I spent the last 2 days on a road trip from Apulia, Southern Italy to Liguria, Northern Italy. I stopped in Tuscany for one night and finally I arrived to my destination. Long story short, I’m back home.
In order to reach Genova, my city, I had to cross 7 of the 20 Italian Regions: Apulia, Molise, Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and finally Liguria. A journey of pure beauty.
The trip started from Pugnochiuso, a beautiful bay on the Southern Adriatic Sea, where I spent the last 2 months working in a resort.
The road trip!
It was so interesting to see how the landscape changed, smoothly but quickly at the same time: from the steep and rocky coasts of Gargano to beautiful sunflower fields in the Pescara area. Then crossing the peninsula heading to Rome, the highway is right in between the high, green mountains of Abruzzo.
Passing next to L’Aquila I couldn’t stop thinking about the shocking earthquake of 2009. This happened every time I checked in a guest from that area too. I never dared asking if they experienced it, but my heart was kinda aching for them anyway.
Just before reaching Rome we had to turn right and head north.
At every stop for gas or coffee, it was fun to listen to the people’s accents: another smooth but quick change from the Apulian dialects, through central Italy’s ones with their funny cadence, and Roman accent: unmistakable!
Then up north to Umbria, and finally Tuscany: beautiful, breathtaking landscapes of the Siena area, where I had to stop for a job interview on the following morning.
I couldn’t help myself chuckling a bit when we asked for directions and a guy answered in pretty hardcore, typical aspired accent of Tuscany. I love it.
Tuscany. Yes, I can see why foreigners love it. I was in awe, and also wondering why I never saw all that before, being Tuscany so close to my region. Oh well, better late than never!
- The postcard I bought
I found myself buying postcards in Siena. If they hire me I will spend about 1 year in this area, and even if I was planning to check out another continent, after I saw these landscapes I am sure I would enjoy it and shoot a million pictures all the time.
I must say this trip even if it took “just” two days opened my eyes a lot. But probably this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t travel the world a bit before.
Piazza del Campo, Siena, the famous square of the Palio
When you come from a country you tend to take things for granted. Then you see other places and start comparing, and you find yourself seeing things you didn’t notice before and find the right point of view on the good and the bad of your country.
Finally, after my 1 night stop in the Siena area, here I am in my city. It feels like home more than ever.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I still don’t know if I’ll take the job in Tuscany or not. I’ll keep you posted!
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12 Comments
Hey, beautiful photos! :) Happy for your road trip! Funny we are on the road trip, at the same time!! So not sure about the job in Tuscany? I know that you will decide the right thing. Waiting for the update!
Thanks sis! Yep still not sure about that job but I’ll take a decision before the end of the week, hopefully. If not… well I’m thinking about other *far* destinations! Excited both ways :)
Wow, I could really do with a road trip – your post makes me wanna pack up and just GO! LOL (taking my husband with me, of course;) ) Will visit you one day, for sure;)
Please do visit me! I love road trips. Flights are quick and comfy but I feel like we miss a lot… Road trip is the way! :)
Love the pictures! And you are so right… sometimes you need to leave your country to be able to see all the beauty in it again. I never thought much of the little town in Germany I am from until I moved to Texas… now I return for visits and think it’s just beautiful with all the green hills, and lakes, and forests, and nature. Hope your interview went well. I only spent one afternoon in Siena a few years ago, but loved it. Such a pretty city in an amazing region.
Yap, Siena is beautiful and I bet your town in Germany is lovely too! Let’s make an exchange, hehe :)
Bellissimo.
I love when we finally discover how beautiful our own countries are after so much travelling and longing to be elsewhere.
I couldn’t have said it any better. :)
So great that you get to see your country from a different perspective. Italy is majestic from what I’ve seen on TV and online. We all often take for granted what have in our own backyard. I too never appreciated the diversity the beauty of the U.S. until I actually explored it. Hope to make it to Italy one day and maybe stumble upon you, too.
[…] had the first impression on Abruzzo last year, when I drove all the way from Apulia to Liguria and when I was crossing this region I found myself “wow-ing” a lot. Then I went to the […]
giulia,vuoi davvero un bel posto per fare foto?polignano a mare :) un paesino della puglia che sono sicura ti lascerà senza fiato :)
La Puglia è meravigliosa!