Virgil and Maria arrive in Florence

Maria enjoys reading Harry Potter while flying over western Europe en route to Milan.

We left Melbourne on Friday 18 July 2003, heading overseas for our six month European adventure. After a friendly goodbye from Felix, David, Lee, Michele, Yukima, Edwin and Monica, we walked through the International Departure gates with the family crowding behind us, craning their heads through the automatic doors for one final glimpse of the two excited travelers.

A series of uneventful flights followed in which we crossed half the world, leaving the winter of Melbourne behind. With more than 24 hours of traveling behind us, and having passed through the international airports of Bangkok and London, we arrived in the blistering summer heat of Milan, Italy. After catching a bus though the streets of Milan, we arrived eventually at Milano Centrale train station, and found our way to the correct platform to board the high-speed Eurostar train bound for the medieval city of Florence.

The train journey took us through the stunningly beautiful Tuscan landscape, which we (Maria in particular) have spent many years dreaming about. What beautiful scenery! Ancient houses, crumbling villas, green fields and arched bridges swept past us at great speed. The scenery was exactly as we had imagined, an image influenced by the many Mediterranean books that our family have enjoyed over the years.

The scenery from the high-speed train confirmed our initial vision of the beauty of Tuscan Italy.

We were met in Florence by Marghe Rugiadi, 23, with whom we would stay for five days. A bus trip and an exciting ride on Marghe’s little moped later, we entered the Rugiadi residence – a stunning little villa (described by Marghe as a villetta: 'just a small villa').

On a hill surrounded by pretentious villas occupied by the super-rich, the Ruguardi’s villetta sits amongst a lush garden with blooming flowers and green lawns. The house overlooks suburban Florence in the vast valley below, and the peaceful Tuscan hillsides off in the distance. Amongst these parched olive-green hillsides are scattered numerous Italian mansions, alongside country gardens and olive groves enclosed by imposing solid stone walls, many topped with shards of glass to deter unwelcome entrants.

The Rugiadi house is a stocky, solid square building of three stories, with a solid stone staircase, whitewashed walls, green-shuttered windows and beautiful geraniums blooming in planters at the base of the walls.

Upon arriving, exhausted from our trip, we were only just awake enough to enjoy a delicious diner of bread, pasta, cheese and salad: our first true taste of the ‘Italian kitchen’.

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