How It All Started...."I can be Italian when I grow up, can't I?"

Picture it. 1969. Bethlehem, PA.*  A 4-year-old, waspy little curly-headed blonde girl has fallen in love with the Floramos, Italian grandparents of her cousins Lisa and Nicole. (They live in Easton, PA.) One day she turns to her own grandmother and says "I can be Italian when I grow up, can't I? "

September 1995. The little girl is now 30 years old. She takes her first trip to Europe. Italy. Forte Dei Marmi. The love affair blossoms.

November 2013. The little girl is living in Los Angeles and turning 49. Panic sets in at the thought of a looming 50th birthday. But instead of dreading the milestone, she decides to embrace it by embarking on a project, "A Year of Turning 50". The goal is to celebrate something, big or small, every day for a year. To appreciate the fact that she actually made it this far. And to figure out the next chapter of her life. (NB:  She has, at this point, made 15 or so trips to Italy.)

November 2014. The little girl turns 50. The big takeaway from her "A Year of Turning 50" project? A crazy idea of buying a house and moving to Italy.

November 2015. The little girl is about to turn 51. House in Los Angeles: Sold. Job: Resigned. Ex-husband: Convinced to come along on this crazy ride. (After all it was his idea way back when to take the trip to Forte Dei Marmi.) House in Italy: Purchased.

47 years later....she's grown up. And she's going to try to be Italian. For real.

The following is an account of the first year of this journey.

* Golden Girls fans, you'll appreciate the nod to Sophia Petrillo.  I always knew that someday I would end up like her.