L'Italia

The French know how to work hard, and they know how to play hard, too, which I find very admirable. They just know how to enjoy life. I believe the average French worker gets FIVE WEEKS of vacation a year. I have had four vacations since I started work in October, each ranging from 13-17 days long. I decided to really make the most of my April vacation, because it was bound to have the best weather. So after almost a week in Prague and a short stopover in Grenoble to go to a friend's wedding and repack, I was off to the beautiful land of Italia for a little over a week.

My excitement rose as I heard italiano around me in the Lyon, France airport. As the plane landed, the head stewardess announced, "Welcome to Italy. For those of you who are coming here on vacation, have a wonderful stay. And for those of you who are returning, welcome home." "Welcome home," I said to myself as I stepped off the airplane, took a breath of Roman air, and set foot on Italian soil for the first time in three years. "Benvenuta a casa. Welcome home."

I cannot explain to you what Italy means to me and how much my experiences there have changed my life and taught me who I want to become. During the year and a half I spent there, it became home. There is a part of my heart that is Italian and always will be. It was such a special experience to be back in that land that is so dear to me, amongst people I love so much. It brought back precious, sacred memories and feelings.

ROMA

I spent my first evening there with my friend Zuleika (who I taught in
the MTC~ I also served in her ward in Rome) and her dad and sister. It was so
much fun to just talk and catch up, make dinner together, and speak
italiano. :) Again, it was one of those times where you're just living in the
moment and soaking it all up...so no pictures.

LIVORNO

The next day, I took the train to Livorno (which is in
Tuscany, on the coast), the first city I served in.

These orange trees are Livorno to me~ they line the city streets. Bellissimo!

I got to see my sweet friend Irene, who was baptized while I was in Livorno and is prettymuch the coolest girl ever. We got some yummy scacciata (a mouth-watering-good Italian bread). I am telling you, there is nothing in this world like Italian food. Nothing. Especially the homemade stuff.
I wish I had pictures that did Tuscany justice. I served in Tuscany twice (Livorno was my first city and Florence was my last), and both times, I arrived in December and left in March. So I had not yet seen Toscana in all of its springtime glory. Let me just tell you that Tuscany is famous for a reason. It really is as unique and stunning as they say it is.

These gorgeous flower blossoms are found on trees all over Italy (and France, too). Not only are they drop-dead gorgeous, but they smell amazing!

I'm telling you, this doesn't even begin to do it justice.

I got to see Irene's family's new house, which is the most beautiful
house I've ever seen in my life. Each room is painted a different color~
there are no white walls in the entire house. La loro casa just screams
Italy and Tuscany. It is my dream house. And the amazing thing is that
they've done almost all of the work themselves.

Irene and I got to eat lunch with Nicoleta~ she is still as hilarious as ever. :)

Then we walked to a park down the road, sat down and talked...

...and had a little photo shoot. :)

PIOMBINO

I took the train to a nearby city called Piombino to see another friend. From Piombino, you can see the island of Elba, where Napoleon was exiled.

A sunset on the Ligurian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany.

I took this very picture on the mission~ only not in jeans. :)

Me and Filomena. It was lots of fun to walk around this beautiful,
old Italian town at sunset and stop and talk to everyone she knows.
Italians are just the coolest people. They are so warm and
loving, not to mention very entertaining and just wonderful.

FORLI

The next day, I got on the train once again, to go to a city
called Forlì, where my friend Mila lives. She was my last companion
on the mission~ we served in Florence together.

We had lots of fun, eating gelato, doing some Italian cooking,
taking walks around her beautiful city, etc. It was so good to catch up.

PESCARA/CHIETI

I took the train to Pescara to see my dear friend Franca. Pescara is only about an hour from where the earthquake was a month ago, so they definitely felt it (as did my friends in Rome). That was all they were showing on tv. It's so sad.

My friend Franca lives in a gorgeous little city called Chieti,
which is even older than Rome. And this is the view from her balcony.
I don't think I'll ever get over the beauty of Italy.

Another view from her balcony. Isn't it glorious?We took a delightful time walking along the beach in Pescara
and picking up beautiful seashells. And we did lots of other fun
things, like shopping in Italian grocery stores.
PS. Italian grocery stores = heaven on Earth.

ROMA

I took the bus back to the Eternal City.
(FYI, my trip was in the shape of a rectangle. Rome
was the bottom left corner, and I went up to Livorno,
over to Forlì, down to Pescara, and back over to Rome.)That night, Zuleika and I took a stroll around downtown Rome, and just sat down and talked while we enjoyed some of the best gelato in the whole city. "Does life get any better than this? I submit that it cannot!" :) This is the Trevi Fountain, a beautiful Baroque fountain in the center of Rome.

I got to go to church in Rome (Roma 1), and had the joy of seeing Maricela and
Rosario, two beautiful sisters from Columbia (they're really sisters- can ya
tell?). Sorella Wiechmann and I taught Maricela, and she was baptized after I
left to go to Florence. These two women are so full of faith~ they are two
of my heroes. (Oh, and they both very musically talented. Maricela
is a professional opera singer. She's incredible!)

Zuleika and I took a little walk with some friends down near
St. Peter's Basilica, which is part of Vatican City. Unfortunately, it was closed,
so we couldn't go inside. The interior is really impressive.

The Pantheon, rebuilt in 126 AD. Wikipedia tells me that it is perhaps
the best-preserved building of its age in the world. Raphael, the Renaissance
painter, is buried there, as well as two Italian kings. You're looking at
a piece of inspiration for a lot of western architecture.

St. Paul Outside the Walls. I was really excited because I had wanted to see
this church since the first day of my mission~ and my dream finally came
true! :) As you know, Peter and Paul both taught in Rome. Paul became
a martyr there, and it is presumed that Peter did as well.
It is believed that Paul was buried in this church.Zuleika and me with our awesome new French friend, Marie. :)

Inside the basilica.

The next day, I got to see my friend Gaia. We walked through
the Boboli Gardens and down through Piazza del Popolo...

...and over to the Spanish Steps. Though I have seen the Spanish Steps many times, I didn't remember ever seeing them covered in these gorgeous flowers.

Arrivederci, Italia. I was so sad to leave!
But "arrivederci" literally means "until we see each other again".
I'll definitely be back! And soon. :) Meno male!

However, I didn't leave Italy completely behind.
I brought my favorite yogurt in the whole world back to France
with me and savored it for the next few days. Buonissimo!