Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy. — Bertrand Russell
About this time every year, I start to get antsy. I drag out the suitcase and start making piles of the things I plan to bring to Italy in May, just about six weeks away. I can’t help myself. When I’m here, I miss Italy. When I’m in Italy, well . . . I’m glad I’m in Italy.
That said, some pretty amazing things are going on right here and now. Stateside. And I wanted to share them with you.
First, and maybe most important, I have successfully finished the first completed draft of my new book (working title: Becoming Italian). Some parts have already been edited about a million times, but this is the one completed manuscript that I can send to my first reader (Tim) and which I will then clean up to send to my other first reader (Sharon). Tim reads for accuracy, Sharon reads for soul. It’s a splendid combination.
Second, I was invited to be a part of the first Boston Italian Expo, coming up in April at the Dante Alighieri Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I’ll take any excuse to get down there, but this one is particularly meaningful. I will join a fine group of participants, Italy lovers all, who offer crafts, services, food, music, and opportunities of all kinds to people who want to learn more about — and maybe even travel to — bella italia. It’s free, so if you’re in the Boston area, come on over. Besides the expo, there are seminars, a concert, and even a chance to win a trip for two to Chianti, in Tuscany!
Finally, I had an appointment last week to talk on the phone with a writer in Abruzzo about my business, Travel Italy the Write Way. I thought it was for a story for her wonderful blog, and we had a fantastic 45-minute conversation. Then I found out she was writing the article for a major international digital newsletter (which I don’t want to jinx by naming here)! This will be terrific exposure for my growing travel business, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll post the link here and on Facebook when the issue has been published.
So, despite temperatures that are moving in the wrong direction again, and winds that are sometimes downright terrifying, things are definitely on the move. We did that idiotic Daylight Savings Time thing already and I actually saw two pathetic (but living) sprigs of Snowbells in the garden today, buried under two inches of damp leaves and doggie poo. Still, it’s a sign, right? Good things are on the way!
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
