“Everyone has a friend during each stage of life. But only lucky ones have the same friend in all stages of life.”
When I got the text “Like if I booked 7/13-7/21” back on May 30th, 2021 from my best friend Kim, a few things went through my mind….
1. Is she really going to book it. 2. A week is never enough. 3 Be grateful if she books it, and it’s only a week. 4. I’m already sad thinking about her leaving. 5. How much fun we will have. 6. If she could only stay a little longer. 7. If she comes once, she’ll want to return. 8. Start a countdown. 9. Kim is coming to Italy!! 10. She NEEDS this escape.
I started a countdown on my phone with a photo of us, I remember thinking it’ll never get here. The weeks slowly passed as they always do. Before we knew it, Mike, myself and Kailee were in Italy. Shortly after Kim would arrive. Tuesday night 7/13/21 I was like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve. Unable to sleep with the anticipation that my best friend would be arriving in Italy in the morning. I would get to show Kim this incredible village we now call home (away from home). She would get to meet all of our wonderful neighbors, Camilla the cat and experience all of this. She would get to see the house Mike and I have been transforming, the house we purchased sight unseen (during a worldwide pandemic). That is still one for the books! Like the record books!
It had been a busy few weeks already since we arrived on 6/21/21. Kailee had her friend Lauren stay with us for 2 weeks. We traveled to Scalea and Orvieto, with other trips planned. The day Lauren left it was definitely sad, she’s a sweetheart and she happened to be our first official guest. Luckily she lives in Orlando and we will see her sweet face soon! So as the kitchen door revolved, Lauren left on Tuesday and Kim was arriving on Wednesday.
After the longest sleepless night, we headed into Rome early Wednesday am. First, we had to switch out the rental cars. I’ll do a whole post on that later- info, prices and tips!
OMG, I see her! She was standing solo with her suitcase, backpack and sunglasses on. She looked like Julia Roberts twin standing there at FIU airport. My first thought was squish her and not let her ever leave! Hide her passport because my best friend is in Italy with me!!
Kim and I go back, like way back. We have known each other since the 1st grade. We lived miles apart, walked to school everyday together (despite being late… daily….Kim is never ever on time). We’ve gone through 41 years of life together. Relationships, children, the ups and downs and the devastating heartbreaks. This past year on Sunday, November 29, 2020 Kim lost her only son, Christopher. Christopher was only 22 years young and took his own life. The absolute heart wrenching pain I have watched Kim suffer through has been the worst thing I could ever witness. Knowing someone you love so much is hurting so bad, and there is not a thing in the world you can do about it. That is the definition of helpless. There will never be words of comfort to ease her grief. Her life will never, ever be the same. How could it be. A piece of her also passed that day, a piece she will never have again.
“A true friend sees the first tear, catches the second and stops the third.”
Sometimes all you can do for someone you love is be there. Simply be there. Allow them to have their moments. Allow them to dictate what their heart is requiring to survive that day. When Kim told me she booked the trip to Italy, I was overcome with emotions. I wanted to take it all away from her, all the hurt, the pain, the sadness and just let her live without it all. Just let her hear the birds chirping, let her smell the flowers in bloom. Let her smile and laugh, knowing it is short lived and she may not have those moments for some time again. Maybe if we kept her so busy, like busy busy, she would be distracted from her pain for just a moment in time.
We had a week. A week is never enough. But, we did manage to laugh at each other & with each other. There is something so simple in laughing with your best friend. Laughing, knowing despite that brief moment, inside they are hiding the worst pain a smile can cover. Like the day in Rome while visiting the Colosseum. Luckily for me, I was aggravated at the people in front of me walking, so I bolted in front of them. In doing so, I missed Kim’s slip and fall on the steps. There is not a doubt in my mind that I would have peed my pants, right there on the spot! In Rome for all to see.
We squeezed in a surprise trip to the region of Puglia. A 5+ hour car ride south to the boot of Italy. We left on Friday and returned on Sunday. We booked an Airbnb and stayed in an authentic Trullo, located in Cegile Messapica, Apulia. We got to experience something new together in a beautiful setting, it was beyond peaceful and quiet. Saturday morning we headed out to swim in the “Coves of Torre Cintola”. A beautiful one of a kind experience. Swimming in the teal dark waters of the Adriatic Sea. It was somewhat crowded in the little inlets of the limestone quarry. We did our best to find a spot we were all content with. Before we knew it, the storm rolled in, the rain began to fall and the beach area was literally cleared. Everyone headed out leaving us to the entire place to ourselves. Kim felt Christopher was sending his love from heaven and wanted us to enjoy our swim, rock jumping and time together at the coves of Torre Cintola. It was truly amazing!
https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/797265
While there, we made our way into two of the beautiful cities in Puglia, Ostuni and Lecce. The Airbnb was about 20 min to the city of Ostuni and an hour to Lecce. Ostuni is known for its whitewashed color. It is definitely worth taking a trip down south for. Plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. It was clean, beautiful and intriguing. We found it to be a breathtaking town in Puglia overlooking the amazing sea. We had pizza outside at one of the main piazzas – Hosteria Pizzeria Regina. It was the perfect outdoor dining experience on a hot summer night! It was also delicious!
“A smile will gain you ten more years of life”
The following night we made our way an hour further south to Lecce. I immediately fell in love with this gorgeous city once we turned the corner and saw the amazing sights. It instantly gave me the impression of Florence. Come to find out Lecce is known as the “Florence of the south”. Its authentic charm makes it an ideal destination for curious travelers. We have never been to this region or city, and we all fell in love. Each street became more beautiful than the last. Every alley we passed drew you in. The Piazza Del Duomo was a beautiful sight and seeing not 1, but 2 brides being photographed made the night beyond lovely. We had dinner at a random side street restaurant. It was satisfying and delicious as well.
Our 5+ hour drive back on Sunday passed with music, laughs and just the beautiful scenery. The Campania region is stunning to see. It was my favorite to drive through. Miles upon miles of rolling hills and hay. It reminded us of a quilt, pieces of beautiful scenery patched together.
Monday we headed out to run all of our errands for our big dinner party with neighbors I was hosting. To have Kim here with me for this was so special. We ventured out first to show her the beautiful Abbey at Farfa, we walked through quickly. Unfortunately we were on a mission to be back home by 2:00pm. We stopped in a local shop for some souvenirs before heading further up the mountain road to Fara Sabina. Here we sat for a quick bite to eat. Delicious pastries and cappuccinos overlooking the Sabine hills. To me this is the most stunning view thus far! You can’t help but feel a little bit closer to heaven.
Next stop, the grocery store (for fresh ingredients for my homemade bolognese) and then the bakery, the florist and the gas station. We couldn’t chance running out of propane today while myself and our friend Deon was coming over to prepare his carbonara (in our kitchen). So much to squish in before the big shindig!! We completed all tasks and literally piled into the car without an inch to spare. Flowers in my face, bags upon bags on Kim’s lap and a full propane tank in the trunk! We even made it home shortly after 2:30! Not bad at all.
I will share with you the dinner party in a seperate post, as I feel there is so much to share with that alone! But the fact Kim was with us, made it priceless. Tuesday morning came very quickly. We got up and headed out to Rome to FIU Airport so Kim could get her covid test out of the way for her flight Wednesday morning. After her quick in/out 15 minute rapid test, we were on our way to center Rome. Kailee had to stay at home with work calls, so Mike and I did our absolute best to be the tour guides we know we can be lol.
We found very affordable parking just a few blocks from the Colosseum and started our day there. It had to have been high 90’s with high humidity. It was definitely miserable walking around, but when it’s your best friend, it really doesn’t matter the weather. We stopped at the Colosseum and took some photos. It’s amazing to see up close. I could do without the construction and the 2 porta potties. It takes away from the authenticness of the surroundings. But, I guess when in Rome, they gotta pee too!
From there we headed to Victor Emmanuel II National Monument, this to me is the most stunning of sights. Well, besides the Pantheon. It is about a 1000 steps (it seems like) which the climb will bring the most spectacular view overlooking the streets of Rome. It was borderline passing-out weather and the 3 of us were literally wiped out after.
Next as we followed on our map (not 1 phone had service) so we relied on good old map skills, we found the Trevi Fountain. A few more pictures and Mike was ready to call it quits. We knew he was going down quick and needed to get inside and fed stat! We found a nice restaurant (I’ll have to find the name) and had delicious pizza! After a nice lunch we headed back out to finish our tour. Off to the Pantheon we go. To enter you must cover your shoulders and wear your mask. Now it’s my turn to drop…..I looked at Mike and told him this will be a quick walk through, because I couldn’t deal with the heat and the mask inside. We got our pictures and out we went. It is truly a gorgeous structure.
On the final loop was the Spanish Steps. Still impressed we found most of the iconic sights, Kim was on a mission. She was looking for some souvenirs to bring back home for her family. A few jewelry stores and the perfect Italian gold ring for her daugher Jess. After about 5 stops later, she finally found some olive oil to bring back home. Another stop for some gifts for the kiddos and now we head back to the car. All of our dogs were barking! It was going on 8:00 pm and between the heat and the 6 miles of walking, we were done! Like really done.
The hour trip back seems so long feeling so tired. The blessing being so close to Rome is we are only an hour in/out to the center Rome sights and the airports! Living central has so much to offer. Just in the one week trip with Kim, we hit so much territory and took in so much.
Wednesday 3:00 am came on quicker than a 2 yr old’s temper tantrum in a grocery store. Was the week really over. Did she really already come and now is preparing to leave? I told her many times I was going to hide her passport so she had to stay! Knowing she has Jess and Nathan (and Sasha, her shepherd) at home, I knew the trip was wrapping up.
We dropped her off early Wed. am, and I was missing her before we even pulled back into Poggio Nativo. My only hope was for just 7 days we could distract her enough to allow her heart to smile. To allow her soul to soak up the sights and sounds of Italy. To introduce her to the amazing neighbors we now call our friends. Everyone loved Kim and this 7 days could not have been more special. There is never enough time spent with the ones you love to be with, but, for best friends since the 1st grade, 7 days will never be enough.
It just means there are so many more trips to plan. She tolerated Mike and I in the car (we battle like our 6 year old twins did in the back seat). She got woken up by Giovanni, the trash collector when Mike screwed up the trash again (and he pounded on the door and made his way to Kim’s window). She snuggled with Camilla and had wine with the neighbors. We laughed, we cried and we had the best time ever. The best time 7 short days in Italy.
This past year 2020 brought heartbreak for both Kim and I. She lost her son and I lost my dad. The night of our dinner party it began to rain around 5:30 pm. I was in panic mode as we were expecting 20 sitting outside at our tables. The rain came and as quick as my migraine began, it was gone. Kim reminded me that “Christopher brought the rain in Puglia so we could have the beach to ourselves and your dad cleared the rain so we could have the best dinner party”……We are just two simple girls from Stoughton, Ma who happen to survive 41 years of the most amazing friendship on this planet. I would be lost without her and I know she feels the same. I love you Kim Marie Edwards.
“When I count my blessings I count you twice” ~ Blessed Is she.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Suicide_Prevention_Lifeline
Rest In Peace Christopher Picanzo ~ April 20, 1998 ~ November 29, 2020. In Loving Memory.