Letter 60

…and cultural architectural awakening.

My next trip to Italy is a field trip for my course where we will visit sites in Rome, survey them and then decide which one to design a library on. It’s quite exciting, and I especially like the idea of designing a library which is already capturing my imagination after only 2 weeks on the project.

Mainly, it’s my second Italian adventure. And I can’t wait to step foot in this beautiful country again.

Last time I went to Italy was back in the summer of 2015 and I visited Rome, Florence and Venice. (I have a post about Florence here: I cycled around Florence – I’ve never got around to writing about the others.) (I also have pages about the my accommodation: Rome, Florence.) I had 11 days in the country and split them between these cities. I spent the longest in Florence, 5 nights, and only had 3 in Rome and 2 in Venice. I found that 5 nights was perfect for Florence, but I needed far longer in Rome and Venice.

This time, I have 10 days and I’m splitting them equally between 3 cities. We will begin in Rome for our study visit and after 3 nights will travel to Turin. I’m particularly fascinated by this city because it’s slightly off the beaten track in the north and seemingly has a lot to see and do. The architecture also looks completely stunning. We will travel between the two cities on an overnight train, thus wasting no time and saving money, and then stay in Turin for 3 nights. We will then take a short train over to Milan where we’ll only spend 2 nights, but we’ll have 3 full days before we fly home.

I’m very excited to revisit Rome and explore 2 new cities. I think it will be great for my course whilst also being a relaxing break from it. I can’t wait to get on a plane again. After only a week back in Edinburgh I already have itchy feet. I think Italy will be a good scratch.

Over the next 3 weeks, in the run up to my trip I will post a letter about my past stays in Italy each Sunday. The first will be this Sunday, the 29th, where I will remember my Roman adventures. Stay tuned!

All the love,

From Lou

PS. Thanks for reading my 60th letter! Feel free to go and read the other 59…

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