Ciao Ciao Ciao! I have finally arrived in the beautiful Italia! Thankfully the plane trip was uneventful and I was able to get my German pretzel fix in during my 7 hour layover in Frankfurt. Also somehow in the last 2.5 years the Italians have gotten incredibly efficient with delivering bags…they would have put Alaska Air to shame! Anyway,  I just have to  say, every time I get to this country, I am completely overwhelmed by how beautiful it is. Just driving down the road looking out the window (forcing myself not to pay attention to all the other drivers on the road..it is truly stressful) you see new buildings being built, and then structures that have been there for hundreds and thousands of years old! Of course on arrival to Case’s charming apartment, the downstairs neighbors (along with much of their extended family) are there to welcome us! Of course none of them speak English and I don’t speak much Italian (yet) so there is a lot of double kisses, hand gestures, laughing, and Case translating! After saying our goodbyes for the evening–it was time to start our first day ritual….Il GIRASOLE.

Now Il Girasole aka the best pizza in Italy (my personal opinion), is also the first place we go when I come to town. Normally they are closed on Tuesdays, however the owners are so amazing at this pizza spot, they opened specifically for my arrival (I kid you not). Since I was tired we decided to start our dinner early (eight-thirty pm), on arrival, again met with many warm welcomes and embraces. Side-note about the wonderful Il Girasole, the owners make up two brothers, with the  mom and dad also working there. These wonderful people took Case in when he first arrived to Italy, truly some of the most caring and genuine people I have ever met…and their Pizza is absolutely amazing! Back to the food, I finally (after pining for almost a year) got my Mozzarella Di Bufula, (obviously it did not disappoint), had an amazing pizza, and finished the dinner off with house made tiramasu and limoncella con crema. After some chatting over the pizza counter, my eyes were heavy and it was time to go home, my first night in Italy would had to come to an end.

As I am reading back over this post, I realize I have not even been in Italy for 24 hours. The amount one can experience here, in just a matter of hours, is just incredible to me. With that said, I find myself already getting attached to writing about my experiences, I hope you are able to enjoy this blog as much as I hope to.

Until next time, Arriverderci!