imballaggio.

Somehow the Italian language makes everything sound more beautiful, doesn't it? My word of the week, imballaggio, means "packing", a.k.a the bane of my existence, however the process seems much more pleasant when described in Italian. If you really knew me you would know that I am not exaggerating my hatred of packing for literary purposes. For me, this seemingly mundane activity becomes an extremely laborious process that mostly involves me lying on my floor covered in clothes and complaining to anyone who will listen (notably, my mom). I have memories of packing for a week-long spring break trip in high school and my best friend going through my bag and pulling out almost everything I had packed, exclaiming things like "how could you possibly need 11 bathing suits for only 6 days?!" Unfortunately, this situation is pretty common with me, and has been repeated with small variations many times throughout my life. Admission: I am a serial over-packer. Unfortunately, I am about to get on a plane with some serious packing restrictions, and am supposed to be prepared for the next six months in one of the most fashion-conscious countries in the world. Challenge accepted.

Before I could even begin to imagine what would be filling my bags. I had to do some serious research. I have been abroad before, but for much shorter time periods, and have never needed to pack for multiple seasons and multiple locations. In Costa Rica, I wore a jersey skirt and Chaco sandals every day for 7 weeks. I had a feeling that the sidewalk runways of Rome would not approve.  If my research is correct, this assumption was right. After scouring many blogs, it seemed like there are a few basic rules that were repeated to be over and over again:

1. Neutrals. Wear them. Always. (I am considering leopard print a neutral.)
2. No heels. Cobblestone streets are not friendly to any shoes, especially stilettos.
3. Layers. From February to July temperatures change. Pack layers.
4. Scarves and red lipstick. Chic. 

So armed with these rules I came up with my packing list. It may still seem excessive to the well-traveled backpacker, but for a girl like me with two closets and a shoe collection of over 70 pairs, I think I've done pretty dang good. 

Here's a snippet of the list:

• 2 jackets (1 black Barbour coat, one leather jacket)
• 7 short sleeve shirts (neutrals: black, grey, white, stripes, etc.)
• 5 pairs of pants (2 jeans, 1 black jean, 1 army green chinos, 1 patterned harem)
• 7 skirts (maxis, pencil, jersey, etc.) ((longer skirts are essential for women traveling!))
• 1 denim shirt (wear with EVERYTHING)
• 6 pairs of leggings/leather pants (wear as pants, pajamas, workout gear, all the time)
• 8 dresses (maxis, tank tops, dressy, casual, every kind you can imagine

Most importantly:

• 10 pairs of shoes

I'm including a picture of these just so you can be impressed at how much I can fit into a small amount of luggage. Hopefully my last two months of winter break that have mostly been spent shopping and packing will pay off in 10 days when I touchdown in the Eternal City! I'll be sure to post all of my most fabulous outfits on here for your admiration. I still have a few last minute items to stuff into my bag, but I'll catch up with you next when I actually have landed! Ciao for now!