Italy-Leaving

While I’ve got plenty more pictures to post upon our return, we’re headed to the airport shortly.

As we leave Rome for the second time, I wish we could stay longer.

Both times we’ve been to Rome, we’ve come away feeling like we were in a big, not-so-clean city, with old, interesting architecture in the oddest places.

Maybe the sadness of leaving is because we know that Rome is a gateway to so many places we treasure, even those we haven’t seen yet.

But maybe, just maybe, Rome has grown on us. A city that was the capitol of the world for so long, and now just the capitol of Italy. And yet, in different corners of the city, it has a magnetic pull.

Whether it’s Piazza Navona at night, or the sheer might of St. Peter’s. Or Cul de Sac, our favorite restaurant here.

As is said in Rome, you throw a coin in the Trevi fountain with your loved one, in the hopes that you will both return. We threw coins four years ago, and have made our way back.

I leave Italy with a slightly clearer picture of our family, those that emigrated over 100 years ago to America in search of a better life. When we started this journey, I couldn’t imagine them giving up the joys of this country for a new one. And yet, they found a better life, bringing with them a heritage they were initially ashamed to embrace, but came to be proud of. I sense their pride as I walk the streets here, and can’t wait to return again.