l’Italia, in Retrospect

As of this past Monday (November 24th), I have officially been back in the United States for six months.

In some ways, that six months seems like a mere blip; in others, a lifetime.  I miss Italy constantly.  I am so incredibly tempted at times to buy a one-way ticket, pack up all of my belongings, and board a plane bound for Italy.  I thought that the “homesickness” would become easier with time.  And in some ways, it has.  I am more or less content in my current life: I’ve settled into my new job, I’ve become accustomed to my life here in Virginia for the time being, and I am very happy to be near my American family and friends again.  But despite all of that, the more time that passes, the more I miss Italy.

Gli Ultimi Giorni

 I’m making up for the huge delay in posting by including a LOT of photos in this post, which comprise all of my photos from the period between graduation and my departure from Italy.  They document a variety of different experiences, but I’ve tried to organize them as best I can.

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I graduated from Apicius on April 18th and stayed in Firenze until the end of April.  Then I left for Parma to stay with Marco and Paola for the remainder of my time in Italy, during which period I spent a couple of days in Isola d’Asti working at a Michelin-starred restaurant (Il Cascinalenuovo: http://www.ilcascinalenuovo.com/), made a short trip back to Firenze to say my final goodbyes and pick up my bici, accompanied Marco and Paola on a weekend biking excursion to Pavia, and visited Sadie in Bologna one last time.  I left Italy for America on May 24th ( 😦 ).

Per usual, I’ve taken exponentially more photos of places/experiences/food than of the wonderful people with whom I shared it all.  I’ll ask around and try to track down some photos of me with friends for the blog.

Firenze in Macro

About halfway through my time in Firenze, I gave myself a photography project: to photograph Firenze using the macro setting on my camera.

There are so many absolutely massive buildings and structures around Firenze, not to mention all of the quintessentially-Florentine things you “have to” see if you visit the city.  It’s often overwhelming enough just to process Firenze on the surface: to take in the grandeur of the Duomo, or to experience the myriad sights and colors of the mercati, or to  watch the locals dashing about on their bici over the city’s cobblestone streets. But one of my favorite parts about Firenze is that, if you make a conscious effort to look at things up close, there is an underlying splendor to the city that exists in Firenze’s intricate attention to detail.  Like life in Italy as a whole, it is an exercise in slowing down: taking the time to navigate the crowds of tourists to really study the walls of the Duomo up close, rather than observing the cathedral from afar and rushing on the next thing on your extensive checklist of Things-To-See-In-Florence.  Part of Firenze’s magic lies in this: it is a city in which there is always something more than meets the eye – a city that will gradually reveal its secrets to you if you allow it do so.

   

A Voi –

“Open my heart and you will see, graved inside of it, ‘Italy.'” – Robert Browning

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Carissima Firenze (e Parma, che aveva prima il mio cuore), 

Grazie, città meravigliosa, bellissima, incantevole – per l’anno migliore della mia vita.  Grazie per avermi dato l’opportunità scoprire chi io sono e quello che voglio dalla vita, il coraggio per seguirlo, e il rispetto di sé a credere che me lo meriti e che io possa realizzarlo.  Ti ringrazio per avermi insegnato a permettermi amare – gli altri, ed anche me stesso.  Grazie per avermi insegnato a fidarsi degli altri, e che va bene per aprirmi emotivamente a quelle persone.  Grazie per avermi insegnato a vivere – veramente vivere – e come trovare gioia e scopo nella vita.  Ti ringrazio per avermi dato il coraggio per vivere con le mie convinzioni.  Grazie mille per avermi dato le persone assolutamente incredibili, che mi avevano dato tanto amicizia, amore, e sostegno, e che rendevano quest’anno – e questa città – quello che era per me.  Grazie per essere la mia casa, quando ci sono pochi posti nel mondo che posso davvero chiamare casa. Grazie per tanti piccoli momenti in cui il mio cuore sembrava così pieno d’amore, e per mille ricordi bellissimi che non dimenticherò mai.  

Ti voglio bene, Firenze, e sarai sempre nel mio cuore.

A presto,
Ceci

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Dearest Firenze (and Parma, which had my heart first),

Thank you, you wonderful, beautiful, enchanting city – for the best year of my life. Thank you for you giving me the opportunity to discover who I am and what I want out of life, the courage to pursue that, and the self-respect to believe that I deserve it and that I can achieve it. Thank you for teaching me how to let myself love – other people, and myself as well. Thank you for teaching me to trust that people will be there for me, and that it’s okay to open myself up emotionally to those people. Thank you for teaching me how to really, truly live and to find joy and purpose in living. Thank you for giving me the courage to live by my convictions.  Thank you so much for giving me absolutely incredible people that have given me so much friendship, love, and support, and that made this year – and this city – what it was for me. Thank you for being my home, when there are few places in the world that I can truly call home.  Thank you for so many small moments in which my heart felt so full of love, and for a thousand beautiful memories I will never forget.

I love you Firenze, and you will always be in my heart.

See you soon,
Ceci

Restaurant Review No. 2: Pizzeria Torcicoda