Thursday 20th June 2024, 09.40:
I’m currently sitting in Starbucks at Birmingham Airport with my book, laptop, phone and a large skinny latte (with sugar free caramel syrup, of course). I almost definitely look like an absolute twat, one of those people that likes to claim they write in public because it inspires them, but in all fairness there is little one can do to avoid that, especially with the face I’ve been blessed with. So, here we are again – another Harry holiday blog.
I’m off to Italy this time and, in a turn of events that would have been unthinkable just twelve months ago, I am travelling by myself. I’ll go into more detail later, but first I must admonish my good friend Elia Finocchio. I was politely advised by Finno to get to the airport at least a few hours early because the queues for security were extremely long. Naturally, I arrived at 09.00 for a 12.50 flight, giving myself more than enough time to queue like a good Brit. Long story short, I was through security and sitting in Starbucks by 9.30. Elia, I know you can’t control the queues at Birmingham Airport, but considering we’re now in a post-truth era, I have decided to blame you regardless, so bollocks to you.
First of all, let’s start with the reasoning for my trip – I want to visit Crema, a city around an hour from Milan and the main location where they shot the film Call Me By Your Name, my favourite movie of all time. Visiting Crema has been on my bucket list since I first watched CMBYN several years ago, but I’ve never been able to persuade anyone to come with me, so a few months ago, considering my new found mental wellness, I thought fuck it, I’m going on my own. I’m super excited to spend a few days exploring, reading, taking pictures, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, eating pasta and generally indulging in pretty much all of my favourite things, and I’m genuinely feeling quite excited that I get to do all of these things by myself. I can go at my own pace, do whatever I want and not have to worry about anyone else – my inner selfishness is thriving.
Secondly, I’ll give you a quick run down of my itinerary. Annoyingly, flights from Birmingham only go to Bergamo, which is about 40 miles away from Milan, so when I land I’m going to spend my first night in Bergamo for ease. I’ve done some googling and it seems like a pretty cool city in itself, so I’m sure I will find plenty to do whilst I am there. I’ve literally just booked a car too (it’s now 10.30am, I started writing this 50 minutes ago and got distracted), so that will give me much more flexibility with what I want to do. On Friday morning I plan to drive from Bergamo to Crema, where I’ll spend the day exploring, before driving to Milan in the evening and spending the rest of my trip there. Now that I have the car, I will have to think what I want to do whilst I’m in Milan – I could even drive to Lake Como, although I’ve heard it is massively overrated, so we’ll see. The point is, the possibilities are endless and I am very excited.
Finally, a quick word on my mental health. I know this was the topic of my last blog post, so I’ll keep this brief, but I genuinely cannot explain how nice it feels and how proud I am that I am coming away on holiday by myself and feeling this fucking good about it. Considering I used to be terrified of spending time by myself because I didn’t like to be left alone with my thoughts, this feels about as good as anything I have ever experienced before.
So, if you’re still reading at this point (fair play if you are), I hope you enjoy the ride. Peace and blessings. H x
Thursday 20th June 2024, 17.00:
Hiring a car seemed like a brilliant idea when I was sitting in Starbucks a few hours ago. I’ve now been waiting for 30 minutes – there were 13 people ahead of me in the queue when I arrived, and there’s now 6. By my calculations, that means I’ll be waiting here for another 3.5 years. I am already drafting the complaint letter I’ll be sending almost immediately upon return to my beautiful England – at least at home we know how to fucking queue properly.
I’ve also discovered that I’ll have to park a twenty minute walk away from the apartment I’ve rented because it’s in the old town of Bergamo and they only allow cars with a residents permit. On top of that, it’s 30 degrees, yet somehow there’s no air con in the airport; so I’m sweating my tits off. I’m not quite having a breakdown just yet, but I’m not far off.
Nonetheless, one must look on the bright side. I’ve arrived in the great nation of Italy on time & unscathed and I’ve still got a solid 72 hours ahead of me to enjoy it, assuming Deirdre eventually gets her car sorted (the same woman has been arguing with the man behind the rental desk for a solid twenty minutes now, so I have named her Deirdre). I’m not sure whether to go straight to the apartment or do some exploring first, but what I am sure of is that I want a big fat fucking bowl of pasta.
Ciao for now. H x
Thursday 20th June 2024, 21.05:
Well, what an absolute nightmare that was. TWO hours I was waiting for my car, only to find out they hadn’t even brought it to the terminal (as I had paid for) and I had to get a bus to the car park to collect it. I was almost frothing at the mouth with anger – that wait time and a fucking bus? The Italians have already taken it too far.
Anyway, I eventually collected my car, which is a little black Fiat 500. I’m actually quite happy with the car I’ve been given as I feel like a Fiat 500 adds some quintessential Italian chicness to the vibes of my trip (if you ignore the whole basic bitch aura around them, which I obviously am). I’ve been to the supermarket, bought two bottles of white wine, some pasta and some chocolate, before marching up the hill to the old town in record time (it probably wasn’t in record time), quietly fuming that I couldn’t drive up because of the parking situation. However, I am far from upset that I was forced to walk, as the views I encountered on the way were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I had some idea in my head of what Italy would be like, but those ideas have already been surpassed. Quite simply, it is perfect.
So, here I am in a little apartment in the old town of Bergamo, drinking wine, eating pasta and listening to Frank Ocean. The wine, by the way, was €2.50 a bottle, which is frankly outrageous. How on earth can England justify being so bloody expensive? I digress. I suppose the point I am trying to get across is that, despite the best efforts of these sneaky Italians to sabotage me, life is pretty good right now.
I’ll speak to you in the morning. H x
Thursday 20th June 2024, 22.10:
I know I said I’d speak to you in the morning, but I’ve just been for a walk around Bergamo, so I wanted to tell you about it. I was going to grab a beer somewhere, but most places were shutting up, which is fair enough I suppose since it’s a Thursday. I have one takeaway from my walk, though – the opportunity to share our lives with those we love really should not be taken for granted.
I saw a beautiful couple sitting in an empty restaurant together, drinking red wine and eating pasta, focused entirely on each other with no phones in sight. I saw two young gentlemen (my gaydar was pinging, but it’s rude to assume) sitting together outside of the cathedral, sharing an ice cream and laughing at each other. I saw two women (gaydar not pinging) walking down the street, laughing with each other, each of them carrying a beer and a pizza slice in what I can only assume was their delightful end of night snack. I saw another couple sitting on the steps of the museum with their two dogs, the man trying to sit next to his (presumed) girlfriend without squishing both of their pets.
I don’t like to dwell on the past, but twelve months ago I would probably have been consumed with bitterness and jealousy at the sight of these interactions, as I’m sure many of you would, although obviously you’d never admit it. Now, though, it fills me with genuine joy. In the rush of day to day life, we get caught up in the little things all too easily, focusing on getting by without thinking of the bigger picture. Tonight, not for the first time ever, but for the first time since I’ve started to feel comfortable in my own skin, I saw the bigger picture with my own eyes, and it made me really happy. I know it’s an old cliche, but life really is what you make of it, and the moments the people that I observed tonight shared with each other probably seemed quite ordinary to them, but to me, they are several perfect examples of how precious life is, and how lucky I am to constantly have opportunities to share similar moments with my own friends and family.
Good night. H x
Friday 21st June 2024, 10.10:
Good morning! I’ve just woken up as I treated myself to a bit of a lie in. The car park I’m in is on a time limit though, so I need to rush down and get gone – I’m off to Crema today, so I’ll update you properly once I’m there.
Ciao! H x
Friday 21st June 2024, 12.50:
I’m sitting in the town plaza of Crema, exactly where Elio & Oliver shared a brief conversation in the film (pictured), as well as just around the corner from the shop & alleyway where they shared quite a tender moment.
The doorway in the alleyway where they shared a moment in the film has been (lovingly) graffitied by many fans who have been here before me, which makes it, in my opinion at least, utterly beautiful, and genuinely quite emotional (pictured below).
If I’m being honest (and very cringe), I am genuinely quite emotional. It’s not an over-exaggeration to say this film changed the way I think about love and life, so it’s quite bizarre knowing they were here, roughly ten years ago, filming the movie that would become my favourite of all time, one that I have rewatched a frankly worrying amount of times.
Currently I’m enjoying an americano and a cigarette. Unfortunately, the white chairs from the film in the picture above have been removed, but it’s still a unique feeling & experience to know I’m sitting exactly where that took place. There are a few other key bits of the film located not far from here, so I’m going to go and visit them shortly, but first, to drink coffee and soak it all in.
Incredible vibes. H x
Friday 21st June 2024, 18.00:
Well, I can see where Elia gets her driving skills from – Italians are fucking mental. Driving into Milan felt like I was on the dodgems. Nonetheless, I made it here safely and I’m currently sitting in the apartment I’ve rented for the next few nights. I was going to go out and have a Pizza tonight, but I bought some bread and crisps from the shop and, as I’m sure you’ll all agree, this is an absolutely lethal combination when you’re on holiday, so I’m quite full now. In all fairness, I am genuinely exhausted from today (I know it sounds pathetic, but the heat really does take it out of me), so my current plan is to just read a bit of my book and then maybe watch a film or something. My problem tends to be that sometimes I can be very hard on myself and feel like I have to be out exploring all of the time to make the most of my holiday, forgetting that it is in fact a holiday – if I want to relax in my room after a long day exploring, then that’s absolutely fine!
After leaving Crema I went on a bit of a tour of the surrounding area, visiting different places that are featured in CMBYN; the village of Moscazzano (which is home to the villa they used), the town of Pandino (home to Vittorio Emanuele III Square, which is where they filmed one of the key scenes) and an isolated spot called Fontanile Quarantine (the lake that was Elio’s secret spot in the film). The lake was way off the beaten track, so my poor Fiat 500 was basically off-roading, but I had such a nice time driving around, visiting these different places and taking pictures. Unfortunately, the lake was quite busy with people swimming and sunbathing, so I didn’t really get to see it properly or take pictures, as I thought that might look a bit weird, but I can certainly see why they chose it for the movie and why it is now so popular, as it’s an absolutely stunning little place to hang out. As for the other two, just check the pictures when I post them – simply stunning.
It then took me around an hour to drive into Milan, where I parked up, picked up some snacks and got into the apartment. I’m undecided as to what to do tomorrow, whether I should venture to Lake Como or just explore the city. Ah, that reminds me, one slight hiccup – I have left my passport in the apartment in Bergamo. I know, not ideal, but the owner has kindly said I can collect it on Sunday, and I have to go back that way for the airport anyway, so it’s not the end of the world. I didn’t realise until I had already left, but Bergamo is also home to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was also featured in the film, so I could kill two birds with one stone and go back and see that as well. Every cloud and all that.
Right, time to relax and have a bit of me time. Speak soon. H x
Saturday 22nd June 2034, 08.45:
A wonderful Italian morning to you. I’ve just turned the coffee machine on whilst I lie in bed listening to Frank Ocean. It’s sunny outside today, which is hopeful, especially since there was a huge thunderstorm last night – it was absolutely lashing it down. I wasn’t too upset though, as I’d already decided to have a chill evening in the apartment, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Today I’m going to explore Milan. I’ve bought a ticket for Duomo di Milano, which I feel is a must see whilst I’m here, and I’ve also scouted a few museums and art galleries I want to visit. I’m going to keep it pretty chill though and just go with the flow, as I often over-stress myself with these things.
Right, I best get ready. Speak later. H x
Saturday 22nd June 2024, 10.45:
I’m standing on the roof of Milan Cathedral. It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m quite literally speechless. Simply breathtaking.
H x
Saturday 22nd June 2024, 13.00:
For the first time in my entire life, I am having lunch in public by myself, and I won’t lie to you, I’m quite enjoying it. Following in my dearest mother’s footsteps, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get some proper people watching in, especially since I’ve chosen a spot right outside of the main entrance to the cathedral. As many people probably do, I was dreading sitting by myself, but now that I’ve done it I am quite enjoying it, which I suppose was inevitable. I’ve ordered a black coffee, some water and a margarita pizza – surely I must be eligible for Italian citizenship by now?
I’ve also just been to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a historic art gallery & library famous for hosting Homer’s Iliad. The artwork on display was, naturally, absolutely stunning.
***
Apologies, I got cut off there as my food came out earlier than I expected. Whilst I’m fully aware that it’s likely the placebo effect of being in Italia, that was easily the nicest pizza I’ve ever eaten. In my head as I was eating it, I vowed never to have a Dominos again in my life (we’ll see how that goes). I’ll pop a picture below so you can see for yourselves how delicious it was.
Now that is a pizza. Anyway, the art museum was wonderful, and there’s another one I want to go to once I’ve finished my coffee, so that’s next on the itinerary. There’s actually a surprising amount of people in this restaurant on their own, which makes me feel a little more comfortable, although in all fairness I’ve actually quite enjoyed being by myself in general so far. I might start making a habit of this.
God I fucking love this country. H x
Saturday 22nd June 2024, 15.25:
I’ve just stopped for a quick coffee and it has cost me €1.70 (£1.44) for an Americano. I defy you to find me the same in Derby for less than double the price, and even if you do, then consider the fact that it’s fucking Derby, as opposed to Milan. I love England, but that’s just taking the piss.
Vote Labour. H x
Saturday 22nd June 2024, 17.05:
I’ve just got back to the apartment. 23,000 steps today according to my Fitbit. I don’t even have the energy to write – time for another lazy evening me thinks. H x
Sunday 23rd June 2024, 09.25:
Good morning! I know this is going to sound pathetic since I’m on holiday, but I am genuinely exhausted. My legs are in bits (I’m pretty sure I’ve got shin splints again) and I’ve got blisters on several of my toes. Oh well, the show must go on. I went to another art gallery after lunch yesterday, as well as exploring Sforzesco Castle and the park that it backs on to, which were both fantastic. Everything about this place is just so interesting and so beautiful.
I’ve decided to go to Sirmione today on Lake Garda, as this was also one of the locations where they filmed CMBYN. I don’t fancy doing a huge amount of exploring because of how tired I am, so this looks like a cute enough little town to spend a few hours in before I have to return to Bergamo, collect my passport and fly home. Sigh.
I suppose I best get up. H x
Sunday 23rd June 2024, 09.55:
It’s bloody raining! What the fuck Italy? Talk about homophobia. Apparently it’s pissing it down in Sirmione today as well, so coupled with the fact that it’s a 4 hour round trip, I’ve decided against it, and instead I’m going to go back to the lake near Crema. My thinking is that it might be deserted because it’s wet, so I could get some pictures and maybe even have a little swim in the rain, then I’ll go back to Bergamo, get my passport and find the church that was also featured in the film. Either that or I’ll just find a nice restaurant somewhere and eat a fat bowl of pasta.
Ciao! H x
Sunday 23rd June 2024, 11.15:
The lake is STILL super busy, even though it’s raining? The selfishness of some people is astounding.
Back to Crema we go. H x
Sunday 23rd June 2024, 13.10:
In the end, I have come to a little cafe just outside of Crema, had a black coffee, read some of my book and had some pasta. The cafe is right next to a huge church which, frankly, makes our architecture look quite pathetic, and the walls inside the cafe are adorned with art inspired by Christianity. One of the things that has really struck me in Italy is how much Madonna features in artworks almost everywhere you go, although I guess that makes sense in the homeland of Catholicism.
Once I’ve paid my bill I need to go back to Bergamo, collect my passport and see the church, after which it will probably be time to head back to the airport. Sad face.
Speak later. H x
Sunday 23rd June 2024, 13.20:
That bowl of pasta, coffee & water just cost me €8 (£6.77). Picture below for reference of the very decent size of said pasta portion. That is just outrageous.
H x
Sunday 23rd June 2034, 18.25:
Today was a bit of a write off really due to the rain, so after collecting my passport from the apartment from my first night (big up Luigi for letting me back in), I spent the day sitting in my car & reading in a car park overlooking Belgarmo – I suppose there’s worse ways to spend a Sunday. There was no way I could have visited the church without getting absolutely drenched, so unfortunately I had to give it a miss.
I’m at the airport already, despite my flight not being until 22.50, because if I’d had the car any later than 5pm they’d have charged me for another day. Thieving bastards. Oh well, it gives me time to finish my book and have a McDonald’s – it seems as though they’re fucking everywhere in Italy, but I’ve managed to avoid them and only visit proper cafes/restaurants, but we all know whatever you eat in the airport doesn’t count.
I’m too tired to do a full evaluation of my trip, so I’ll finish up tomorrow. Let’s hope I don’t fall asleep before my flight. H x
Monday 24th June 2024, 10.25:
I am home and I am exhausted, but god it was worth it. Italy was everything I expected and more, and I’m already planning my next trip there, potentially before the year is out. If it’s possible to fall in love with a country, I have done so. I also absolutely loved solo travelling, and now that I’ve done it once, I’ll definitely be doing it again. I won’t dwell on how good it has been for my mental health and all of that malarkey, but I genuinely cannot remember the last time (if ever) I had so much fun by myself and felt so happy.
Viva l’Italia. H x
