Last Night in Italy

Dear Future Self,

Remember what it felt like to be here. Remember how much you wanted to come, how excited you were, how hard you worked to make it happen. Remember the moment your breath caught in your throat when you saw the mountains, when you heard the birds chattering, when you walked by the lake and found a patch of sunlight to bathe in, the one day it didn't rain.

Venice

Remember how you kept accidentally speaking French when you meant to speak Italian, and how that made you friends in every city. Remember the guy you met at Notte Bianca in Florence, how amused he was when, after he picked you up so you could see the band over the crowd, you insisted on returning the favor. Remember how you walked the city for hours, neither of you wanting the night to end.

Florence

Remember what Rome looked like from the top of St. Peter's Basilica, what Florence looked like from the top of your hotel roof, what Venice looked like from the busboat sailing along the Grand Canal, and what Verona looked like after you huffed your way up a mile of steep hill just to say you'd done it.

Verona

Remember also how you felt when your grandfather got pickpocketed in the Rome train station, how too much wine at dinner made you useless in the mornings, how you spent an entire day in bed, watching Disney movies on YouTube. Remember what it felt like to be alone in a faraway place -- both the good and the bitter, the freedom and the homesickness. Remember how much you missed Chicago, and how the mere sight of your mother on Skype made you cry.

Remember how proud you were of your grandparents for striking out to a new country, and what it felt like to watch them struggle in a way you'd never seen before. Remember the mix of tenderness and agony you felt, and the love.

 Vatican City & Rome

Remember the delicious meals and the disappointing ones, the days you tried to connect and the days you didn't, the wine and the pasta and the pistachio desserts and the espresso (oh dear Lord, the wonderful espresso). Remember feeling listless one moment and energized the next, and realizing that how you felt was completely in your control, no matter where you were in the world.

Remember Italy.

Lake Garda