04 Jun Poppi: A Breath of Fresh Air
Before travelling to Poppi, one of my classmates and I were assigned the presentation to the rest of the classes on various aspects of the city; so I had a small idea of where we would be travelling the following day. However, I surely didn’t comprehend exactly how small Poppi was until I stepped off of the bus onto the cobblestone roads and truly took it all in. Compared to Florence and Rome, Poppi was a fraction of the size and population–it was the breath of fresh air that I needed. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, especially the whole staying the night in a convent thing, but Poppi now holds a very special place in my heart.
There wasn’t a single tourist in sight. I remember seeing the families walking through the streets with their children. I couldn’t understand a single word they were saying, but they were all smiling and laughing. Once we got settled into our rooms at the convent and found a small cafe to get water and snacks at, we eventually found the bar/restaurant that had WiFi (of course we were all searching for it). We all had a few drinks and mostly just sat around and talked. I remember finally feeling relaxed. Well, maybe it was from the drinks that I had, but sitting outside right next to an amazing view of Poppi and the vast expansion of hills and mountains, I felt content. In the other cities I always felt stressed and on edge, but Poppi was the unexpected getaway that we all needed.
Travelling to the ancient castles was also an unforgettable experience. I always get a strange feeling whenever I visit a place with so much history, almost as though I’m out of touch with reality. I find it hard to understand just how much took place on the same land that I walked on centuries before me. Even now I find it hard to describe how I felt staring out into the fog that had settled beneath the hilltop and out from around where we stood near the same castle Dante had visited himself. Whether or not I’ll ever be able to find the words I need, I enjoyed Poppi immensely. I never expected for such a small place to affect me so greatly, which sounds extremely cliche, but, I’ve found out, most of the time they’re true.
