Who, What, Where, When, and WHY?

The catalyst for this blog is an upcoming summer trip to Italy. It would be a shame not to share it with others. The other big reason I’ve finally decided to do this is that friends have asked me for years to blog about my vacations. I’m not sure if this blog will be retroactive or not. I might include photo albums from past trips, but there are so many future trips planned. I hope to write about other things, too, when I’m not traveling. I’m just getting started, so there are a lot of details to work out. What is for certain is that this blog will be casual and conversational. It’s just a place for me to share my adventures big and small and perhaps ordinary everyday happenings.

Back to Italy… and why it would be a shame to not share with others. Others won’t be there. This is my first solo trip. Yep, that’s right. I said, solo. The questions and looks I get when I say “solo” are surprising even me. I’ll address some of these well-intentioned concerns, but it’s truly the least important part of this trip and blog.

Why am I going alone? Is it my Eat, Pray, Love? Eh, maybe, without the pray and love. Is it my Wild? Ha! I would never hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Is it like Under the Tuscan Sun? Closer, but no. No one should feel bad for asking those questions; I rewatched all of those movies and reread the books. I’ve even referred to this as my “eat, pray, love but without the pray and love.”

Will I be safe? Of course. I wouldn’t even get that question if I planned to go to a concert in Las Vegas or a nightclub in Orlando.

Will I get lonely? Probably. Part of me wants to go solo because of the clichéd reason that I’ll discover things about myself I don’t know. I think the only way to do that is to purposely be lonely. What you need to know is that my most important reason for traveling solo is that I want to… I’ve wanted to do this for years. There’s nothing complicated about it. I’m not running from anything, I’m not trying to get sober, and I’m not without travel partners.

Am I scared? Of course. That’s kind of the point.

Why Italy? Why not London, with less of a language barrier? Language doesn’t scare me (except maybe French, so remind me to tell you that Paris story). I’ve been using Duolingo for a while now to get comfortable with Italian, and I’ve learned a lot. Why not somewhere in the United States? Well, I’ve been there before. The answer to the question is that I love Italy. Italians are welcoming and friendly. The food is fabulous, even though I hate gelato (eek, blasphemy!). The wine is even better. It’s beautiful. It’s filled with history and art. Italy is not without its challenges though. It sure would be easier to spend two weeks alone in California, but I want to be a little outside my comfort zone.

I chose Italy in particular because of Florence. I’ve been to Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Volterra, and other smaller hill towns, but I’ve not been to the other big two – Florence and Venice. I’ve wanted to visit Florence for a long time to see the Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Galleria dell’Accademia, Fountain of Neptune, the Florence Cathedral, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, and all other things that a mere thought of Florence conjures in my mind. Not to mention all the day trips possible out of Florence… Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Arezzo, Cortona, wineries in Chianti and the Tuscan countryside, or even Bologna. I could easily fill the month just in Florence, but I will stay there at least two weeks. I’ll be in Venice after Florence, and eventually end up in Rome. Florence is the star of this show, but Venice and Rome are definitely not afterthoughts. I’ve never been to Venice and would not miss it this time. It’s been almost 12 years since I was in Rome, so it is a must see again for a few days. I’ll fly home from Rome, but with the help of high-speed trains and having almost a month, this spread out itinerary is completely doable.

Up next… the planning continues… airfare, hotels, and apartments.