The truth comes out...

 

Our whole trip to Europe was just amazing.  One place stands out in my mind though, as the best part of our trip. Italy and the time we spent there, the places we went, memories we made, can only be described as....magical?  Incredible?  Life-changing?  Ok scratch that, I can't even describe it!  As a former "Paris is the city for me" type person, to say that Italy is way better than Paris is big.  Really big.  The two really can't be compared, they are so obviously different, but I gauge places on how they make me feel, and then I guess I rate their awesomeness from that point!

Don't get me wrong, Paris is glamorous, fun, and makes me feel like a rich girl when I am there, even though I am not!  LOL.  It's always fun to FEEL like that, right?  Even with $20 in my pocket, if I stroll down the Champs Elysee in a cute outfit, I can feel like a millionaire!  I've been to Paris 3 times now, I am a very lucky girl.  I've loved it more and more every time.  Paris is a beautiful life!  Does that even make sense?

Then, we went to Italy.  I was skeptic at first.  Nothing could beat out my love for the French!  Then, we went to Lucca...

It was unreal...other-worldly...

Beautiful...

Then we went to the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera...

We couldn't believe our eyes...

Amazing...

A real world exists out of this place?

Then, we went wine tasting in Tuscany...

and thought, we could live like this...

Eat like this, drink like this, live like this...stroll this street...

Making wine...entertaining tourists...

Living in that house...

Lovely!

Italy had me at hello.  Not in those hot, touristy, areas...no no no, don't go to those places, go to these places - the unspoiled, not-quite-yet-discovered stars of Italy!  It made me want to live like they live...the Italians we met, they live so simply, and so purely.  There are no Targets (ok ok, sniff, I do love me some Target!) no Taco Bells, no Shoprites or Payless or any of that crap.  Nothing main stream.  They make their own clothes, make their own food, make their own wine, and get water from fountains in the street!  What a life!!  The towns we visited on the Riviera, some of those people have NEVER left that town.  Never.  Self-sufficiency at it's finest!

Ok, I think I'd die if I couldn't travel, I don't want to be that extreme.  I do want to adopt their way of life.  Heck, one day, I want a house in Tuscany and dag-nab-it we are going to get one!  It'll take 20 years to do it, but we'll get one.  It's made us realize how much we'd love a HOUSE.  What a YARD.  and SPACE.  Not a cookie cutter neighborhood or anything like that, we want something out a little further, but not too far of course.  This is all a dream though, we aren't moving for a while, but we have the itch.  It's there, ticking away!

So, I'm trying to slowly adopt some Italian ways.  I started by buying a few cookbooks.  I've already read through one.  I'll post about it tomorrow, but it has completely enchanted me.  Completely.  I've already made half a dozen recipes from it.  LOVE IT!

All this to say that, when asked "Where is your favorite place in the world?" you will get "Italy" as a response instead of "Paris" or "the lake" or any of those old answers.  I left my heart in Italy and one day, I'll have to go back and get it;)  By heart, I mean...everything...I just want to be in Italy forever!

You'll see the effects of it on the blog, I am sure.  Recipes and wine-making (ok ok, I don't know about that) and little Italian quirks here and there...I know I'm Irish and all but I think I am Italian in my soul.  I'm so smitten, it's funny!

Cheerio!