jennifer jackson photography

my love for Italy | Il mio amore per l’italia

It all started in rome…

Like so many before me, it all started in Rome. It was the winter of 2007 and my husband and I traveled to Rome for New Year’s Eve. It was our first trip to Italy and our first time abroad, and to add to the cliché, it really was love at first sight.

Growing up I was obsessed with Italian food, so when it was my turn to make dinner for my family, I would make spaghetti and marinara. I found comfort in that dish; like a memory that brings warmth to your heart. Maybe it was the art of twirling my fork in the pasta or the simplicity of the ingredients. Either way, when I would eat spaghetti and marinara, it always felt right.

I worked in Italian restaurants to pay my way through school and it was in art school where I discovered Italian art and culture (and wine). My desire to travel to Italy became stronger and stronger. So when we finally made our way to Italy in the winter of 2007, I was in heaven.

Tutto È iniziato a roma…

Come tanti prima da me, tutto è iniziato a Roma. Era l’inverno di duemila e sette e mio marito ed io siamo andati a Roma per capodanno. Era il nostro primo viaggio all’Italia e il nostro primo viaggio in Europa, ed aggiungere al cliché, è stato davvero amore a prima vista.

Da giovane, ero ossessionato del cibo italiano, quindi quando toccava a me preparare la cena per la mia famiglia, preparavo sempre gli spaghetti e marinara. Ho trovato conforto in quel piatto; come una memoria che porta calore al tuo cuore. Forse, era l’arte di far roteare la forchetta nella pasta oppure la semplicità degli ingredienti. In ogni caso, quando mangiavo gli spaghetti e marinara, mi è sempre sembrato giusto.

Lavoravo in ristoranti italiani per pagare l’università e nell’università d’arte ho scoperto l’arte e la cultura italiana (ed il vino). Il mio desiderio per viaggiare in Italia è diventato più forte. Quindi quando siamo finalmente andati in Italia nell’inverno di duemila e sette, ero in paradiso.

To say I am obsessed with Italy is an understatement. Since our first trip, every summer we spend several weeks or months in Italy. Being teachers has made that possible. But more importantly, my being a photography teacher and photographer, and my husband being a philosophy and history teacher, has made our trips more rewarding. Every year we bring back knowledge and experiences to share with our students which is wonderful.

More than six years ago I started to learn Italian through Ital’Cultura in Chicago. At first my learning pace was leisurely, but now that we have made dear friends in Rome and other parts of Italy, the intensity of my lessons have picked up. My goal is to be decently fluent in two years.

I can understand and write fairly well in Italian, but my speaking is still a bit slower than I like, but my confidence is starting to grow. Which brings me to why I created this feature on my website. My intent is three-fold. One, to practice my Italian. You will see my English and Italian written side-by-side. Two, to feature my photography that chronicles my travels, my cooking, and my eating of Italian cuisine. Three, to learn more about the different regions of this beautiful country and show you some of my favorite moments and experiences.

This is a personal journey and by putting it online I am holding myself accountable. Please forgive me for my translations as I am 100% sure that I will still make mistakes. I hope you find some joy when you look through the pages.