Well well well, hello again from Bologna! I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve blogged and forever since I’ve been back in my new home! Where to begin? Ahhh, last weekend…
Last Thursday was a very busy day! First, Max and I took Giorgio to the pool for a swimming lesson, came home to nap, ate lunch, then went to the park before coming home to pack for our little getaway. Because everything Italian’s do is so last minute and they’re always rushing, (ah, I’ve finally figured out where I come from) we basically flew to the train station to try and catch the 6:00pm train to Arona. First, we took an extremely nice, high speed line to Milano and then took the complete opposite to Arona. Took a total of 2 ½ hours, not too bad, but when traveling at night with a 1 ½ year old who loves to run around, it was a little stressful. We finally arrived in Arona around 8:45 where we were greeted at the train station by Viky’s mother; and off we went. It was hard to tell what everything was because it was dark, so we headed to the house for dinner. I had my own apartment next door, which was refreshing! Thursday night was short and sweet; traveling really took a lot out of me.
Last Friday, Viky had a meeting all day in Milano so I spent the day with Giorgio! The city of Arona is located on Laggo Maggiore (Lake Maggiore) and it is absolutely breathtaking! So, in the morning, Gio and I spent some quality time together. We went for breakfast, (cappuccino and a croissant, per usual) stopped at a playground to make sure we got our time in on the swings, and then took a walk where Gio was able to fall asleep and I was able to sight see! When he woke up, we met Viky’s mom at her boutique and went home for lunch – pasta, again… and then had a few hours to myself to freshen up. Gio and I then spent the afternoon exploring more of Arona and playing at the park. Viky arrived home later that evening and we ended our night with dinner and some delicious gelato. It was another early night, for Saturday brought a new adventure for me!
Last Saturday I went for breakfast with Viky, Gio, her mom and brother Federico and then Fede and I were off on our road trip! Our first stop was in Milano to pick up his friend Cinzia, and the three of us were on our way to an International Festival in Ferrara for the weekend. We stopped for lunch at this cute little place where I had a plate of cheese for lunch. Yes, cheese (Miss Maxwell would surely appreciate this), ricotta, mozzarella and two other types that I don’t remember. There were some tomatoes scattered around but mostly cheese. Our first stop at the festival was a theater to see something called Apollo 4 (http://www.ted.com/pages/about), which was a series of speeches in English, about spreading all different types of ideas. Then, we rented bikes (totally not my idea, at all) and took a trip to the Diamond Gallery and were able to view some beautiful artwork! We kept riding around Ferrara on these dumbass bikes and I was getting extremely annoyed because A- I have an extremely boney ass and the seats were not extremely comfortable, B- I haven’t been on a bike in at least 13 years and C- I had precious cargo, as in my Gucci bag, and there was just no place safe enough for him. So Federico, the nice guy he is, used the bike lock to lock Mr. Guch to the front of my bike. Can you even imagine ME on a bike that was way too big and old for me, with my huge Christian Dior sunglasses on, and a huge Gucci bag strapped to the front?! I was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Well anyways, after we finally dropped the bikes off, we walked around an outdoor market, saw some other cool sights around Ferrara, stopped for drinks and apps, went to a concert and then headed back to Bologna to rest. We were supposed to attend the festival again on Sunday but there were way too many people and not that many interesting events going on for us to rush back there. (Bologna was luckily close enough to Ferrara so we stayed in the house for the night instead of driving three hours back to Arona!)
I was able to sleep in on Sunday before we headed back to Arona, stopping for a delicious lunch first. We had tortellini, my new favorite dish, and the restaurant’s signature dessert; vanilla gelato with balsamic dressing. Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. When Fede explained it to me before trying it, I was extremely disturbed but, the owner insisted (in a bunch of Italian mumble-jumble) that I try it, and I did, and it was outstanding. It wasn’t my favorite dessert, but, it was gelato and it was good enough for me! So we dropped Cinzia back at her home in Milano and headed back to Arona where I quickly passed out for a refreshing nap before dinner! I had two days left to my getaway so I went to sleep rather early, preparing for a boat tour of Arona on Monday. Unfortunately, Monday wasn’t going to go as planned;
“Jess…” “Jess are you there?” “I am so upset, Nate passed away.”
It was 9am in Italy, 3am back home. I stared at my phone for at least 10 minutes before making any movements. I thought I was still sleeping. I texted her back and said “Please tell me you are lying.” No response. I started to cry and called my mom, who was luckily expecting the call. I couldn’t even form a sentence and all she said was, “I know. Just breathe Jess. He is no longer suffering.” I didn’t know what to do. I am half way across the world, with no one to comfort me, no one to talk to, and no one to cry to. I got back in bed and just sobbed to my mom and dad, asking why over and over again, yelling about how unfair it was. He was just taken way too early. I got myself together as quickly as possible and met Viky and Gio at the park. One look and she knew I was not okay. I sat there and sobbed to her too, trying to find words to express my feelings. It wasn’t working. I spent most of that day in a fog. Talking to my girlfriends as often as possible, trying to find a way to tell them what I was feeling. I spent the remainder of the day alone, just thinking; about Nate, cancer, friendships. I have written a special blog about Nate, so please check back.
Tuesday was a little better than that terrible Monday. Viky and I spent the morning with Giorgio, had lunch and packed our things together, said goodbye to her family, and hauled ourselves and our belongings to the train station where our next adventure began; Milano! After a few hours of travel and the hustle & bustle to go along with it, we finally arrived in downtown Milano at the Duomo. It had to be the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. I’m not very religious, although my family is, but something compelled me to take a deeper look. I decided to go in and felt this strange rush of emotions. I saw so many people lighting candles inside and I knew exactly why I needed to go in; for Nate. I bought two candles at .80 euros each and lit one for my beautiful cousin Jennifer who is currently fighting a battle against breast cancer, and my wonderful friend Nathan, who just lost his battle to colon cancer. I lit my candles, took a seat in front of them, and just started to cry. I started racking my brain wondering why such awful things happen to such amazing people. My cousin has been through more in 30 years than the average married couple goes through in a lifetime. And Nate, only 24 years young, his life was taken because of awful disease, he was such an amazing person. Once the tears stopped, I finished my tour around the beautiful cathedral and continued on throughout Milano. Everywhere I looked, I was stunned. It was literally the most beautiful place I have ever been. We spent the rest of the day shopping and exploring before heading back to Bologna. It was so weird that I found myself missing “home,” and no, not my home on Rock Road in little ol’ North Haven, Connecticut, across the globe - but my new home in Bologna. We arrived late that night and I hit the sheets pretty hard. My getaway was finally over, but I was so glad I was able to explore three new cities in a matter of five days. I definitely dreamt sweet that night.
More adventures to come, I’m so exhausted!
Best wishes and God bless you all,
XOXX – Miss Jessica Leigh :)
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