Ten years ago, I traveled to Italy. I was a newly-minted Goddess girl, plus I’d just read The Da Vinci Code, so I spent the trip searching for the divine feminine hidden in plain sight. In Italy, I didn’t have to look very far; Mother Mary is, quite literally, represented on every street corner throughout Italy.

I spent the majority of my trip in Florence (I was there for a month), but I never got tired of coming face to face with Mary as I meandered around the city. Like the benign mother she’s revered as, Mary still looks down on the Tuscan countryside with quiet patience.

b2ap3_thumbnail_100_1039.JPGLife in Italy in the summer is slow, but I wouldn’t call it lazy. Everything is a busy bustle, the tourists mixing with the street performers, gypsies, and local businessmen and women to create a beautiful madness. It’s like the world’s coolest family reunion,  where everyone has a seat at the table and the octogenarians preside in splendor.  And, like so many families, it’s the powerful, often behind-the-scenes presence of the women that keep the party going.

I was expecting Italy to feel unsafe as young female traveler; the stereotype of the flirty, forceful Italian man dominated my worries as I prepared for the trip, and the warnings my school offered about gypsies and pick-pockets made me clutch my purse close whenever I walked alone.

 Thankfully, Florence surprised me.

I felt equally safe wandering around the city alone as I did when I was with a fortified group of other study abroad participants. Whether we were partying, shopping, walking home after a late dinner, or simply running down to the grocer on the corner, I felt totally at ease in Florence. This hasn’t often been my response when I’m traveling alone, but looking back, I have to wonder if my security was due to Mary’s dominant presence in Florence.

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My month in Florence felt more like living than traveling, and as such, I missed a number of touristy spots while I was there (and I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I meant to). I’ve loved other places I’ve visited, but I’ve never felt so quickly comfortable as I did in Italy. I’m sure a number of factors contributed to my experience, but I think Mary deserves quite a bit of the credit for making me feel so welcome.

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