Around: Italy Parma
It was because of John Grisham's Playing for Pizza that I fell in love with Parma. His struggles as an athlete and vivid descriptions of the place and the life living in Parma are things that resonated with me being a sports fan and being someone who likes the quiet life away from the big cities. And so I felt so much joy when I finally got to visit the place. It was so surreal walking around the same spaces mentioned in his book. I couldn't wipe off the smile on my face as I recalled what happened in the spot I was standing at the very moment. Food is also something that was constantly mentioned in the book and something that I also looked forward to and Ristorante La Forchetta made sure that I would not be disappointed. It may not be high on the list of places to visit in Italy but it certainly is on top of my highly recommended places list.-CJR
