Sneak Peek

I just got back from my birthday party and it's 12:14 am here...which means in Italy I'm 19. Happy Birthday to me! I have many more pictures to share but 6 am is going to come fast so I'll leave you with this preview

The Rain

I have four days left....and it's raining. It's supposed to be raining all weekend. But I'm happy.See you soon!

Bye-bye Zagara's Pizza.

Last night was my last Zagara's pizza. That's sad. It was delicious...but sad. I wonder how long it will be until I forget how good Antonio's pizza was and be able to order pizza in a restaurant in Canada.

Orbetello and Orvieto

On Sunday we were supposed to swim. I was going to break in my bathing suit for the first time this season. It didn't happen. We did drive around an island and eat a delicious lunch in Orbetello, but it mostly just looked like this:
I was glad that I had got to see Orbetello in the sun with Brenda when she was here, because we barely got out of the car!

After Orbetello we drove to Orvieto and on the way we saw these:

So, while I didn't get to have the first swim of the season I did see my first sunflowers. Gorgeous. This is Orvieto:

One of the most prettiest towns I've visited in Italy.

With a Duomo:

And gelato. Of course.

And the most beautiful view:

It's now Wednesday and I will be going home exactly a week from now...so begins my last week in Italy. It's been named "The Funnest Week Ever" and I'm planning to enjoy and embrace it completely.

Time to say goodbye.

There are only 9 days left. I've started saying goodbye to places and things. Yesterday I took the train into Florence one last time.

I said goodbye to the fake David.

Ate my last gelato. I mean last gelato in Florence. Whoa, if you think I'm going 9 days without having gelato you are so wrong. This was a special gelato because it was a scoop of gelato in a blood orange granita. It was like a ice cream float...but a 100 times better.

I also had the classic Florentine Bistecca. A 2kg steak. One of the best steaks I've had in my life.

Of course I didn't eat the whole 2 kg myself...they were other people around.

It was sad to leave Florence, it's a beautiful city with yummy food and tons of great shopping. Hopefully someday I'll get a chance to go back.

And now we are off to Orbetello (a town by the sea) for the day....it's overcast out with the occasional boom of thunder, but I'm still bringing my bathing suit.

The best advice I can give...

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. "
-Howard Thurman
I am a firm believer in following your heart, after all that is what brought me to Italy. It is so important to do what you love and stop making excuses for why you aren't. Quit and start over. That may seem naive to some, but maybe they're just not open to the possibilities. I have witnessed more than one person change paths...and do it successfully. They are an inspiration.
Right, so where am I going with this? Well, I got an email from the woman I am working for yesterday saying that she had been in touch with Corzano & Paterno (the sheep cheese farm I visited...and loved) and asked if they would be interested in having an intern next year. Me. And get this, they're interested if I'm interested. Trust me, I'm interested.
And then came the tears. It started with tears of joy. How can I be so lucky? Even though I don't have the internship yet, the idea is enough. How is it possible my life is working out like this? Providing the next step all the time. Then came the sadness. The tears for all the people who don't follow their heart. Who don't realize that loving who you are and what you do are the most important things. Because when you do realize this, and when you do start taking steps forward towards your dream and your love, things have a very magical way of working out.

(I've sent an email to Corzano & Paterno inquiring about next year...I'll let you know what comes of it.)

Oh my.

I have this terrible habit...whenever I am in a place that is incredibly magical and enchanting to me I don't pick up my camera. It's like I want to respect the place and keep all that I have seen completely to myself, almost as if it were a gift. And yesterday I experienced something that nearly brought me to tears...I got the chance to visit a sheep farm that produces cheese for the area as well as all the fancy restaurants in Florence. Seems rather normal. It wasn't. This isn't a big commercial operation. This is a family business. There are a total of 10 people in the whole operation that are not family members. There are 3 houses divided between the family (involving uncles, aunts, cousins, sisters, brothers, etc) and they all live together.

Sibilla, the daughter of the owners, gave us a tour and hosted the cheese tasting. She was born on the dining room table of the house we had the cheese tasting in...her mother says that this is why Sibilla has such a hunger for all things food related.

This is the one picture I took. It was during the tasting. In the family courtyard surrounded by flowers.

Please follow this link and read the history of the Fattoria Corzano e Paterno...it is amazing. And maybe you'll see why I only paid half attention to what Sibilla was saying while my eyes wandered trying to spot a young, single, male family member.