My Italian Manifestation

      I have dreamed of visiting Italy for more than ten years, maybe because my bedtime video for all those years was Under the Tuscan Sun? I just had to see Positano and I longed to visit villages and live the culture. Every day, I told at least one person in my spa chair that I wanted to go to there. When Italy was rocked by an earthquake on April 6th, 2009, I was riveted by the news footage of the damage to L’Aquila and the ancient villages surrounding it in the mountainous regions of Abruzzo in central Italy. I felt drawn to this region in a very compassionate way and didn’t understand why until now. When the opportunity arose for me to realize my dream, the Universe cleared the path and within two weeks, plans were set in motion and I was on the plane. 

      On August 6th, as I sat beside an 87 year old Italian passenger, there was turbulence for most of the nine hour flight with lightning flashing around the wings of the plane. Yet, I was strangely calm and was able to comfort this elderly fellow who had made this journey back to his homeland on countless flights over the years. As daylight broke, I was able to glimpse my first sighting of the Motherland when the ocean lapped the shores of the United Kingdom. My family had emigrated from these shores back in 1912 and this was my first trip to Europe. I felt a deep connection to this land immediately. Not long after that, the plane touched down in Rome and I realized then that my luggage had taken a separate vacation. I was not to be reunited with my luggage till the following Friday and yet, still this incredible calm washed over me. I was in Italy! My hostess Liana greeted me along with another guest, Chiara and the three of us set off on a 9 day adventure I will never forget. We took a whirlwind tour of the city of Rome before departing to our mountain destination and I was in complete awe at the beauty of this ancient city with its flowered balconies and magnificent sculptures and even then, I felt strangely at home.

 Marvelling at the fabulous scenery enroute to Liana’s in Cerchio, I glanced upon a distant church under construction in a village perched in the mountains and when I noted the highway sign indicating it was L’Aquila, my mind raced back to April 2009 and the earthquake that devastated this land and her people. Shivers raced through me as I realized I would be living amongst the survivors! When I asked the Universe to give me a cultural experience like no other, it delivered!  With its narrow winding streets of colourful stone buildings and cascading flowers, Cerchio delights all senses. I drank in the sights, the smells, the delicious sounds of animated conversations and children laughing. Within minutes of arriving at Liana’s villa, I was on the rooftop terrace looking in every direction at the many homes nestled in majestic mountains. Over the next few days, I found myself often on that terrace, happily hanging laundry which the sun dried quickly and efficiently or enjoying a glass of wine and an evening feast with Liana’s extended family.

     

Having my own personal tour guide was such a gift. Liana’s love for her country and her desire to bring commerce to her village through her Bed and Breakfast and retreats touched me deeply. I caught her vision. The mountain air and the warm dry heat from the sun did wonders for my arthritic joints. I was pain free and slept like a baby. Through the days, we did extensive walking up and down the winding mountain roads where we would always meet a friend or relative usually in their late 80's making their morning trek to visit their dearly departed in the cemetery. Not only was I sun kissed daily but kissed twice on the cheeks by everyone I met! The people of Cerchio are very hospitable and several did not want me to leave. I told them as I kissed them goodbye, that I was leaving my heart there and the rest of me would return one day to retrieve it once again.