To Italy with Love
The last time I was in Italy was the summer of 2015, when Alan & AJ were getting married on a little, private island in Northern Ireland called Lusty Beg. (You can’t make this stuff up.) We added Rome on to our travel itinerary, in part because Thérèse’s Aunt Gertie was stationed there as a member of the religious order of The Little Sisters of the Poor. She kindly offered to have us stay at their residence, which was located right near the Spanish Steps. (Prime real estate to say the least.) Although it was August, and the city basically shuts down as locals go on vacation, we managed to find some great restaurants that were open for business and plenty of churches, museums and art collections to fill the handful of days that we were there. For me, revisiting the eternal city was near and dear to my heart. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I’d spent the second semester of my junior year studying art history in Rome. I’m certain my choice to move to NYC after I graduated college in Ann Arbor was because of the love of my time spent there that spring. The similarities between the two bustling, art and culture-filled cities spoke to me in a deep way. They were “real” places, filled with local flavor and color, gritty and majestic at the same time. The vibrant pulse of energy and excitement is contagious. When Claire decided, independently of my experience, to study abroad on the identical program, I was delighted. So when T’s spring break gave us two weeks to travel, visiting Claire and going to Italy was the natural choice.
For our two weeks away, we formulated a plan. Four days in Rome, followed by three days in Florence, then two in Siena and a return to Rome for the remaining four days. We’d travel entirely by train, as the Italian rail system is fast, inexpensive and reliable. Not having to deal with parking or the autostrada would eliminate potential stress, and because we didn’t have enough time to visit some of the more remote hill towns this time, it seemed logical. Fortunate to have friends who have been to these cities more recently than a decade ago, we had great luck in booking into hotels and restaurants in advance. As and AD (or, as my wife when she first met me confused that as my having ADD,) I like to plan and schedule as much as possible so the delicate balance allowing for spontaneity can be a challenge. I think we accomplished that (for the most part.) A separate conversation with Thérèse might suggest otherwise…
For the sake of brevity, I’m going to post four separate entries highlighting each leg of the trip. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as we did experiencing them. Ciao for now.