THE JOY OF GOING

On Italy, travel, and what life might have been like had I stayed solely under the Southern sun

BY: Frances Mayes

Should we have stayed at home, / wherever that may be? —Elizabeth Bishop, “Questions of Travel” COMING AND GOING, PACKING AND unpacking. Where’s the green sweater? Oh, in Italy. Don’t we have a wok? Yes, in North Carolina. They’ve canceled the flight. We’re missing Tori’s birthday. We missed Carnevale. Really, the windows need washing. I forgot to plant the bulbs before we left. Who will house-sit the cats? Water is leaking out of the fridge? Yes, the cousins are coming to stay for two weeks. We live in two countries. When we’re in one house, the other sends subliminal messages: Come back. Surely one home in the place you love most is best, with vacations in other magnetic locations. Is that true? But where is the place you love best?…

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Garden & Gun (Digital) - 1 Issue, June/July 2024

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