Each city that we visit in Italy progressively ends up becoming my new favorite. Poppi was an entirely different experience than the other cities in that I felt an extreme calm that I hadn’t before. I loved all of the cities we’ve seen, but Poppi now has this special place in my heart. I didn’t really know anything about Poppi prior to coming on this trip, and even upon finding out that we were going there, I just knew that we were staying near a castle and that was about all. However, I never could have imagined the little things I would appreciate about this tiny town or the odd turn of events that would take place in our day/two days there.

That first day, I didn’t know how to feel about staying in a convent. I actually didn’t know that we would be until we got there, but it turned out to be really incredible. The rooms we stayed in sort of reminded me of a nicer version of the dorms, and everyone there was so kind and wonderful. We learned about the woman that welcomed us (whose name escapes me, I’m the worst) and she told us that she was the only woman there from India, and about the places that she had seen in the United States.

There are many other notable mentions from our short time in Poppi, but my absolute favorite moment was when a man named Italio brought Casey Stevens, Val, Amanda and I into his home and recited his poetry to us. A little strange, I must admit, and I did initially question walking into a random man’s house, but it was the coolest and most surreal experience. He even gave each of us a poem to take with us as well as a flower. As music played and he recited multiple poems, I looked around the room at the poems that lined his walls. It’s really interesting to me what can happen to you just by being in the right place at the right time. If Casey hadn’t been carrying Inferno with her, the man may not have even stopped us at all. Until next time, Poppi and Italio.