Do you have a dream? Is there something in your heart that you’ve always wanted to do? Have you done it?
Hi, I’m Chiara and I’m all about dreams! So, tell me, what’s yours?
It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I’ve been chasing dreams since 2018 and I can’t wait to share this journey with you. My hope for you as you read along on my dream-chasing escapades and travel extravaganzas is that it will leave you with a glimmer of hope, an oomph of inspiration and the courage to take on that little dream you’ve been carrying around in your pocket. Let’s do this!
It all started with my four beautiful Italian grandparents, my Nonni! May I begin with a little Italian lesson as we become better acquainted: Nonno = Grandfather, Nonna = Grandmother, Nonni = Grandfathers (and Grandparents) and Nonne = Grandmothers. I do love my Italian grammar.
My Nonni immigrated to Australia in the hopes for a better future coming from the war-torn region of Sicily. They were incredibly brave. Perhaps I’ll share their story with you another time. As their first grandchild, they instilled a love for Italian culture in me from the very beginning and I was eager to go back and explore.
I found it absurd that I had so many relatives that I barely knew and although we were fortunate to travel a couple of times with my parents, we would only spend a day or two together before moving on to the next town to visit other relatives. So, my dream was to head off on a one-way ticket and explore my roots, visit my family members and really get to know them; and oh boy did that dream come true!
At 12 years old I started saving up my pennies and to whoever would listen I’d say, when I finish high school, I’m going to Italy! That would then follow with, "I think it’s crazy I have so many cousins over there and I barely know them! I want to spend time with them all!”
I wonder, can you relate? Is there a dream you always talk about to whoever will listen?
My first trip to Italy was when I was 15! I went with my beautiful parents and brother and to be honest, I was a little nervous. Some family friends who had travelled there said that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I didn’t want to believe them and thank goodness I didn’t because my experience was the complete opposite.
I became even more Italy-obsessed than I was when the country was just a romanticised idea in my head. I remember a specific moment when we were sitting at a table in a piazza with one of my cousins and I was looking at the ground just thinking, I’M IN ITALY!! It was amazing!
When I turned 18, I didn’t feel quite ready to take off so I dived into university studies, graduated and was blessed with an offer for an incredible full-time job in my field of study which I loved! Looking back, it was a chapter of my professional career that really shaped me to have been able to achieve what I have today. So, if you’re not quite there yet with following your dream, just remember that nothing is wasted and it will all equip you for your journey.
After a few years had passed, I found myself ready for a new challenge and while I wasn’t able to find it where I was at, I was offered an exciting and completely different opportunity for a one-year contract. Immediately I thought, "one year, then I can go to Italy!” (I actually think the person who offered me the job pitched me the same idea…I told you I shared my dream with ANYONE who listened!).
It was May 2018, one month after finishing my contract and I was ready to go! I’d researched, planned, saved everything I could, including bringing my own coffee to work to save those five extra dollars! One. way. ticket!
I started with a one-month Italian course in Bologna to get myself settled on my adventure, then headed to my family near Naples for two weeks, before setting-off for about two months to explore Europe! What did I learn? It’s all better in Italy (I’m unapologetically biased…we may as well establish that now).
Jokes aside, travel is the most amazing experience and there’s nothing I love more than exploring new countries, different cultures and dabbling in new languages. It’s just…I’m hopelessly devoted to Italy!
From September 2018 I literally had no ‘plans’! I was heading down south to my family in Northern Calabria and asked one of our close cousins who became my Mamma in Italy if I could stay with them for about a month. They were so incredibly generous and I immensely enjoyed my days with my cousin, swimming in the pool, doing the groceries (Italian-style), catching up with family, experiencing all the wonderful cultural festivities and town celebrations and really just getting immersed in it all! The day-to-day.
After a month, they happened to be travelling to Sicily so I hitched a ride and made my way there. Our relatives in Sicily are spread out in the province of Catania and it takes me about one week to see them all when I visit so you can see how I could easily pass one month hopping around to my beautiful Sicilian relatives.
Wondering where to go next, my Nonna’s sister (my great aunt) had tragically lost her husband to Parkinson’s disease and one day when I called to check-in on her she asked if I would like to go and keep her company and stay with her for a bit. So, the next step was clear, it was time to spend some time with my great aunt (‘Pro Zia’ in Italian but I call her ‘Zia’).
I set-off on a train back to Calabria and unbeknown to me, this is where my next and biggest dream really began!
