July 13, 2020

Arco dell’elefante, 2019

I took this picture last summer. It’s in Pantelleria, which is a tiny island in the Mediterranean, south of Sicily. The more I explore this beautiful country, the more I realize I need to continue exploring this beautiful country. I feel oh so fortunate that this year has given me the opportunity to dig deeper into Italy and uncover layers I’d never taken the time to notice before.

Yesterday I was having a conversation about authenticity and branding and marketing and social media and all the things. How do we communicate our authentic selves on this little platform, and what does it all mean anyway? I’ve heard it said that Instagram is your shop window. Look at the pretty pictures, buy the things. But what if what I’m ‘selling’ is more layered than that? I know for sure that this picture won’t get nearly as many likes or clicks as a picture of my face (which get more clicks than pictures in bathing suits/yoga poses) and yet I want to share my Italy on here too.

I want you to come and stay for awhile. I want you to fall in love with the food and the people and the culture and the traditions as much as I have. I want you to travel slowly and deliberately, instead of frantically with bucket list in hand. I want you to fall in love with Rome and dream about the day you can spend a week or two integrating yourself into the culture, even temporarily. My wish is that my love for Italy inspires you to start dreaming about traveling here. My hope is that we all travel slowly and more sustainably in the future. With the tenacity of an elephant, what if we commit to a new kind of travel where we all spend a little longer being in a place and taking it all in?