Monday, May 20, 2013

"Massi on the road" at home: 5 months in Italy/Europe


20.12.2012 - 20.05.2013: Life at home
5 months ago my so long greatest trip came to an end. After 15 months in South America it was time to go back home.
Christmas with my family was simply wonderful and I enjoyed it more than ever.
But the warmth I felt at home was compensated by the extreme cold winter outside: a lot of snow, - 0° temperatures and many many days without sun.
Then the spring finally started, even if the first warmer days only arrived in April. Now I am writing these lines during a cloudy-sunny day, typical of this May so full of rain and only sometimes blessed with warm sun.
Many people ask me what I am doing all time at home, living with my parents and not working, so here are some highlight of the last months:
- January and February: I basically spent a lot of time re-reading my travel diaries, watching my pictures and videos from South America and reflecting on what the trip really meant for me and my life. I also made a few short trips in Torino, Milano and Rome to visit olf friends.
- March: I spent nearly 3 weeks in my beloved Austria. The time in Vienna was extremely intense, I met sooo many old friends and it was simply amazing to see them all again after 2 years! I also concluded the reflection on my trip and I help 4 presentations of "Massi on the road. 15 months in South America" in front of friends and public.
- April and May: back to Italy, I got in contact with many local friends who helped me organise 2 public presentations of my South-America trip. It was a big success, more than 120 people assisted to the presentations and donations were collected for an education project in Sri Lanka. As a result, 5 articles were published in 2 weeks in local newspapers. I so turned into a small celebrity, and I am happy not for my ego but because people understand better why I travel and why I decided to become a "vagabondo", as they defined me in an article ;-)

And now? It's my last week in Italy, preparing my next trip. I will leave next Monday, heading first to Switzerland to visit some relatives, then to Austria, where I will spend all of June, presenting my trip in different Austrian regions and visiting my friend in Vienna.

I am so grateful for the wonderful months spent at home, and at the same time I can't wait to be on the road again. "Massi on the road Pt. 2" will start in September, the destination will be announced soon...



Cold and snowy winter in Italy















Elegant for my first presentation in Italy

Article appeared on a local newspaper