My gosh, has it been a month already? A month of moments that I’ll never forget in Italy. It feels strange blogging after all this time. It’s the longest break I’ve had, since I started my blog.

My month of guest posts was an ambitious project and I hope you enjoyed it all, we had everything from eco-clothing to philosophy. I enjoyed working with each brand, it’s something I’d like to do more of in the future. It feels good to support small businesses.

Anyway, all that aside, it’s December tomorrow, another year has flown by in the blink of an eye. Well, this year at least I ticked some travel off the bucket list. They say that when you travel, you find yourself, and in some ways, I guess I did. Maybe, it’s that vulnerability of being alone in a place where nobody knows your name, or speaks your language. It kind of amplifies all your personality traits. All of your insecurities come out to play and you work through them. Eventually, you enjoy not needing them anymore, and find confidence in your new self.

This November this mystic walked along her inner path and here’s what I discovered about both Italy and myself…

The golden sun on sandy shores, reminded me of home at first. Blue like a Sapphire and with unmistakably prettier shores, but still that call to home beaconed me, like a mermaid singing, lulling me into false security. I am connected to the water, always, and I tend to let my troubles wash away.

I spent too much of this summer stressed out, with things that were out of my control. It was a reminder to me that I am not lost, but I fail to see the middens sometimes, in the stormy seas. Jagged rocks and under currents. You can’t escape danger. But being timid wasn’t my calling here. I needed to find my voice. I needed to be bold and loud, confident and free.

I know that fate has a hand in everything and while sometimes it might not feel like it, often it’s guiding you to bigger shores. I relished in the sun on sandy shores, and felt grateful for my presence, to take pleasure in all the little things around me, and just to breathe, all free of charge. The fruit of the land and the sea…

Life in Italy, takes pleasure in itself. Abruzzo after all, is the land of wine. Italy is the land of oil, so I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled upon this place, but it was the perfect combination. Fruit and Olive trees can be found everywhere in Abruzzo. But while some of them are wild, there is no mistake that the agriculture of the land here is respected, in a way I haven’t experienced before.

I guess in Italy, they preserve olives, not their health and take care of the land around them while they do it. Life is nurtured and cherished. Even the wine is produced with great care. The red wine in particular contains no sulfites, it’s organic and bold. The wine is also very cheap in Abruzzo as it’s made in the region, I found the source. It gave me a different perspective on drinking wine. Drink less, but only what is good for you. Wine is a reward of the land.

There was an abundance of orange trees all around, in my first Air b n b. They were almost ripe, as oranges become ripe in December, but, the sweet scent was everywhere. I thought to myself, nature has a funny way of providing everything for us. Abundant vitamin C in sleepy San Vito – you just don’t see that in England. The soil in Abruzzo is ripe and fertile, volcanic and wild.

Then came the Tempesta, a storm that shook and startled me. I couldn’t resist walking by the water while the wind lashed all around me. I wanted to grab more photographs, but the camera shook in my hand, the wind was strong. A reminder that nature is powerful. That mystical layered blue finesse that I’d experienced the week before disappeared in a flash.

The weather is dominant in Italy and Italians work around it. Out of season, when the sun isn’t so generous, the weather predicts the workmanship. If the weathers bad, they shut. When the sun shines they work all day. Just like Italian people who make up their own rules, nature does too in Italy. Then, I experienced my first Earthquake. Bold as brass. It woke me from a deep sleep. The land in Italy is restless and likes to wake you, like an espresso first thing. “Get up” it said, your adventure is just beginning.

And then I found Ortona, and my heart started to sing. It was like love at first sight and like I’d been there a thousand times or more. Like a balloon that longs to fly away, I found what I was looking for, that hum of the distant shore, I’m always yearning for. A life I could picture for years or more. A home I’d never met before, and something clicked and all that sadness within me lifted and changed, and my heart felt like it could love again.

Until next time Ortona! I loved pretty little Italy. I can’t wait to go back and explore more of Abruzzo.

Thanks for reading,

Soph.

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