It takes time to build the kind of blog I had originally imagined when I first started working on this in 2018 - simply before I uprooted my life and left Los Angeles to spirit away to a new venture in Florence, Italy. It has been almost two years since that decision and I’ve never looked back with any doubt I made the right choice.

Several months of learning a new language [Italian of course!], and meeting some amazing new international friends from Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Canada, Columbia, Scotland, England, and France, among others, I finally settled into a gorgeous modern flat in the Oltrarno district on [the other side of the Arno River] where it is occupied by more of the artists, artisans, local Florentines, and some of the best restaurants and shops in this City I am beginning to call home and finding some affection for and a comfort level in exploring new areas of the Tuscany center.

Last summer, my doggie Luna and I took a holiday in two different places; one was in Marina di Bibbona - a nice little family-oriented spot on the west coast of Italy, but I would have preferred a more unique, hipster spot that allowed for a choice of venues and whether or not one decided to go out in style or to stay in the hotel or resort and chill.

I travelled into the Etruscan town in Bibbona and discovered so many wonderful enclaves, sites that date back to the Stone Age. Having never been to any of these places, it was a bit of a let-down but I made the most of it when I took a day away from the sea and sand and headed into the center. With a few new friends, we were lead by a historian in this area who guided us to some of the more marvellous spots, where the history of this idyllic town was framed.