Souvenirs from Italy

Ciao!

Wow, this is the longest I have not blogged—six days— in over twelve years! It's been a minute to get myself together after the wonderful Italian trip, the pining for the Tuscan sun, and the reacquaintance with life back in Crofton (all good, by the way). I've outlined stories to share, but first, I'd like to share the "thing" about souvenirs.

sou·ve·nir

/ˌso͞ovəˈnir/

noun

a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.

Even better is this explanation: A souvenir (French for 'a remembrance or memory): a memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected, purchased, and transported home by the traveler as a memento of a visit. The object itself may have intrinsic value or be a symbol of experience. Without the owner's input, the symbolic meaning is lost and cannot be articulated.

If one goes on a trip and all that is brought back is memories in the mind, that's fantastic. I can't do that—I have to take photos, at least. With all the restrictions the international airlines are putting on passengers, maybe one day that's all we'll be able to take home - our memories with no keepsakes. Egads!

As I mentioned in a previous post, suitcase real estate is just that—real (especially when trying to pack some fun things to bring home). That real estate seems to shrink by the inch in a carry-on bag or suitcase. But this trip, I managed to bring home some fantastic items I am excited to use and wear.

From the photo below, I bought (4) tea towels - all usable; two pairs of Italian-made sandals; a bag of colorful pasta; Balsamic Vinegar (in brown box) - aged 12 years from our Walk About Tours cooking class in Florence; the black Firenze tote bag that I purchased at a local grocery store for a fraction of the cost of what they sell something similar with street vendors etc.; the peach/salmon colored wool sweater; a world necklace and bracelet - on the pink card (another story coming on these items); two cool bracelets I bought in San Gimignano; a gold bookmark from the "famous" leathershop, Misuri, near St. Croce Church in Florence; a gold Vaticani note book (not shown) from Rome; two floral paintings (in the white tube that need framing-will show once they are hung); and a 2-Panda Jam stereo speaker system that gets paired to the phone from the French brand store, Pylones. Oh, and I bought my bee-mates' little grocery sacks from Pylones and a small leather purse with two straps- one long and one short (also not shown) from a street vendor in Florence.

The Paris book was a gift from a quilting client living in Bordeaux, France. It was heavy, but I got it back to the USA, and it's lovely (thanks, Maud & Jodie!).

I got everything back in one piece by squeezing and cajoling all my items in my checked suitcase and my carry-ons. The only thing that broke was the little red crown top on the balsamic vinegar, which is funny since the thing was in its own brown box container and rolled up in clothes for even more protection. Who knows what happened there, and it did not leak?

My best souvenirs are actually the memories made with my family and dear friends. The weather cooperated most days, and we had that brilliant Tuscan sun with big white clouds. Despite the many tourists in Florence and Rome (of course, we were also a part of that whole equation), we all had a ball!

You know, I am still pining a bit for Tuscany. The whole thing was definitely a trip of a lifetime with renting a villa for two weeks, slowing life down a bit, and taking in many sites, or just sitting quietly...marvelling at and out of our Tuscan Window...(next post!).

Ciao! Ciao!

Terri