IT TAKES ONE MOMENT AND EVERYTHING CHANGES!

I spent six months in Rothesay and I was getting used to that lifestyle too well, so different from what I had experienced in Italy until then. Of course the lack of loed ones was felt, the nostalgia for my children was always present but I knew that all this was the burden I had to carry in order to complete my long-term project. But, as they say, the devil got in the way and unwillingly I had to resign from my job and take a plane to take me home. Unfortunately, the world doesn't always turn as we would like and many times we have to take a step back and put our dreams and objective on "stand by” The return was not easy; going back to Italy meant having to deal with compromises and problems. It wouldn't have been easy to find a job for someone who was in her fiftieths. I kept sending resumes, going for interviews but no luck. I found myself going around in circles and my head was already full of doubts and uncertainties. Luckily I had a partner and children who supported me in this difficult moment. They were the only positive aspect of the whole thing and I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Then one day, I met my dentist and friend Susan, an American who moved to Italy for love. We started talking about this and that over a coffee and I told her about my experience in Scotland, how much I missed the daily contact with always different people, the difficulties I was facing in finding work after my return to Italy. . At a certain moment she looked at me and said: "Look, I have an Italian-American friend who was a wedding planner in Italy. A couple of years ago she went back to the US because she married a Texan; I'll try to contact her and see if she intends to restart that activity and if she needs help." I told her it was fine, even though I didn't even know what being a "wedding planner" meant. After two days this friend of hers contacted me and we made a video call, where she explained to me that I was lucky because she wanted to get the agency back on its feet, but she needed someone trustworthy in Italy, since she lived in Texas.

From that day my new adventure as a wedding planner began with Rosanna, an adventure that lasted almost ten long years. The beginning wasn't easy; everything was new, I had to start from scratch, understand how that particular "Destination Wedding" market worked: couples who wanted to come from abroad to get married in Italy, because they fell in love with our beautiful Country, or because they wanted to give their guests an authentic “wow” experience. It was a matter of understanding different cultures for how to experience the wedding day, ceremonies of all kinds (civil, symbolic, with a Catholic or Protestant or Jewish or Hindu or Sikh rite), for couples with only a few guests or couples who brought in from overseas a few dozen people. I had been catapulted into an unknown world but which I was liking a lot.

My predisposition to travel was fully satisfied; I began to travel far and wide throughout Italy; by car, by train, by bus, by plane, everything was new and exciting. I moved from region to region, visiting wonderful places that had been unknown to me . I explored Medici villas and castles in Tuscany, 5* star hotels on the Amalfi coast, villas overlooking the coast that can only be reached on foot, or nestled along the lake. Manors laid on top of mountains, alpine refuges that could be reached by cable or snowmobile, beautiful medieval villages with ancient stories behind them. I always met different people who I had to get to know because they could offer a service to the couples, whether it was a catering service or floral arrangements, or musical services, make up artists or hair stylists, Parish priests of remote churches in Tuscany or Rabbis or Protestant Pastors. It was always a continuous search to create a network of suppliers who could help us. They have been intense years and full of personal and professional satisfaction. In five years we became one of the most popular and sought- after wedding planning agencies in Italy. Under the guidance of Rosanna, my boss, personal and professional qualities that I would not have imagined I had, blossomed and made me love this job beyond measure. Once again, a simple chat had literally changed my life, introducing me to an unknown world that I was learning to love and appreciate. It wasn't an easy job. Stress was always high, the unexpected was always around the corner, many times you had to smile even if you had a headache, but the joy and pride for giving the spouses one of the best days of their lives did not have equals and repaid all the efforts made.

Other people were part of the team along with me. Beautiful people of whom I have memories of great laughter, moments of discouragement but also moments of relaxation and chats. Even today we do not miss the opportunity to meet, even if less frequently.

But my beloved Scotland was always there, in my heart and would never leave me. The memory of those months in Rothesay was always vivid, despite the years that passed. Every year we spent at least a week's holiday traveling high and low that country, every year, without ever missing one. I also returned a couple of times to Bute, where Ian always welcomed me with open arms, always hoping that I would come back to work for him. But fate had other plans for me and I had to be patient. While Denis and I made a decision, we would move to live in Tuscany. But I will tell you about this in my next post.