A moving love letter to Italy

A lovely letter and I hope all of us Italophiles will take the opportunity to follow suit: travel there and spend a bit more money. On our way August 31, se Dio vuole.

We made our first trip to Italy last August and spent 3 1/2 weeks in the northern part of the country - areas that now are so affected by the coronavirus. Similar to so many, we fell in love with the country and the people. i could not believe how kind and gracious everyone was. It was so apparent that the B&B owners, hotel staff, waitstaff and shopkeepers put their heart and soul into their work. My heart breaks for them.

And now the government is talking about shutting down major parts of northern Italy. I agree that attempting to travel at this time would put a burden on them as they are trying to deal with their crisis.

And yes, I write this from Seattle where our own situation is becoming increasingly stressful. I raised the question in another thread whether our own situation with the virus will get so bad that other countries will ban tourists from the U.S. - or at least those who live in the most affected regions.

I am sorry you had to cancel your trip and I hope and pray that this outbreak will be resolved soon.

Our medical system may well be strained soon as well.
Lovely letter.

We're scheduled to arrive in Rome on April 19 and spend 5 weeks. So we are still waiting and seeing. If worse comes to worse, we may put off Italy until next year and see if we can change out ticket to another place on our bucket list.

Having said that, by mid April, it may just be everywhere and whether you are in Milan, Seattle, Auckland or Buenos Aires may make little difference.

The uncertainty makes planning anything very difficult.

I figure most of us will get it, so if that is the case, I'd rather just get it and be done with it. Fortunately, I am not in a high-risk category. I worry a lot more about my elderly relatives and older workmates.

What a fantastic letter! It echoes my sentiments exactly. I hope that even a few of the people in Italy are able to read it and are aware of how much others enjoy their wonderful country.

Thank you for sharing that, Lola!

Thanks for sharing, what a beautiful letter. I, too, will go to Italy again when it's alright to do so. I was thinking the other day that I'd like to go back and spend whatever money I can there to help in some small way. Ti amo, Italia!

We are still scheduled to go in Oct. I have often stated that if I have to live with one food group for the rest of my life, it would be Italian.

This beautiful letter brings hope for all of us who love Italy. We will see what transpires in the coming months. Our next journey is slated for September. Time will tell. Until then our thoughts will be with the wonderful people and the culture we love and admire. We too are watching things unfold here in Seattle. Thanks Lola for sharing!