ITALY 1

I don't want to ever forget any of this.

RECOLLECTIONS FROM 2004

"the smell of vanilla mint toothpaste reminds me of italy in the top floor of the three story home i stayed in for two weeks, in the rural town of strangolagalli, with some close friends. that was the toothpaste i used every morning, and for some reason it has stuck with me and brings back a flood of memories, all at once. like looking out the window at the cars parked on the pebbles, and how i had a stack of little drawings of the colosseum that i’d made sitting there on the sill.

i loved how there was just miles and miles of vineyard, pure and green. in the mornings there was a blanket of thick, gray fog that sat perfectly in the little valleys, the tops of hills peeking over the blankets of cloud.

i never want to forget the small car we drove upon the stone road, to the cafe in the mornings to drink creme and enjoy pastries. both my parents, my little sister, and i, all together. there was a big pink cake shaped like a castle in the window.

then there were the afternoon walks over to the flea market and local chapel.

i recall sticking my head out of the window at night, breathing in the sweet, cool air. i would close my eyes and just breathe. i felt the wind running her fingers through my hair as chills went down my spine. then we arrived at the bar and i remember i loved the sweet smell of those clove cigarettes, and those cigarettes only.

eating pasta around the dinner table with the entire family! zia, zio, cousins, grandmother, grandfather, sisters, brothers, friends, everyone; it all seemed so unreal!

and i remember lighting short candles all in a circle around pretty little stones that i found with luca and my sister. and how the cute italian woman would pinch my cheeks with her wrinkly little hands, and poke at my dress while saying something in italian that i couldn’t understand.

it was really nice."