4 months in Italy

It has been a long time since I've blogged about my trips to Italy. This year I decided to spend 4 months in there. I am blessed with a family who understands my love of travel and even more so, my love of Italy. I want you all to know that I think all of Italy is beautiful. My favorite parts are Lake Como, Puglia, The Amalfi Coast, The Aeolian Islands, and of course my bella Calabria. It has been a year since my aunt Teresa passed away and this year after traveling with Ionian Jewel Tours for 4 months, I was able to spend time in the house my mother and my aunt were born in and also I have been fortunate enough to inherit this house in the town I was born in. This house was left to my family and I do not know where to begin to describe the beautiful views of the Ionian Sea and the glorious mountains that are just outside the windows upon awakening every morning. Waking up every day and listening to the sound of the vendors yelling through a megaphone about what kind of fruits and vegetables they are selling and stepping out of my house to purchase them off the small trucks brings me back to my childhood. Fish, Cheese, and even house hold items are sold this way; I love it.

I love when the older women sit on my foot steps in the afternoon and in the evening. They continue to do this even after my aunt passed away. Yes, I am blessed now that I have this house which allows me to conduct my tour business while I am in Italy. No more traveling back and forth. I just simply meet and greet my clients in Italy and when my tours are done I return to my new home and await the next group traveling to Italy for an experience like the one I lived the past four months.

Montepaone is the name of the place in Calabria where I spent my summer. It is a place for those looking for relaxation and for those who have a great appreciation for a small town still keeping traditions of many years ago.

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.