Thankful!!

December 1, 2024

Thanksgiving looked a little different this year…. Last year, my friends and I had a classic Thanksgiving potluck, but this year we didn’t do anything festive. I celebrated by going to class bright and early, getting McDonald’s with my friend Tori, cleaning out my shower drain (for three hours), and going on my own little Turkey Trot. Not the most exciting day per se, but I was in such a good mood the whole time. I guess that’s what happens when you’re focused on being thankful! And boy, do I have a lot to be thankful for!

The past couple weeks have been FULL and FUN. I keep thinking: “how lucky am I?!”. I was too busy to post a regular Monday update last week, so for this post I’ll share some highlights from the past couple weeks.

Last Thursday a bunch of my friends came back to Piacenza for their graduation, and Ruby and I were honored to go to their ceremony as our friend Alex’s pseudo-Mom-and-Dad. It was such a sweet time watching all our friends give presentations about their various harvest internships and receive their diplomas. The ceremony was held at La Tosa, a local winery, and we had such an amazing celebratory dinner there afterward. We had a perfect Piacentini meal: cured meats and fried bread, cheesy tortelli with butter and sage, beef with gravy, and of course lots of wine. It was such a great night, and it was so nice to have the gang all back together again!

The next day we were up at the crack of dawn to go on a field trip to Franciacorta (which is essentially the Champagne of Italy). It’s a lovely region east of Milan that grows chardonnay and pinot noir and makes traditional method sparkling wines. We visited Berlucchi (the first ever producer of Franciacorta) and Monte Rossa winery. Both estates were stunning. We also stopped in at a local trattoria and had an amazing meal that was similar to the one I had the night before, but the pasta was filled with meat, cinnamon, and parsley this time. I was obsessed with it.

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to visit Rome! My Uncle Dave and Auntie Trish moved there this August, and my Grammy and her cousin Bonnie made a visit this week, so I took an early train down on Saturday and was able to stay with them until Tuesday. We were BUSY. We got 16-24,000 steps in every single day; we were up early and slept late; we saw the Vatican (as they were setting up a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the square), the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and even took a day trip to Pompeii and Sorrento. I must say, Grammy is the spryest 82-year-old I’ve ever met. I think she had more energy than I did! I hope to be half as cool as she is when I’m her age!

It was such a sweet time, getting to be with family over here and being able to share such fun experiences together. I can now say I’ve gotten to explore Italy with both of my grandmothers. How amazing is that?!

When I got back to Piacenza on Tuesday night, the town was all lit up with Christmas decorations and the small Christmas market was in full swing. It was such a happy sight! I spent the next few days catching up on sleep and classes, then this Friday had a movie night with Tori, Liana, and Teresa. We watched Spirited and The Grinch while making gingerbread houses and seriously had one of the best nights I’ve had in months. It was simple and festive and just the best!

Teresa and I had signed up for a Prosecco 10k this weekend (where your drink prosecco and run 10 miles through the prosecco valley in Veneto then enjoy a celebratory pasta feed after) but we sadly didn’t make it. We ended up running our own version in Piacenza instead! And celebrated with pasta and prosecco afterward, obviously. It was the perfect way to end the week, and an energizing way to kick off December!!

The next two weeks will be just as busy as the past few, and I will actually be packing up my apartment and moving in with my friend Marte at the end of them! Then I’ll be flying home for Christmas! So, things are busy, but things are good, and I'm thankful.

Cheers, and happy December!!