The day I'd been anticipating for months finally arrived last week, and with it came Gio! She has returned to Bologna for four months to start a master's degree in development. Her next semester will take place in Capetown, S. Africa, if you can believe that. About 12 hours after her arrival at the airport, I came to visit her at her new place in our old home away from home.We mostly just visited our nostalgic points of interest, such as the market, Osteria dell'Orsa, la Chiesa di S. Stefano, and of course, Sorbetteria Castiglione.
Some of my students decided to go to Bologna the same weekend, as per my glowing recommendation. Oddly enough we never ran into them, even though they were hitting all our favorite spots as well. The less than shocking verdict came in when I got back to the villa Sunday night-they loved it!It was so comforting to be with an old friend, and I think my presence helped cushion Gio's shock about moving into a city that has dwindled considerably friend-wise since our last sojourn. I'm so excited for her though, getting to re-live the dream and create new memories with fresh friends. Plus, this means she's only an hour way from me and we can visit often.
In my case, it was a rejuvenating weekend that helped prevent a strong case of Villa Fever. Don't make fun, it's a real malady among the rich or, er, privileged.
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