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The Travel Test: Your First Vacation
Traveling to Italy tests the tenacity of the author's relationship.
by Kendall Morgan
The next morning, five pounds heavier but with light hearts, we set off for one of my favorite Italian attractions: the Prada outlet in Montevarchi.
It’s not clearly marked, but any local can point you toward the unassuming warehouse. Inside is a treasure trove of past collections from Prada, Miu Miu, Helmut Lang, and more, all a whole lot cheaper than retail price. I tried on an armload of dresses and sweaters before settling on a very Audrey Hepburn gray wool A-line shift with a fur-trimmed hem for the (relatively) inexpensive price of $400. I also nabbed a pair of electric-green suede Miu Miu boots for the boyfriend for around $100.
Having dallied a bit too long in the shoe racks, we’d fallen behind schedule to get to Rome. We were hurtling through Umbria when we realized we were lost again. Neither of us wanted a reprise of the tension we’d felt on our way into Florence, so we both stayed quiet, still flying along. Then the crumbling tower of a monastery appeared on the horizon.
“Let’s check that out,” said the boyfriend. A sucker for adventure, I agreed, and we pulled off the road. What looked like a scenic ruin was in fact La Badia di Orvieto, a 12th-century abbey converted into a luxury hotel and restaurant, now more or less deserted in the off-season. We both wanted to stay, but doing so would have sacrificed reservations in Rome. “We should come back sometime, in the summer,” the boyfriend mused. As the sun set over Umbria’s rolling vineyards, it occurred to me that perhaps we should.
Sunday: When In Rome
That was before I realized he’d left our plane tickets, our itinerary, and my carefully researched “places to go” folder in the dresser drawer in Florence.
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1 Carlos // Jun 25, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Have anyone on this blog been to the Caribbean on an escorts resort in the DR? Or erotic vacations.
2 Little Italy // Feb 12, 2008 at 11:55 am
Love this. As a fellow writer who happens to be spending a year in Italy, I can vouch for the dear author’s authentic Italian experience. Brava. Now please send some of those love vibes back over the ocean, please…
3 Paris, City Of Fisticuffs? // Feb 12, 2008 at 9:58 am
[…] Isn’t arguing, debate anyways, in the French character? Like if you’re trying to invade Iraq aren’t they the first to say “au contraire, mon frer”? Sure, having a knock down, drag out at the Eiffel Tower is bad form, but would the French really be put off? “Ah, look at the Americans, with their Super Bowl and Dane Cook, how you say, adorable.” Well maybe they should rethink making things tough on us after bailing them out of WW2. Anyone? Dad? It’s weird, this is the first time that we’ve ever thought of National Lampoons: European Vacation and Ethan Hawke’s novella, The Hottest State, at the same time. There are parallels. This reminds us of one of our all-time favorite Tango articles about a little Euro vacation that goes in the wrong direction but ends up just right. […]
4 lola // Dec 1, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Great story! Felt like I was there with the writer and her “boyfriend.” I related to much of what happened as my “boyfriend” also took me to Rome last Feb. and it was without a doubt one of the best trips ever. It wasn’t the vacation…it was the experience of being with a wonderful person and learning more about him. I”m the artist and he is the doctor. What a combination! I”ll let you know when the wedding occurs —