The question I get asked most is “why do you love Italy so much?” Trust me I’ve pondered this question myself many times and each time I reflect on this deep and profound love that I have for Italy I always come back with the same feelings of warmth and affection.
Like all places I’ve visited throughout my life travelling both for work and pleasure there is generally a vibe that you get when you arrive in a new country or city, each leaving you with a little bit of the experience and indeed your level of connectedness to the location.
From my very first visit to Italy in 1985 when I was on my grand backpacking adventure around the world it left an indelible mark on me. There was just something in the fabric of life, their generosity or their outlook on life that connected me so deeply.
That first visit was ground zero for close to thirty visits since then.
Living in Toronto for all those years I would often visit Italy 4-5 times per year, sometimes for weeks at a time while I was editing my two books and readying them for publishing. Other times it was for one of my long weekends whereby I would leave on the overnight flight from Toronto on Thursday night, arriving in Milan on Friday morning at 6:00 am before heading to the lake (Lake Como). I would then catch the Monday lunchtime flight back to Toronto.
I would even visit Milan for a long weekend just so i could visit my favourite shirt maker to pick up some new shirts – any excuse really. Now, it certainly helps that I had accumulated 1.5 million air miles from my consulting days and points trips were easy to plan and go… even last minute.
Over the years I’ve been able to explore every province of Italy. With each passing visit I was able to get beyond the tourist sites and explore neighbourhoods, towns and villages. Taking in the sights, sounds, smells of the local places and with each experience the essence of Italy has been drawn more deeply into my bones…
Strangely, there is no one thing that attracts me to Italy because there are so many. During our last visit, and Judy’s first I had planned our itinerary starting in Rome, south to Naples, taking in the Amalfi coast, before heading inland to Matera.
Staying in each location for a few days enabled us to slow down from our normal pace of life and explore thus creating new stories and memories that will last forever.
After Matera we headed south to Puglia then up the Adriatic coast to Ancona before heading inland to Tuscany to experience Siena and Florence. The final leg of our trip was down the Tyrrhenian Sea coast to Rome.
Each province of Italy has something unique to offer you but the central theme I want to impart is that to get to the soul of Italy you need to slow down and spend time. It’s not about how many sites you can fit in, or the number of museums or art galleries you visit it’s about connecting on a human level.
Most days we would get up, have breakfast then agree on one thing we’d like to do or see for the day and then let the remainder of the day unfold. This truly was the best part as we discovered ivy covered eateries tucking into back alleys and small villages, wine bars and gelato shops all beckoning for our trade.
The one thing we agreed upon for our next visit, which we hoping will be in 2026 is a month in Sicily and another month in Puglia or perhaps by Lake Coup in northern Italy (Lombardy).
Settling into one village or town and enjoying the slow life while getting to know the locals and finding beauty in exploring in and around our home base is something that we’re both looking forward to immensely. Something as simple as buying fresh produce at the local markets or nibbling on a local delicacy while wandering is as good as it gets if you ask me.
Letting our curiosity guide us as we explore and experience new sensations, sights and smells will be the cornerstone of our prolonged visit to this beautiful country.
When I was deciding if I was going to move back to Australia in 2020, relocating to Italy was also on the table, but with the global pandemic in full swing and my Italian not so great I thought it best to choose Australia at the time, but to be fair it was a close call…
Now, five years removed we’re already planning our second visit.
I can hear you asking what is my favourite place? So many places, each with a story to tell but if I had to only choose one or two it would be the village of San Giovanni di Bellagio on Lake Como or Santa Maria al Bagno in Puglia. Each are small villages a couple of thousand years old, each with different backgrounds and makeup, yet the common denominator is the friendliness of the locals and the natural beauty of the setting.
Until next week.
Ciao!
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