Nostalgia: Milano Mio

It was the city in which I found my wings. A city I had hated during my first trip to Italy a decade before. "I hate Milan," I had dared to write on a postcard home. "I'd never live here."

Never say never, right?

It was a time when the whole world - my world - was wide open. A Bachelor of Science in hand, I set out to pursue the most unconventional M.Sc program possible - not only Erasmus, but in three separate European countries: Italy, The Netherlands and Germany. 

Italy and I already had a longstanding love affair, but I had never lived alone in Italy. I had never lived alone, period. Living alone abroad was daunting and exciting and liberating and inspiring in rapid alternation over the course of a single day.

In Milan, I learned to get over my anxiety of uncertainty. I learned to cook fabulous meals, to be inspired by locals, by language, by my own strength and sense of adventure. I learned to love roasted chestnuts because of their intoxicating aroma riding on the crisp autumn wind. I learned that Italians can have gelato in precarious waffle cones in scorching heat while on a vespa in suits and stiletto heels (#notastereotype). I learned to love risotto though I'm not that fond of rice. I learned to laugh from a part of my gut that had not fully known this kind of giddy, profound happiness. I learned about photography - slowly and extremely experimentally - as I played with the first camera I ever owned. I learned that with that camera, a notebook, and my sense of self, I could be immensely happy anywhere. I learned about neuroscience, aphasia, synesthesia and the most obscure concepts in linguistics. I learned to love life, fiercely, without reservation. I learned that long distance relationships are easy and difficult and tolerable and intolerable. I learned that very different people from all corners of the globe can quickly become best friends. I learned to adjust to closed supermarkets and stores on afternoons and on Sundays. I learned that the Duomo looked different every day and in every light. I learned Italian idioms and vocabulary words that, despite my experience with the language, had alluded me until then. I learned that connections with other souls are sometimes inexplicable, random, touching and infuriating, and that people come in and out of your life for a reason. 

I learned all the different lights of all the different days of all the seasons, and I learned that my heart could feel very, very full. 

I learned that I don't at all hate Milan, and that I could and should and would live there, wholeheartedly. 

For all that Milano brought me and taught me, it is my most precious city (after Venice, of course).

If Milan means something to you, too, you can bring it home on canvas, metal, acrylic, wood or paper "Milano Mio" is featured above on a round aluminum disk, ready to hang.

From my heart to yours.

P.S. I'm writing a book of my travel stories. Hit the subscribe button above or follow me on Instagram to be kept in the know!

Follow