Lost in Tuscany

Though this wasn't the first, it was one of many special places I discovered on my own. If you have looked around my website, you've probably seen the picture of me in the cute rented Fiat. I look happy and relaxed. I was definitely happy.

What the image doesn't show is the character arc I pushed through during eighteen days of intense solo navigation in Italy. 

We booked our trip with a great bike company and toured a good portion of Tuscany around Siena. My husband rode and I drove, meeting up at the end of each day.

The first morning, we all had breakfast, then the group readied their bikes and left.

Old issues of being left out and abandoned began to fold in on me. I knelt beside my bed in our beautiful room and prayed, "Lord, give me the courage to turn this door handle and leave my room."

I drove out of the small village of Montopoli on a road someone from the villa had pointed to. (Tuscany has very few street signs). Within a mile I spotted my first ruin and pulled over to snap a picture. It occurred to me right then (and every time I took another of the 1,850 photos) that by traveling alone, I could stop at will. What a joy. 

By the grace of God, I always found the next night's lodging, though I rarely found the group at lunch time. Though I missed out on some special events, what I discovered on my own and about myself was priceless.

I invite you to travel on this journey with me as I recount the challenges and rewards I experienced during this special slice of life. 

​We will visit the many historic places that made their way into the novel, "The Proof".