Me, My Heart, and I

by Melinda Gallo

Exploring and enjoying other cities in Italy

Thursday, May 29, 2014

I love discovering more about Italy. I find Italy to be one of the most interesting countries I have ever visited. Each region (and even each town in a region) varies from the next one. Each place has its own charm that can be unveiled, enjoyed, and appreciated. In France, at the beginning of May we had two Thursdays in a row that were holidays. By taking Friday off, we did a pont (bridge), which allowed us to have two four-day weekends. My beau joined me a week after I returned to Florence and we traveled around Italy.Me, My Heart, and I :: Exploring and enjoying other cities in Italy

I had dreams of us touring Tuscany by car for a week, but instead we took a few short trips by train. We spent one night in Certaldo Alto, took the train to Rome for the Coppa Italia where my team, the Fiorentina was playing in the finals. We went to Vicenza to visit my beau’s aunts and after returning to Florence for a day, we spent the day in Bologna. I took many photos of our trip and posted them on Instagram.

I took the photo attached to this blog post when we walked around the countryside just outside of Certaldo Alto.

Our vacation went by quickly and when it ended, I flew back to Paris and was immediately thrown back into work mode. I was unable to write about my experiences traveling in Italy. I had so much to say about what we were experiencing each day, but when the inspiration faded, the desire to write about it seemed futile. At one point, we were taking a train every day to go someplace new. We walked around so much that every evening we just collapsed.

Almost all of the places we visited I would love to return to. The highlight of our trip for me was Vicenza. I was so enchanted by this Venetian city that I wanted to stay longer. We strolled the pedestrian streets, dined in fabulous restaurants to enjoy the region’s specialties, visited the local museums, and took in the city with delight.

Each time we returned home to Florence, we visited other parts of the city that my beau hadn’t yet discovered. On the last evening of our vacation, we were invited to go to the Giardino Torrigiani, which I had never been to before. I was told that it was one of the largest private gardens in Europe, which is rarely open to the public.

Even though we traveled to the north and south of Florence, there is still so much for me to discover in my beloved city. What I love about traveling is that it allows us to open our hearts and minds to embrace other places, cultures, and people.

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