2012

And so it begins.....


As my plane touched down in Naples I breathed a sigh of relief. I walked down the runway and had an overwhelming urge to kiss the ground. Not because my plane trip was fraught with turbulence but it has been too long Italy! The first time I set foot on Italian soil I was 18 and although life has thrown me many curve balls my passion for Italy and travel has not wained. Italy it has taken 30+ years to pick up where we left off. 

You have so much indescribable beauty from the bustle of city streets to the jawdropping vistas. Every turn is an opportunity for another breathtaking photo, of which I can assure you I just keep on clicking! The sheer volume of beautiful and priceless art, stunning architecture, Roman antiquities and charming little corners are pretty overwhelming and definitely live up to all the hype.


The next 4 weeks that I spend here I have the very best of intentions of practicing my new mantra "vive il presente" every waking hour of every day. It's hard not to be captivated by Italy's charming towns, superb wines, delectable cuisine, and awe-inspiring historical sites. As I wander the streets of Masse Lubrense and now the Amalfi Coast just when I think I've seen the most beautiful places and experienced the most unique aspects of the culture, I feel irresistibly tempted to explore more of it, because I know that that undiscovered hole-in-the-wall trattoria waiting for me just around the corner makes the best fresh ravioli to be enjoyed from its amazing panoramic terrace. This seductive, magnetic quality is what keeps bringing people back, and what makes Italy so addictive after all. 

Falling in love with Italy is easy as it truly offers something for everyone, from stylish bustling cities, to the postcard-perfect hills lined with vineyards and olive groves, to vertigo-inducing seaside towns perched on cliffs along the coast. A month in Italy will produce a whole new level of body image anxiety with visions of spare tires, "pasta pooch", rotoli, muffin top, pupa or even regaining my love handles. But I can't wait to share it all with you on my return.


Roads shouldered by enclosing walls with narrow
cobbled tracks for streets, those hill towns with their
stamp-sized squares and a sea pinned by the arrow
of a quivering horizon, with names that never wither
for centuries and shadows that are the dial of time. Light
older than wine and a cloud like a tablecloth
spread for lunch under the leaves. I have come this late
to Italy, but better now, perhaps, than in youth
that is never satisfied, whose joys are treacherous,
while my hair rhymes with those far crests, and the bells
of the hilltop towers number my errors,
because we are never where we are, but somewhere else,
even in Italy. This is the bearable truth
of old age; but count your benedictions—those fields
of sunflowers, the torn light on the hills, the haze
of the unheard Adriatic—while the day still hopes
for possibility, cloud shadows racing the slopes.
~by Derek Wilcott

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

24 comments:

  1. DearValIm happy you are there I wouldbe happy to know Italia yoo, I really love all, the food, the beauty site and the people I think the italian people are just lovely!! have a nice time!:)

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  2. Can't wait to hear your travel tales, especially abou the food! Have fun!

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  3. So glad its all that you had remembered it to be! And now is not the time to worry about pasta pouch :-)

    Safe travels,
    Laura

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  4. Girl! Have a fabulous time. 30 years is entirely too long but I'm happy that you've made it back. I love that country. It's truly special. Be safe and eat well!

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  5. So exciting, I know you are about to burst! That photo is incredible - I'm just loving being there too, in my mind. Take in everything, sights, smells, sounds, tastes and be sure to share it all - would love to hear about everything, Take care, have a blast! :)

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  6. It's drop dead gorgeous there Val. Have the time of your life!
    Sam

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  7. Now you see why I make a point to return every year. There is always something new around the next corner.
    Enjoy every minute, soak it in... and you will be planning your next trip on the flight home!

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  8. The problem with Italy is that once you leave, you can't stop wanting to go back. It's funny that for our trip last year, I was the one who was dying to go. Kevin was interested in going, but he had other priorities. Our Italy trip was an interruption in his quest to visit every national park in the US. Once we were there, he started expressing a desire to open a horse farm in Tuscany and learn to speak Italian.

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  9. I love Italy! And I loved Naples. Your pic looks like the Amalfi Coast.

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  10. I knew you would love it:)
    It's so special.

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  11. Have a wonderful trip, Val. I can't wait to hear about your adventures and the food you encounter. Enjoy it all. Blessings...Mary

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  12. Such a grand introduction, and I've heard that Naples doesn't even begin to capture the beauty of the rest of the country.

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  13. Wow, can sense your excitement about being back in Italy. Have a fab time and looking forward to your posts. We were there for the first time back in spring and we both fell for it. Looking forward to returning. :)

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  14. And I can't wait to read everything, Val. I've been to Italy a few times, but never a month to live and absorb. How wonderful!

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  15. Awesome Val. So happy for you. I can feel your excitement in your writing. Can't wait to hear more...
    LL

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  16. Wow Val what a trip! I've been looking at your pics. They are beautiful. Enjoy every minute of it.

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  17. I'd love to be discovering a little trattoria with fresh ravioli! Sounds like so much fun. Have a fantastic time!

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  18. Sounds like a wonderful arrival!
    I am craving a return as well but this time I have to include a country that has been calling to me since I first enrolled in French immersion.

    Italy was such an inspirational experience though. I found that I fell in love with small towns, especially in the Tuscan and Veneto regions. And in Venice, Florence and Rome all of the best restaurants would be small unassuming places down dark alleys and hard to find.

    Murissa

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  19. Have a wonderful time.... The last time we were there I had the best (and simplest) linguine with fresh tomato sauce - and I don't know if it was the sauce, the view (seaside) or just being there... It was our first lunch after crossing the border.

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  20. I know that you will have a wonderful trip. Enjoy!

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  21. Now I will begin the journey with you. WHat a beautiful picture..

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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