Primavera in viaggio

By Larry & Arlene on Jun 5, 2021 in Blog | 10 comments

  PRIMAVERA IN VIAGGIO IN ITALIA   –  Springtime on the road in Italy With the relaxing of travel restrictions, we celebrated a wedding anniversary and Spring, on the road.   There seems to be something perverse in human nature when told you cannot do something – it only increases your desire to do it. The impact of the COVID-19 viral epidemic on all our lives has been beyond anything we could have imagined. Considering the depth of tragedy this malady has brought into so many lives, it seems inappropriate to have been so discontented with lockdowns, social distancing, and the cancelling of stimulating experiences that serve to broaden life. But we confess, as gratified as we are to be living in this exceptional provincial Italian town, having our movements restricted seems to have only sharpened our appetite to travel and expand our experiences of Italy. But, we finally got an opening. We have been enjoying the expansive benefit of immersion into the daily life of a culture different from the one in which we were nurtured, by actually living in this community of others. A significant additional benefit in living here is the increased range and ease of our travel possibilities. Now, we can plan any number of shorter, focused, exploratory excursions, to experience places not generally accessible on a whirlwind itinerary. All in the same time zone we are already acclimated to. What previously required a grueling full day of travel and left us exhausted to reach exciting places, is now just a pleasant several hour drive through the beautiful Italian countryside. Added to that, we can choose the timing to optimize the uniqueness of the seasons and the greatest benefit of all, to be able to avoid the crowds inherent in mass tourism. Nonessential movement restrictions between Italian Regions had only recently been lifted. In fact, not long ago, nonessential travel outside our local community could result in a monetary fine. Last Fall, we had changed our around town car for something more suited to travelling on the road. We initially took advantage of that new resource and made a trip to the south of Italy. That experience only whetted our appetite for more. Then the travel...