My first answer to this is always Italy. I blame "Return to Me" for this yearning in me, to immerse myself in an Italian city, to spend a good long time there, time enough to get to know the good bakeries and shops, time enough to have a sizable set of Italian phrases I might use without trying too hard.
If you don't remember "Return to Me", the heroine of the film was born with a heart condition that made most of her life a sickly, homebound one. She was an artist who would make her art right there in her own backyard, but who yearned to one day get to Italy to study the masters and to grow her talent in the old world. Eventually, after a heart transplant, she makes it there, and the cinematography is exquisite-- shots of the most idyllic cobbled streets, nuns on bikes, abundant pots and window boxes of flowers. Sunshine. Old stone. Tile floors. Balconies. HEAVEN.
So yes-- if money and time were no object, I would take my family and spend a year in Rome. I would find an apartment with a balcony or two, and we would spend the year exploring, learning, practicing art and music (no need to be GOOD at either... just to show up to do both.)... and trying new foods and learning new words. We could take small trips around the country to visit Pompeii, Florence, Lake Como, Pisa, and of course Venice. I would take a million photos. Maybe even offer my services as a family photographer while there... so other tourists (and locals if they deigned) could have amazing images of their families in these beautiful streets.
I've already been to Italy. Joe and I saved up to go back in 2006, when we were still basically newlyweds, and it was a glorious trip. But having been there once doesn't dull the edge of my desire to be there again. If I could go anywhere on Earth, the answer would still be Italy.
What about you, five readers of this blog post? I want to hear your answer!
A1: Place I Haven't Been - it would have been New Zealand as recently as a few years ago, and that's still #2 on my list, but #1 is now Scotland. I've reconnected with a mission buddy from Scotland, I've come to be a rabid fan of the Glasgow Celtic soccer team, and THERE ARE MORE THAN 1,500 CASTLES THERE.
ReplyDeleteRunners-up: St. Petersburg, Russia; Israel/Palestine; Croatia
A2: Place I Have Been - Florence, Italy is super tempting. SUUUUUPER tempting. But I think I have to go with Bavaria. I don't know if that's cheating because it's a region and not a specific city, but...I mean, it's got Heidelberg. Munich. Neuschwanstein Castle. So much more. I just need to go back.
Runners-up: Moscow, Russia; Paris, France; Southwest France/Provence
I'd go pretty much anywhere in Europe but I really would love to go to France.
ReplyDeletePlace I haven't been - UK - maybe on a narrowboat for part of the time to follow some of the canals
ReplyDeletePlace I have (sort of) been - Japan, the parts I didn't get to 20+ years ago