A Look Towards Euro 2020

Musings of a grounded Travel Editor

Who is planning to go to Italy this summer? How many of us will actually resume our previous much-taken- for-granted summer vacations to il bel paese this year?

We are at the doorstep of quite possibly a second consecutive summer hiatus from Italy—unless you’re fine with quarantining and COVID tests, then buon viaggio. For the rest of us, interna- tional travel depends on the success of the vaccine rollout, and whether both Canada and Italy will have a handle on the situation before we can indulge the fantasy of a tricolore reunion.

Rest assured, once I do get clearance to fly again, I am not set- tling for a brief visit next time. I am prolonging my stay so I can truly savour the experience and take in as much beauty as I can stand. Thanks to remote working, that prospect is tenable.

The idea of the long stay and this unrelenting desire to return made me reflect upon the many artists and writers over the past few centuries who were incredibly inspired and forever changed by their visits to Italy. It was this deep appreciation that spurred the editorial theme in the summer issue. A country that was discov- ered and loved by foreigners long before it even was a unified country. A place that touches the hearts of many and who long
to return. Following the tracks of these literary giants is one of
the ways we can continue our long-distance love affair with the country right now.

Expanding your horizons, taking a gap year, searching for a personal Eat, Pray, Love experience. Whatever you want to call it, extended sojourns to find yourself are not unique to the 21st century.

Exploratory expeditions to become a more rounded person have been happening for hundreds of years, but they really exploded in the 18th and 19th centuries when it became de rigeur for those with means to take the Grand Tour.