I'm getting ready for my fourth trip to Italy! I leave on September 9 and will be there for five weeks. For this adventure, I'm planning to travel to four regions of the country, visit many of my Italian friends and spend 5-7 days in each of the cities of Florence, Lucca (both in Tuscany), Orvieto (a hill town in Umbria), Ascoli Piceno (in Marche, near the Adriatic coast) and Parma (Emilia-Romagna). I've managed to arrange inexpensive lodging, which includes staying in a magificent marble hostel in Lucca, a palace in Parma and an apartment in Ascoli. Part of the fun in planning my adventures is finding these jewels, though the path to locating them can sometimes be arduous.
I will be staying at the Ducal Palace in Parma for a week! Can you imagine?
My friend Paolo and his family live in the Palace, which is the headquarters for the Carabinieri (Italy's national military police force) in the province of Parma, of which Paolo is the commander. There are a few suites for guests in the palace, and I am quite fortunate to take advantage of the option. I am so looking forward to spending many hours in the massive Ducal Park (Parco Ducale) that surrounds il palazzzo. While there, I will also attend the opera Rigoletto at Teatro Regio, during the Verdi Festival that occurs in October every year. I was in Parma last year during the festival, but unable to attend any performances because the tickets were sold out months in advance. This time I planned ahead and ordered my box seat (palco) ahead of time.
I'll still have a few days to visit other cities along the way. I'll be scoping out a place I could stay for a longer period of time....maybe three months, on my next visit. And of course, I'll be writing about my adventures along the way. I'll be visiting many of my "old" Italian friends, meeting some new ones, and will also meet up with Haruko, who I recently saw in Tokyo while visiting my son. She and I met several years ago while studying Italian in Florence, and have managed to meet each year since then. Haruko is moving to Florence, so we'll continue our habit of seeing each other in different cities around the world. It's a great adventure! As it turns out, we both arrive in Italy on the same day, though she flies into Rome and I'll be flying into Florence. Non vedo l'ora che vederla! I can't wait to see her!
Some people wonder how I can afford these trips. Believe me, it's not because I have a lot of money. For many months I worked 60-hour weeks at three different jobs and saved, saved, saved, for this trip. Since I work out of my home, I don't have many car or gas expenses. I don't have cable or a cell phone. My son is grown, and I only have myself to take care of. I live simply and don't buy many "things," so my expenses are minimal, even when traveling. My savings will be depleted by this trip, but I know I can always build my savings again.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, "You're so lucky!" I will admit that I am fortunate in many ways, but I don't think luck has as much to do with it as thought, effort and will. The willingness to risk also plays an essential role. Anyone can travel to Italy, or anywhere else in the world, for that matter, by buying a ticket and going. I faced that challenge for the first time just over two years ago, and a wealth of benefits have resulted, spurring me on to greater, more complicated challenges. So, please, don't envy me...if anything, my hope is to inspire others to go after their own dreams, one step at a time. That's all I've done. And you can, too. As the saying goes, "Just Do It!"
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