I did it.

I called Andree today. She is my good friend Aldi's cousin who has lived here in Italy for almost 4 years. She studied in Firenze in college, fell in love, and is now married to Aldo with a beautiful son, Zeno. They live in Pontassieve. It is beautiful.

This morning I awoke and decided that I would really try to leave Florence. I called Andree's house and we discussed what trains to take to get to Pontassieve. This small town is about 30 minutes east of Firenze by train. What a differene a half hour makes. The air smells wonderful here, the mountains are beautiful, and it isn't stifling hot like in the city.

Most commercial stores were closed today because it is a national holiday. Today marks the anniversary of when fascism was overthrown in Italy after WWII. Way to go, Italy. After I arrived, we went to a small festival in a nearby town called Pelego. There were many jewelers, organic farmers, and activities for children. It was wonderful. I just walked around and tried to pick out words I could understand and smiled a lot.

I realized quickly here that I don't need to speak italian to smile. I have also (re)learned that getting other people to smile is awesome. It's so lovely to see other people smile when I smile at them. Even if we cannot hold a conversation, we can smile at each other and look into each other's eyes. Perfetto.

I must go now and spend time with the lovely Aldo and Andree. I am so happy to be here and I want them to know that.

Baci!