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It was 1993, a day in September 1993, and an Italian teenager had a dream: to attend the Olympics. And it was a very big dream for an Italian high school student, without work, who didn't know a word of English.
On that day in September 1993, the teenager promised himself and his sceptical parents that if Sydney won he would go to those Olympics; if Beijing won , his destination would be Atlanta in 1996.

A few years passed, seven to be precise. In those seven years the teenager had become a young man able to almost graduate (he would have succeeded in March 2001) but, above all, to organize the trip to realize his dream.
I remember the beginning of the Olympics as if it were today. I was still in Italy, at friend’s home, during an endless game in Risk like all games in Risk. To tell the truth, my friends were playing: I was in front of the TV and I didn't miss a single detail of opening ceremony and Kylie Minogue's smile. And while I was watching TV, I said to myself: in a week I will be there.



I leave you to imagine the emotion, the joy and the panic, the many doubts and the few certainties of being on the other side of the world for an almost 25 year old, alone, on his first demanding journey, that he looked first to the left when he crossed the road and that he spoke little English. British English, moreover. Already talking on the phone with those of the Pink Hostel in Sydney to pick me up as soon as I arrived at the airport was a feat. It was useless, however, because the service was not working late at night and I had to go there by public transport.
The first few days were frustrating: I didn't understand when they were talking to me and the tickets for the events were sold out. And I didn't even know the expression "sold out".



Then slowly, something changed. Not much to tell you the truth, but enough to get around Sydney safely, to watch volleyball, handball, basketball, water polo games and marathon, and it was beautiful. I also visited the Blue Mountins, of which I still remember the beautiful, boundless view, and the Dutch girls in my group.
On the last day of the Olympics, I attended the basketball final at the screen in Belmore park and left for Melbourne by bus. In one of the autogrills where we stopped for a break, I watched a piece of the closing ceremony and looked back at Kylie Minogue's smile. And I stole some cutlery that I still use on my travels.



In the remaining 8 days of travel, I visited Melbourne, the Great Ocean road and the 12 apostles (there were still 12 then), Brisbane and Fraser Island.



I would have liked to have accompanied this article with my own photos, but at that time there were no digital cameras.
I liked Australia very much and I wanted to come back in 2008 (already more than 10 years have passed!) and I visited Uluru/Ayers Rock, Stuart Hwy, Darwin, Kakadu NP, Cape Tribulation and Cairns.
But Sydney remains and will always remain in my heart.