Before I lived in Italy for a little while this past summer, I found it impossible to pick a favourite country. Now, it’s easy. I explored Italy more in depth than I have explored any other country – I learned the language, I lived with Italians, I went to places tourists normally wouldn’t. I laughed and cried all over this beautiful country and every day I want to go back. My parents visited for two weeks and fell equally in love; I’m still trying to convince them to buy a villa, Under the Tuscan Sun style, so I can visit like, all the time. I have a thousand posts I want to write about Italy, but for now, here’s some quick thoughts on everywhere I went:
MILAN
After a month in Morocco, Milan was unbelievably modern. Also incredibly expensive. Both times in the city were basically for layovers – the first time, I slept at the airport and wanted to kill myself. The second time, I slept at an Airbnb hosted by a very creepy man and wanted to kill him. Good times.
ROME
My first time in Rome, I stayed in a gorgeous Trastavere apartment with my parents and we explored all the historic sites. My second time in Rome, I went on a pub crawl with my friend Brooke and we got 100% lost downtown at 4am. They were fairly different trips. Read more here!
FLORENCE
I only spent four hours in Florence, and it was simultaneously enough for me to see what I wanted and absolutely not enough at all. I climbed the bell tower, gushed over the views, saw the famous bridge and wandered a bit, then headed back to the train station. I’d love to return and wander a bit more, but as it was this afternoon was great!
PAVIA
I lived with my host family in this small town outside Milan for two weeks. It was quite average – as average as a historic Italian town could be. Good to live in, but I’m not sure I’d visit!
CINQUE TERRE
Despite being the busiest place I encountered in Italy, Cinque Terre was a must-see. I was here with my parents, which meant we stayed in a gorgeous apartment with a view of Manarola, one of the five towns, and I enjoyed living in the lap of luxury. I was too sick to enjoy a lot of the hiking, but the views of this coastline are breathtaking from everywhere you stand.
LAKE COMO
I thought this would be an overhyped destination full of Americans, and it was certainly touristy, but I fell in love with the gorgeous scenery on leisurely boat rides down Lago di Como. I stayed in Menaggio but explored all of the main towns. Read more here!
JESOLO
This is the place where I learned that Italy has crappy beach towns with absolutely 0 Italian-ness. I felt like I was on the east coast of the US or something.
TRIESTE
Ah, Trieste. I lived here for over a month and absolutely fell in love with this place I had never heard of, tucked over by the Slovenian and Croatian border. It’s a hidden gem with so much to offer. Read a little bit more here.
VENICE
Unpopular opinion: I kind of hated Venice. I’m glad I went, but it felt like a place that had been constructed for tourists – even though I know how much incredible history it has behind it. I think I might enjoy visiting in the winter, with more of a plan for getting off the beaten path, but as it was I felt like I was walking through a particularly sweaty portion of Disneyland. Read more here!
VERONA
In Verona, I had the privilege of attending an opera in an open-air restored Roman Arena and it was possibly the coolest thing I have ever done. I stayed in a historic villa and fell in love with this city that’s so famous for love.
BRUNICO
I am obsessed with mountains, so naturally I had to visit the amazing, and often overlooked South Tyrol region of Italy. I stayed in an incredibly affordable and incredibly gorgeous private room with a view of the Dolomites. I used this as a jumping off point to visit Lago di Braies, which may be the prettiest place I have ever seen.
CORTONA
In Cortona I stayed in a nunnery, limped around on an injured knee, befriended expats, and finally understood why there was so much hype about Tuscany.
PERUGIA
I went to Perugia on a whim, planning to stay three nights, and ended up living in paradise for a week at a farmhouse hostel that is still the best place I’ve ever been. I got robbed on my last night, but I still think of this place so fondly and cannot WAIT to write about the pool, the view, the people, the…everything. Read more here!
PISA
On my way to Paris to catch a last minute flight back to Canada, I fainted in the Pisa train station. Fainting is weird. I got nowhere near the leaning tower, but honestly I didn’t really care if I saw it.