Hello my lucky readers,

I have to apologize, I know! I was absent for so long and I really missed writing a blog and sharing my ESC experience in Italy. Unfortunately, due to Corona virus pandemic I’ve spent almost two months inside the house and when I finally could go out I really wanted to travel and visit all the places in Italy that I could before my return back home. This is how I left my beloved blog posts aside…

The end of September is coming and brings with it the end of my project and my return to Greece. Except my departure this evil month- I never liked September, because it brings me so many things to deal with- also signals the end of the summer and the summer is the main topic of this blog, my Italian summer full of aperitivos, pasta and pizza.

So, this Covid-19 summer was particular for everybody. While doing an ESC project we are expecting to meet a new culture, to visit new places and explore as many places as you can in a year. To my year though, I had to remove in total three months that I couldn’t move from Faenza and after from my house.

I was really angry, guys! How this 2020 can punish me in this way? It was my first experience abroad and now you’re telling that due to a monster killing virus I have to stay put? I don’t accept this! But… I accepted it! And the best way to accept something is to take all this anger, transform it to something else and use it. So I did; I transform my anger to kilometres and during this summer I visited some of the places that were in my ”Dream Travels List”. I visited Pisa, Livorno, Modena, Cinque Terre, Levante and Padova. To all these we can add some places near to Faenza like Ravenna, Pesaro, Brisighella and Fognano. That’s not so bad, right?

I tried as much as possible to enjoy the sea -but I’m from Greece so the Greek sea will always be the best for me-. I went to several beaches around Emilia Romagna, but also I loved the Italian agricultural character especially in Tuscany. The highlight of my Italian summer it was my small, but perfect trip to Cinque Terre. There I felt in love -I know it’s mainstream, but seriously guys, there are magnificent-. Due to our monster killing virus friend, all the touristic places in Italy like Cinque Terre that usually are full during the summer, now were almost empty and it was an opportunity to visit them and admire their beauty in peace. I know this is bad for the economy, but it was perfect for me!

After and before Cinque Terre I was lucky and I had the chance to visit some of the most beautiful cities of Northern and Central Italy, like Modena and Pisa- also Pisa was empty in a scary level- and with the help of the ESC activities I traveled near to Faenza several times.

That was it for today, folks! I’m planing to publish another and final blog next week in which I will summarize this experience, a whole year in Italy -secretly starts crying-.

Until the next time…

Me and my travels,

Danai, Greece