I Went To Italy
And all I got was credit card debt and a deep sense of fulfillment.
I started the year unsure if I would take this trip. I applied to a writing workshop at the end of 2024, high off a mother-daughter trip to New Zealand that I will write about someday—whenever I can get over the growing mountain of procrastination—and half-believing I wouldn’t get it. And then I was accepted, and I needed to decide if I could afford to travel halfway across the world to Florence, Italy, for what I sometimes still think about as just a silly hobby. Paying work was horribly slow; the film industry is still trying to climb out of this muddy hole we’ve all slid into, like Shadow at the end of Homeward Bound. But surely, like Shadow, we were about to crest the horizon underscored by a swelling orchestral soundtrack that will bring even the most pessimistic to tears.
I am the first friend to tell you to spend the money, go on the trip, buy the thing. You can’t take it with you, you only live once, the world is on fire, find your joy. It’s easy to say that to someone else, but the idea of taking my own advice makes my stomach turn. I have developed a deep sense of shame and guilt around money that is probably #Capitalism’s fault, and I have yet to unpack it all in therapy. So, deciding to spend the money and take the trip felt like a giant leap. But lucky for me, I have my own pack of friends yelling at me to go, to take the trip, to find some joy. So I booked the trip.*
The Plan:
Boop around Northern Italy for a week before heading to Florence for the writing workshop.
Swing by Brooklyn on the way home to see the Best Friend and Beyonce
*Maybe an hour after paying for my last hotel, my ride or die boss texted me about a month-long job that would be happening at the exact same time as the trip. You’re welcome, Gwiz, glad the universe could get you work that I couldn’t take <3
The Itinerary:
Shout out to Lauren at Fora Travel, who first put together the previously mentioned New Zealand trip, and then did not bat an eye when I told her “I don’t know, I just want to fuck around in Italy and take the train and look at things and drink nice coffees and eat gelato for a week, and end up in Florence. Oh, there’s also a scenic rail line through the Alps, let’s do that too.” She absolutely crushed this very chill itinerary, and if you’re ever looking for any kind of help planning a trip, she is the best.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025:
LAX > SFO > ZUR
I took public transit from Silverlake to LAX, and it might have taken 2 hours, but it only cost $12, and I didn’t get carsick in an overly perfumed Uber. I will do it again. I love the LA Metro.
My flight from SFO to ZUR was delayed 3+ hours because United switched caterers, and it was a disaster, but don’t worry, they gave us a $50 voucher.
If you’re ever craving TechBro Word Salad, the United Lounge in SFO has more than you could ever need.
God bless melatonin and Xanax for blessing me with 6 hours of solid plane sleep.
Trip Train Count: 1
Lucerne, Switzerland
May 15, 2025
Thursday, May 15, 2025:
Zurich > Lucerne
I went straight from the plane to the train to head from Zurich to Lucerne. Don’t ask me what time or day it was. My only goal was to stay awake long enough to not be totally useless for the next day.
I’d been to Lucerne once before. When I was 16, my mom and I went on a whirlwind tour of Europe. We saw like seven countries in 10 days. So we blew through to see the famous Lion and the lake and then were quickly onto the next country. It was kind of the same vibes this time around.
I walked like five miles
I love European breakfasts, give me a croissant and fresh cheese every day.
Trip Train Count: 2
Bernina Line
Chur, Switzerland to Turano, Italy
May 16, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025:
Lucerne > Chur > Turano > Varenna
When I first had only an idea of a plan for this trip, I thought, trains are cool, I bet there are some like impressive train rides you can take around Italy. So I googled “best train trips in Europe” and the Bernina Express came up immediately.
The Bernina and Albula Lines were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. They can explain why.
“Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass.”
I have been to at least one other UNESCO Site before, the Drakensberg Park in South Africa and it was STUNNING. So I thought, yes, I would like to see another one.
I did not think of this far enough in advance to get a fancy train ticket, but lucky for me, it’s the train line that’s beautiful, so you can take any ol’ commuter train and get the same views.
It is a beautiful train ride through the Swiss Alps, through tunnels, up a glacier, and back down into Turano, a small town right on the border.
I stopped at an Albergue at Alp Grüm for lunch and watched as trekkers hiked in from wherever they were adventuring.
Trip Train Count: 8
Varenna, Lake Como, Italy
May 16 - 17, 2025
Friday, May 16, 2025:
Varenna, Lake Como
Varenna felt like where Italian Influencers go for a weekend getaway.
It is a village made for being photographed.
I walked most of it in an hour or so. I’m sure there was more to see, but it was all behind locked gates, so I just found a cute place to sit and eat my first gelato of the trip.
Gelato Flavor - Panna Cotta: The shop was chaotic, and my Italian is little more than grazie, so I panicked and picked the first flavor I saw, and it was a dream. Truly, the most delicious thing I’ve had in ages. Set the bar in heaven for the rest of the trip.
Trip Train Count: 9
Bergamo, Italy
May 17, 2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025:
Bergamo
Bergamo is very nice. It is split in two, with the modern city below and the historic Città Alta above.
I got to ride a little funicular up the hill.
Città Alta is exactly what I was thinking when I dreamed up this trip. I just wanted to wander narrow streets, eat at the piazza, and people watch, and Bergamo gave me all of that.
A musician played Beauty and the Beast on the violin, and the music echoed throughout the square. It was a moment of magic.
I wandered around the Palazzo e Giardini Moroni, a 17th-century palace and gardens. There was some kind of fair in the gardens with local artisans and folks sprawled out on the lawn.
I realized as I got to the upper city that I didn’t bring any spare film. I told myself I would come back in the morning and take more photos. I did not do that. I got into my big hotel bed and slept late and then headed to the train for Cinque Terre
Gelato Flavor - Crema de Carmen: the shop flavor, a sweet vanilla/citrus/floral vibe.
Trip Train Count: 12*
* I don’t know if a funicular is a train the way a square is a rectangle, but I’m counting it.
Monterosso, Cinque Terre, Italy
May 18, 2025
Sunday, May 18, 2025:
Monterosso, Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is a series of five villages along the Italian Riviera. I guess the thing to do is to hike from village to village and take the train back to the start.
I was not prepared for that, so again, I just booped around and did not make the same mistake I made in Bergamo, and made sure I had plenty of film.
I met my first street/shop cat! I was surprised how few there had been.
I also met a sweet puppy named Bruno who sat next to me at lunch.
There was a lemon market/festival going on. I don’t know if it was a special event or something that happens every Sunday. A man tried to give me a grapefruit-sized lemon as he was packing up, and I wish I could have taken it, but what would I have done with a giant lemon? It was still all very sweet.
As I walked back to my bed and breakfast in the evening, a busker began playing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah on sax, and I got teary-eyed because it was so perfect.
I woke up early Monday to go for a dip in the Ligurian Sea, and I wish I had stayed in longer, but I was nervous about leaving my stuff alone, even though no one does anything before 10 am in Italy.
Gelato Flavor - Caffe: Perfectly fine, I’d say middle of the road for flavors.
Trip Train Count: 14
Florence, Italy
May 19 - 25, 2025
Monday, May 19 through Sunday, May 25, 2025:
Florence
My train infatuation has run its course. I was very happy to have a break now that I would be spending more than one night in Florence.
I had a few days to kill before the writing program started, and Lauren did a great job of organizing my budget so that I could have a very fancy stay for two nights. Maybe too fancy. The kind of fancy that makes me feel like a little troll, hyper-aware of all the ways I believe I don’t belong. I made the mistake of walking from the train station to my hotel, and was immediatley greeted by a lovely doorman who took my bags and directed my sweat soaked ass to a velvet couch. A family that could have been the cast on the next season of The White Lotus sat across from me as we each waited for our private concierge to check us in.
I couldn’t focus on anything the very kind staff said to me, too focused on the fact that my jeans are damp with sweat, I can taste the salt on my upper lip, my hair is glued to my forehead, and I can feel the redness radiating off my face. But he was so nice, everyone has been so nice, and this is all a me thing.
I made the mistake of not booking an appointment to get into the Galleria dell’Academia, the Museum that houses Michelangelo’s David. To be fair to me, I did try, but I learned the hard way that even 6 weeks out is not early enough. Lucky for me, I learned that tour companies have spots saved for them, so I booked a half-day walking tour that included an early morning slot to see The David.
The David lives up to all the hype; it is stunning. Even if you have to wait in the hours-long line to get into the little museum, do it.
The rest of the tour was amazing. My tour guide was so knowledgeable and charismatic, and I really didn’t know anything about Florence before. I would spend that €50 again in a heartbeat.
I still don’t know much about the Renaissance. Art history is one of those subjects that I’ve never spent much time with, but I do love that it felt like it was a bunch of New Money folks trying to one-up everyone with their art collections, and occasionally assassinating each other. Michelangelo seems like he would have been a nightmare to work with, which tracks for a male artist.
The Uffizi Gallery was very cool, but no matter how great the art, I think my brain has about 30 minutes in any museum before it turns into pudding.
Favorite Art:
Primavera by Boticelli
Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi
Niobe Room
Gelato Flavors - Tiramisu and Mint Chip: This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think I like tiramisu, it is just mid imo, but mint chip was 10/10, no notes.
Honorable Mention - Affogato: I went to the viral TikTok spot, Vivoli, to try their famous affogatos. The line was madness the first day I tried, so I went back on my last day in Florence. The worlds TINIEST dog was in line behind me and then I met a lovely woman also from California traveling with her daughter. The affogato was great, maybe not worth a line on its own, but you’re in Florence, you are a tourist, do the touristy thing. Have fun.
Trip Train Count: 16
Wednesday, May 21, through Saturday, May 24:
The Writing Program
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you went on a trip to Italy, but you said this was for a writing program, talk about the writing program.”
This was my second workshop with Futurescapes, the organization that put everything together. Last summer, I took part in a virtual workshop. It was my first writing workshop of any kind, and I thought it was great. The agent I met at that workshop is one of the agents who currently has my full manuscript (knock on wood that they want to be my agent).
I have a lot of thoughts about this workshop. I think overall it was a net positive, and I'm glad I did it, but I’m not sure if I would give it a blanket recommendation.
What I liked:
The People - writing can be incredibly lonely. It’s a solo act, and it can be tough to find a community, especially within the genre space. Futurescapes does a great job of bringing together people at all different stages of their writing to create a community. I think this is the most valuable part of the whole program, just finding people trying to do the same thing that you are and who want to support you.
My Group Leader - I also really appreciate that each group is given the opportunity to have their work read by industry professionals. Publishing is such an opaque process; it feels like you’re wandering around in the dark, hoping you’ll stumble onto the right thing, so it is really nice to get to chat with people who have been there and know how to navigate it.
My Group - There were about 30 or so people in the entire program, and we were divided into groups of 4-5 to move through the program. Everyone in my group had such diverse pieces that they were working on, and were so insightful with their notes on my pages.
What I didn’t like:
The event production of it all - Futurescapes is a tiny, very chill organization, which I do appreciate. Many writing workshops and programs can feel a little elitist, in my opinion, and Futurescapes is nothing if not welcoming. However, they might be a little too laid-back when it comes to event production. Overall, there was a real lack of structure and communication. There were a lot of times when folks were standing around, unsure of where they should be, who they should be with, and what exactly was going on. There wasn’t a clear schedule sent out, and there was no syllabus or itinerary. The dates of accommodations weren’t confirmed until maybe a month ahead of schedule, which, for an international trip, felt way too last-minute for my liking. We weren’t told what we were expected to bring to the workshop until a week before. I was already in Europe, so when I learned I was meant to bring printed copies of things, I had no way to do that. To their credit, I reached out and asked if Futurescapes could print the documents for me, and they did. However, on the day they were needed, they were forgotten at another location. None of this was a deal breaker or trip ruiner, but when you’re paying money for an event, there is some expectation that it will be organized. It felt a lot more like a group of writers going on a trip together, versus people paying for a service and program.
Final Thoughts
I know this has been long. That’s what happens when you don’t stick to a steady posting schedule and everything builds up, or you go on a trip and see six cities in two weeks, and take a bunch of beautiful photos*, and want to show off a bit. Deal with it.
While I was doing my version of Eat, Pray, Loving across Northern Italy, I was thinking a lot about this time a year ago. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was really sad in the spring of 2024. I kept thinking it wasn’t so bad, that things were ok, they certainly weren’t so bad as 2020 and lockdown. But while 2020 was a shocking, acute trauma, 2024 was like a slow-growing fungus. It crept up on me until suddenly I was buried under the rich, dank earth. I felt unmoored and lost. Work was still not back, my best friend had moved away, and I didn’t feel comfortable in my body. It was just a cascade of things. But somewhere in the year between, I began to rebuild. I don’t want to say I’ve become someone new or better because I don’t want to think of that time as a waste or a mistake, but I think I am stronger now. More stable. I took the time to patch the cracks and level the foundation. I feel satisfied in a way I don’t know if I’ve ever felt before. I’m content.
Things could be better; the world is not a great place right now, and maybe it never was. However, that chaos is coming up against a better fortified wall. I remember sitting at a cafe, looking out over the sea, and just thinking, “I’m doing it.” Whatever “it” is. I was doing it then, and I am doing it now, and I hope to continue doing it for as long as I can.
If you read this far, thank you. I hope you enjoyed it. If you only looked at the pictures, thank you, I hope you liked them. And if you didn’t, keep your opinions to yourself.
xoxo
Erin
*All photos were shot on either Kodak Gold 200 or Kodak Color Plus 200. If you want to know more about the photography of it all, I’ll probably cross-post on my photo website with all those details. I’m sure it’ll be way less wordy than this one.