16 October 2007

eight years ago



dear italy,

I love you. I know, everyone is always telling you that. are you tired of hearing it? are you bored with the way the world loves you and goes on and on about you? I'm sorry but it's true. you must be seen to be believed. and have you noticed how everyone always thinks they love you most? that their love is deepest? if I were lesser person, I would take this opportunity to point out that, in fact, my love for you reigns supreme. truly, I am the one who loves you most. but I'm going for higher ground here and will refrain from such nonsense. also, I will try to remember it's not a contest, that there's enough of you to go around. (but I love you) (more)

it's been eight years since I last saw you and I can't believe it. I've been in love with you ever since. each year around this time, I get all nostalgic and soft in the eyes over you. I am so predictable. I remember the first time we met, how hard I fell. I look at the photographs, watch the video footage. sometimes I talk while I do this, to no one in particular, to anyone who will listen. I re-read the journal entries and press my nose into the spine of the little book I bought during our visit. it was the second day of our trip and I remember how happy I was to have stumbled down into that tiny basement paper shop in venice. that little suede book, it smells just like you-- sweet and earthy. each page is covered with so many words, so many funny little drawings. if I shake it hard enough, things fall out. bright-colored stamps, papery flower petals, bits of tuscan dirt, exotic italian candy wrappers. you should know, I dream about you often. and the dreams are good, they are always good.

so that's it, really. I just wanted to tell you how much I miss you. and love you. and want to come back.

xo,

your biggest fan

p.s. we took so many photographs of you. roll after roll after roll after roll. have you seen them? you look good. like, really really good.

20 comments:

  1. great post. i long for italy as well! i only spent five months there but it's like the person you've just met that you feel like you've known for a lifetime. you think that the whole country was put there just for you, and you are so right, you always think that you love it the most! i can't let you love it the most, but i will concede that we are tied in our love for the country :)

    again, great post!

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  2. Your photos are so beautiful... What is the camera that came back from the dead? Any camera recommendations?
    Much appreciated.
    - M.

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  3. i just returned from our honeymoon in italy, fabulous synchronicity! yes, it is your own secret magical place. i am in on the secret. i loved it, no complaints. pure magic!

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  4. your photos are bee-u-tee-ful! the hubby and i were in florence and cinque terra six years ago and have been trying to figure out how to get back ever since. i heart italia...

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  5. I agree with you. So so much. I was there in June, for the first time, and fell in love. You really don't know what it's like til you go there. And it really does feel that comfortable there. I love It.

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  6. that italy is a looker, it's true. but i fell hard, really hard, for his quiet brother, spain. have you met him? oh he is so great once you get to know him. kind of stand offish at first, but we he lets you in, oh man. hold on to your heart. funny, i havent seen spain in nine years. maybe we need to go back together to visit our loves?

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  7. (sigh)
    I have never been to Italy (it is a dream of mine to go) but I think that I would have the same feelings as you. I have never been- but I have the longing that I can feel in your post.

    Wonderfull tribute :)

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  8. love your post. awesome. makes me want to go right now!

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  9. it's true, so many people love traveling there. must be something to it.

    hope you get to go back soon.

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  10. thanks, everyone!

    reverb, hello! must revisit your italy photos soon... are they still up on flickr? so good. and I'm still envious that you were able to spend five whole months there! that's the way to do it. will gladly share the tie for love with you. :)

    anonymous, the camera that came back from the dead was our little canon powershot A610. the LCD monitor cracked and we thought maybe we'd rather sink the money it would take to have it repaired into a DSLR. in the end, we sent it off to canon to have it repaired and have been happily shooting with it ever since. great choice for the money, lots of great features, fairly easy to use, very portable... highly recommended!

    anonymous (the second one), ahhhh, honeymoon in italy. perfection. secret magical place is right.

    olympiaway, cinque terra! oooohhhhh! dying to visit there. dying to see that. and I think florence was my favorite of the big three. which I didn't expect at all-- venice was amazing and rome was fantastic but florence...? wonderful in a thousand different ways, inexplicably my favorite.

    tracy, I imagine italy in june is marvelous. hope I get to find out for myself someday soon. :)

    hannah, I would LOVE to meet the quiet brother. I bet he is ridiculously sexy, yes? oh I'm game, sister.

    thanks again, everyone--- for the kind words. here's to hoping we all get to italy someday soon.

    xo

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  11. this is absolutely fabulous. i really miss living in spain and being able to travel...ALL OVER. i've been thinking a lot about going back to europe, maybe taking a break from this lifestyle to enjoy another. everything here is just so fast and life is so pressed the time. it's comforting to know that elsewhere in the world, life is slow...and different, and beautiful and dying to be enjoyed.

    ciao y salud.

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  12. Aw, love, you've done it yet again - a perfect post :)

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  13. I love your letters to locations (the Portland one a while back was one of my favorites). Your post reminds me of how I cried for weeks when we returned from Italy the last time we went. I ran into my neighbor (an old lady who was born and raised in Italy) about a week after we returned, and she asked me how my visit was. I started uncontrollably bawling on the spot. That country is unbelievable.

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  14. What a great post! Italy is truly an amazing country - so many different experiences to be had, so much culture and history and wow such great food!! I used to date an italian and there was nothing better than being shown around by someone who knew the country. I also have lots of Italian friends so I've been to 4 weddings which were all different and spectacular! I will be up there with you on the person who loves Italy most!!

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  15. I know just what you mean. Do you get sick of hearing that? I hope not. :-) xoxo

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  16. Great post. I hope to one day write a letter like this. Travel sounds good about now...

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  17. andrea, how did i miss this post? i think our love scale is is like, super grand and big alike, :))

    xo

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  18. I ended up here after reading all of your favourites from List 9. You have so many great posts that I'm surprised you were able to narrow it down that much. I think this post was the one I identified with the most… only my love affair is with France and this time of year is the worst for me. Since I want to think I love France the most I'm willing to concede that you probably love Italy the most. I'll send good vibes in the hopes that you'll be reunited soon.

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