I Miss Salo'...Wait, What?!?

I never thought I would ever say this...but I actually am missing Salo' today. For those who don't know, Salo' is the town that I lived in for the last 8 years of my life in Italy, before moving here, to Chicago, IL. I pretty much couldn't wait to get out of there. And now, today, I am missing it.

I miss spring in Salo'. I miss walking my dog, Maya, during the spring season, watching all the flowers, plants and trees bloom, marveling at the beauty of nature, and at the fact that the "world" isn't just gray anymore, but is starting to come back to life with color! Needless to say, I LOVE spring! (I really like Autumn as well =) )
I miss sitting in a park, or small field, not too far from what used to be my house, enjoying the sight of Maya running all over the place and rolling in the grass. I miss the feeling of sun on my skin, and the fresh smell of the air.
I miss waking up to the sound of birds outside my window and playing with my brother Isaac or Maya in our yard (we had a big, nice yard).
I miss going downtown with a friend and getting gelato (Italian ice cream) or pizzette (mini pizzas that they sell freshly made in the bakery) and sitting by the lake, or in a piazza (square) watching tourists, or in a cafe' with a nice cup of tea and maybe a coissant, watching the rain outside.
I miss going to the open market on Saturday mornings with my mom, watching all the sellers and buyers interact very loudly and friendly, seeing all the different people that are there, smelling all the good food (fresh veggies, good cheeses, fried fish...), looking at all the different things that are being sold, and vendors calling my mom and I sisters (my mom obviously liked that =) ).
I miss speaking Italian, eating good Italian food, walking around and seeing old buildings, statues, etc.
And I miss the mountains, and the woods....
I miss Italy.

It's going to be weird going back and not going home. I'll be going to a house I've never lived in, in a country I've never lived in, with a language that's not my own.
At least I'll be able to visit Annica, my oldest friend, at her parents' house in Matova, Italy. Her parents haven't moved since I was 4. It's nice to know I'll have somewhere familiar to go back to.

Here are a few pictures I took some years ago (you can click on them to make them bigger) =)


Annica drinking hot chocolate.






One of the olive gardens I would take Maya to.









Maya in our yard.







Italian's love their soccer! =)
This was right down out street. We could hear the soccer field from our living room. Once, we found out that there was a game going on in our soccer field on TV, so we found the channel it was on, muted it, and opened our windows.


More watchers from the other side of the field.