Falling in Friendship Love: An Illustrated Italian Romance

I barely knew her, but I flew across the globe to be with her. Crazy? Stupid? Amore?

(AKA other moments of courage—big and small)

• Completing my first adult vacation without alcohol: The last time I was in Italy, everything was about the Campari spritz and vino. This time, I was all about the feasting, the sightseeing, and, to my surprise, the drinking of many Italian non-alcoholic alternatives. The sober curious movement is everywhere—even Europe.

• Attempting Italian: No waiter in Milan was left unscathed. I don’t speak Italian, but I can try. The second I arrived, I started a vocabulary list in my notebook and began speaking with any and every patient Italian. (There were many!) Did I blush as I butchered conjugation? Yes. Did I try anyway? Yes. And it made our vacanza a ton more fun.

• Going first: Abby is bold. She’ll go up to Orlando Bloom in London and she’ll go up to Tatiana Gallardo in Buenos Aires. Inspired by her brazen willingness to go first, I summoned the cojones to ask her to meet up in Europe—even though part of me wondered if that would be too-much-too-soon. But in Argentina, my heart had felt something far too underrated: Platonic chemistry. So I went for it.

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  Tatiana Gallardo is a writer and illustrator currently exploring Basque Country. She’s also planning her next reunion with Abby, who recently starred alongside mortadella in Tatiana’s latest how to video.