How to beat the FOMO when everyone heads to Europe for summer
If you feel like the rest of the world is having a summer party and we’re not invited, well ... it’s kind of true. The question is, what do you do about it?
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Sick of watching friends and family gallivanting in Greece, hiking among the Swiss wildflowers, or living their best lives in Liechtenstein this Aussie winter?
We can’t all jet to Europe for summer fun, but escape is still possible.
Good books and films transport you, often to a place you’d rather be, providing a welcome respite from reality.
I began writing my new novel, The Palazzo, at a time when far too many of my friends seemed to have, en masse, made the long trek to the Northern Hemisphere in search of a few weeks of la dolce vita.
While they plastered their social media with photos of brightly coloured, umbrella-strewn beaches, verdant French vineyards and snow-capped mountains, Aperol spritz, paella and horiatiki salads, I turned green with envy.
Rather than sit in self-pity that I wasn’t sharing their sunsets and sgroppino, I channelled my FOMO into the world of my novel, imagining a restored palazzo set in the foothills of the Alps, a beautiful place where ugly things occasionally happen…
Then, I decided to go one better and up the European ante without leaving home – to create an Italophile staycation, if you like, as it’s Italy that’s always held my heart.
One weekend, as I played traditional café music, I sipped my morning cappuccino and planned an Italian feast before dusting off my old pasta machine. Prosecco, Sangiovese and antipasti were purchased, and any friends remaining in the country were invited. It might not have been a lazy lunch in Umbria, but the crowds were minimal and the jet-lag non-existent.
Of course, reading and watching is the ultimate in escapism, and so Sunday was reserved for total immersion, skipping between books, tv and movies, polishing my accent and practising my vocab with Duolingo, and ordering pizza from the most authentic place the neighbourhood had to offer.
It turned out that the timing was good – White Lotus in Sicily (which has doubtless inspired more than a million holidays to the island) dropped, and Stanley Tucci was Searching for Italy. I also never need much of an excuse to rewatch the sublime 1999 Antony Minghella-directed The Talented Mr Ripley with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Matt Damon, savouring again the gelato-hued colour palette and pretty seaside village of Montebello.
I might have also whiled away several hours planning a trip for the following Euro-summer – I was determined wasn’t going to miss out again. Bellissima!
Need inspiration for a lost Italian weekend? Check these out:
MOVIES
For a moving a love story with a gorgeous backdrop, watch Call Me By Your Name, or if it’s retro 50s glamour and charm you’re after, then Roman Holiday is one of the classic rom-coms. Honourable mentions: Il Postino, Cinema Paradiso
SERIES
Stunning cinematography is a feature of the acclaimed Elena Ferrante adaptation, My Brilliant Friend, while Hotel Portofino will put you in the mood for five-star travel. Honourable mentions: Ripley, The Trip to Italy
BOOKS
Go back in time to when the Grand Tour was a thing with the classic A Room with a View by EM Forster or visit post-war Florence with the delightful and moving Still Life by Sarah Winman Honourable mentions: Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes or The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods
The Palazzo by Kayte Nunn is out now, published by HarperCollins.
Share your FOMO-busting tips in the comments below and look for more inspiration at The Sunday Book Club on Facebook; and if it’s a real-life getaway you need, check out Escape.
Originally published as How to beat the FOMO when everyone heads to Europe for summer
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