Italia 2014 | Torrioni

     I've been traveling with my family to Italy ever since I was a little girl. Every few years we pack up our luggages and embark on an 8 hour flight to my parents' small hometown in southern Italy called Torrioni. Time seems to stand still as soon as I step foot on my grandparents' balcony, and yet every year I go seems to be a little bit different than the last. 
     The town remains the same... you still hear the ding dong of the church bells at noon, the old woman dressed in black always sweeps the dust off her balcony, and the cocking of the rooster seems to know exactly when I should be waking up from my afternoon nap. It's as if I'm completely isolated from everything going on in the world. In those moments all that seem to matter and exist are the majestic mountains and the setting sun behind them. 
     It's quite funny how even when reading English words in various places there, I tend to pronounce it in an Italian accent after a while. It's as if my mind starts to engulf itself into the Italian culture. It's amazing how different life is in other parts of the world. I sometimes find myself wondering, would I have been a different person had I been born here? I feel blessed to know a piece of my heart will always belong in that small town in Italy.
     Every time I go, I seem to have a greater appreciation for it. I realize as time passes, everyone gets older and things change. Yet even so, I know the experiences I have in those moments with family and friends are irreplaceable. Eating gelato every night for days in a row, staying up late enough to see the sun begin to peak behind the mountains, driving along the curves as we swayed back and forth just to get a cornetto con nutella, running in the pitch dark with my sister to reach my aunt's house, missing a bus and having to take 3 other trains to reach our destination with my cousins, dancing with my grandparents on their 50th anniversary were among many of the adventures I had this summer. 
     On the last day, we woke up before dawn to leave for our flight back home. I took one last step out onto the balcony and just stood there, breathing in the scent one last time and waiting for my eyes to adjust themselves to the darkness. And once I stayed out long enough, the stars slowly began to reveal themselves. So far away, yet their light shined so brightly as if to remind me, that it's never really a good bye but rather a see you soon. Here are my favorite photographs I took on my trip. They depict where I left a big part of my heart, and hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did capturing them. ♡