un'amica stretta

I just read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert---finally.

In the book, Gilbert translates an Italian phrase un'amica stretta, which means a close friend

With her wonderful way with words and analogies, she goes on to say, "...stretta literally means tight, as in clothing, like a tight skirt. So a close friend, in Italian, is one that you can wear tightly, snug against your skin.."

I would say that having such friendships is right up there with eating, praying and loving!