Last day in The Eternal City...

It’s really hard to express how I’m feeling here on my last day in Roma.  The only word I can think of is bittersweet.  I got knots in my stomach this morning during my run in Villa Borghese thinking about how it will be my last.  My eyes have been welling up a little bit each time I pass a familiar café, a restaurant where I first met new friends, or a road I got lost on during my first few weeks here. Saying goodbye to the people I have met has been a lot harder than I thought.  While the sadness is temporary, I do feel that I’ve made friendships that will last for years and years to come and I don’t doubt I will see them again in the future.

I’m so thankful for every moment I’ve had here in this beautiful city.  I’ve tried to soak up every last minute this past week and tried to do and see things I hadn't yet had the chance to get to.  From visiting the Church of Saint’Anslemo on Aventine Hill to listen to the Gregorian Chants just before dusk, to visiting the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte for the Andy Warhol Headlines exhibit, to seeing the Opera in the ancient and dramatic setting of the Terme diCarcalla (Baths of Carcalla) and to finally getting to a restaurant I’ve been trying to catch since I first arrived (Gran Sasso near Piazza del Popolo)... each experienced has deepened my love for this city.

With each visitor, I get to see this incredible city again through new eyes.  It makes me happy to see their equal awe and appreciation and I smile realizing that one day I too will be arriving to the The Eternal City again with new eyes.

Bittersweet is the perfect word to express what I’m feeling today.  One adventure is coming to an end, but a new one is just beginning as I’m on my way with my friend Marie to Cefalù, Sicily.  My aunt Sarina has been so incredibly helpful arranging with her family there in this lovely, medieval seaside city.  I’ve have no idea what to expect but I have a feeling I’m going to fall in love once again with another Italian treasure.