A True Summer Story.

Jules Heartly | August 2021

Is Sightseeing a must for a memorable vacation?

In early 2020,  I decided to visit my Italian friend, whom I hadn’t seen for a few years. We agreed to meet at her mountain house near a small town between  the community of Piedmont and Liguria in Italy.  It was the middle of the 2020 winter and at that time I was busy with my NY book tour for Save Your Prayers True Stories From a Nation Held Hostage, a historic fiction novel, I had published a few months before. It was the cold season, and I was looking forward to a spring visit to Italy,the land of “amori infiniti”.

I guess we all know the rest of this part of the story, the COVID-19 pandemic put all traveling plans on hold and set our eyes inward: to appreciate what we had and to focus on staying healthy and together with our loved ones.   

This shift, although it had one longing for all the things planned to do or used to do like traveling, it made us somehow strengthen relationships, friendships.(and Yes I know it broke relationships too, but that is probably part of the same act, the one of strengthening the meaningful ones). 

The friendship nourishing also happened with my long-distance friend in Italy. Thorough out the lockdown, we shared a lot of what was going on not only in our distant cities but in our lives.  We supported each other and virtually held hands aiming to stay afloat during the time of global crisis. 

So, it wasn’t surprising that my enthusiasm for getting together at the first opportunity grew and my plans to visit Italy again grew with them. 

I thought of the good time we would have sharing stories while enjoying some good Italian wines and antipasti.  I also anticipated overall the wonderful feeling of walking again the Italian villages, the mountains, the cities, the paths, the narrow streets that magically open to hidden ones. The fascination of looking at the flowerpots on the balconies, at the doors, and basically everywhere.  And of course, I brought to my mind the beautiful landscapes. 

The dates were set, and the trip started as soon as the country opened its doors to foreigners.    

The route chosen to get to the forest house was a long winding one, with the mountain on one side and cliffs on the other one.  The road got so narrow at times that only one car could pass, in other words, one car stopped on one way to allow the other one in opposite direction to continue down.  Not my favorite way to travel 😉 

But it was all part of the adventure, I thought, and a vacation story in itself. The scenery was beautiful and the mountains really gave an artistry trip to the imagination. 

I thought again of all I had in mind for this Italian vacation.  The scouting I would do, and all the lively towns and villages I would stop by to walk and enjoy.  And then as in on cue to bring me back to reality, a thunderstorm took place, the rain came down very hard, and it was almost impossible to see the narrow curvy mountain road. 

 After a very long half an hour, a stop was necessary at a village on the side of the road.  Now hail came down and the idea of reaching my girlfriend’s house that day seemed further and further away.   Gone with it were my dreams of walking through Italian villages,  even more, when I remembered the recent flooding in other European towns and cities.  All I thought was to stay safe. 

Once the weather allowed, the trip continued as if the thunderstorm never happened. Half an hour later, I  could see from the road the red-roof houses of the town.  It was all I needed to imagine its historic streets and its friendly people who made you feel welcome even before their first Buongiorno.

After all, I might make come true my vacation sightseeing dreams, I thought.  

I arrived at my girlfriend’s  forest house where I was welcomed with the notorious Italian warmness, this time expressed by her family. 

As I settled down, I took in the space.  The forest that surrounded it, the many butterflies flying like autumn leaves, and the naturally lighted house free of any traffic noise, or any other noise.  Just the occasional sound of the wind passing through the trees. 

My girlfriend’s family asked me when they greeted me, “ So what are your plans here, just relax?”  and I still with my vacation in Italy’s mind said:  “No,  I want to explore the area,  go thru hamlets, walk some towns…etc”  but nothing was further from that statement than what followed. 

Because except for occasional outings to the town for meals or for groceries, and for the walks to nearby hills tops,  I did nothing else.  The sightseeing vacation turned out to be another kind of vacation.  A  trip to the senses.  To the Zen found in the quietness of nature, and the passionate encounter with oneself.

The intimate contact with the peace achieved by observation of the movement of the tree leaves, the vibrant color tones of the butterflies, the symphony of nature sounds, the silent concert of the magical star full sky at night, the brightening of it at dawn, as a preamble of the sun bathing of the hills. The relaxation of just being.

The next morning, I opened the window to look out at the clouds passing in front of the moon. The rain-scented air refreshed my body and soul, and I wondered… is this considered a vacation?   Do one need to go all the way to Italy or to another place away from home to achieve this temporary Zen feeling?

And of course, I would like for you, my reader, to share your thoughts on it, but as per me, the answer is…. yes! As much as I enjoy my backyard and I get a fantastic relaxed emotion when I am out there,  the peaceful quietness of a place in the middle of nature provides an unbeatable sense of vacation. Why?  well, also because there are fewer relaxation distractions and less thoughts of what is next to do, which is without a doubt what I would have in mind at my home and on my list if I were following my sightseeing plans. 

As per my meeting with my girlfriend… that was an unforgettable one. We both embraced not only the place but this moment in our lives, and the thankfulness of being alive.

Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for sharing your stories and letting me know your thoughts on #sightseeing, #vacationing and everything else! #summerReads #VacationStories #Summer #Zen #Travel #Europe #Italy

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