Italia

If there's one thing to know about my parents, it's that they love Italy. Some of my earliest memories abroad include posing by the leaning tower of Pisa (which is to this day my brother's favourite memory abroad), getting caught in a traffic jam on an Italian motorway in the sweltering summer heat and being given free water by the authorities, waiting for hours to visit the Vatican only for my mum to get turned away (for not having covered shoulders), and my brother ordering a pepperoni pizza and getting landed with a pizza full of peppers (which he didn't like at the time). It even got to the point where we were visiting different parts of Italy several times a year (bearing in mind we have no family or friends there). This was exacerbated by my mum's sudden desire to study the language and culture for a few weeks at a time in various regions in Italy in the last couple of years.

I don't think I truly appreciated how lucky I was to have visited so much of Italy until I saw how many people yearned to visit the country, from family members to American YouTubers. Although I had visited a lot of Italy as a kid, there were many places I couldn't actually remember (some of which I still don't, including Verona, Turin, Genoa, and Bologna) and I have ended up revisiting many of them recently with more of an appreciation for culture and travel. There are still a couple of places that I haven't visited in Italy, including Bari and Portofino.

I have very mixed feelings about Italy, and so will categorise some of the main places into tiers. I've found that the best places in Italy often aren't the ones plastered all over social media. but instead the small towns that we'd drive through which were stunning and had character (and no tourists). Obviously this is all based on my personal experience thus far, and is likely to change in the future.

Over-rated

I have always found Rome underwhelming, and although it holds some of my funniest memories, that is simply because I visited with a few friends the Summer before starting uni when we were all 18. This was a very eventful trip, although I remember being surprised by how few good clubs there were. We managed to visit all of the main landmarks, including the Trevi fountain, the Colosseum, and the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, except for the Vatican - on the day we'd planned to visit we were far too hungover and it ended up coinciding with Mother Teresa's canonisation so we probably wouldn't have seen anything (although we woke up way after the event had taken place on the day).

After seeing pictures of Cinqueterre, I was very excited to visit but ended up very disappointed. We visited very soon after my motorbike accident so we had to take the bus between the five towns instead of walking, which I think took away from the best views, but the towns themselves were just packed with tourists it was overall just very mediocre. Similarly, I visited Sardinia between my end-of-year exams in second year, and since my parents had already visited the south of the island (and enjoyed it), we spent most of our time in the north. Although the views were nice Sardinia, I felt like there was nothing unique or different from any other island, and wouldn't recommend it (or at least, not the north).

Mediocre

One thing I love about Southern Italy is the madness and chaos that comes with it, alongside the passionate people and the delicious food. The first time my parents visited Sicily, their taxi driver accepting the 20€ surplus cash as a tip whilst they waited for their change and my main takeaway was that people parked anywhere and everywhere (and when I say parked, I use that term very loosely, as more often than not half of the cars would be jutting out into the road). Sicily obviously has Mount Etna, ancient amphitheatres, and the Valley of the Temples, so there's plenty to see. I find that the south of Italy has the most character, the best food, and a lot of chaos; great for a (short) holiday.

I know this will be controversial, but I'd also put Venice in this category. I actually think that Venice is beautiful and nice to walk around, and although I think that it's worth visiting at some point as it's unique and world-renowned, it is packed to the brim with tourists and the gondolas are an absolute rip-off. Of everywhere I've been in Italy, the food here was the worst, and a day or two is more than enough time to get the gist of the city.

One of the first times I visited Milan, I thought it was nice but I felt fairly indifferent overall. The last time I visited however was for my dad's birthday in 2018, and we watched a Nation's League game between Portugal and Italy (two of my favourite teams). The trip ended up being very enjoyable, and coincidentally the Italian team were staying at our hotel so I even managed to get a picture with Gianluigi Donnarumma (I had no clue who he was at the time but when an opportunity presents itself, you've gotta take it). We were the only Portuguese supporters on the Italian side (as the Portuguese seats had sold out), but the vibe was great and it was a draw which meant that Portugal was the first team to qualify for the Semi-Finals, which was great news for us.

Surprisingly enjoyed

Something that I always enjoy when skiing near the border of Italy is coming into the country for a cheaper and tastier lunch (as my favourite cuisine is Italian). This had been the case in La Rosière in France, when we'd ski to La Thuile in Italy for lunch, and in Zermatt in Switzerland, when we'd ski over to Breuil-Cervinia for a proper coffee and cheap lunch. The first time we skied solely in Italy however was in 2018, when we decided to spend Christmas in Livigno. I knew very little about this town, other than it being a duty-free area, and despite not wanting to spend Christmas here (we'd already visited several times that year), I ended up having a great time. We managed to visit Liechtenstein and Slovakia for the first time while we waited for my brother to join us, and in Livigno there was plenty to do, from skiing and snowboarding to roasting marshmallows and ice-karting. Until this point I'd never considered Italy a country for adventure and fun but this trip changed my opinion slightly on the matter.

10/10 would recommend

Of course, Italy is popular for a reason and there are some great places to visit. In the same region as Livigno is one of my favourite places in Italy: Bellagio. This town sits by Lake Como and offers my favourite landscape in Italy. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend very long here as it was soon after my motorbike accident so I couldn't walk very far, but to get an idea of whether it's worth visiting, my mum has gone back several times since and it's very picturesque.

There is only one place I've been to that was truly reminiscent of the island in Mamma Mia, and that was the island of Capri. The main reason I wanted to visit this island was because after seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rowing a boat into a cave was on my bucket list, and the Blue Grotto offered exactly that. The grotto experience was much better than expected, with our Italian guide singing songs in the cave, and the water was so bright and luminescent. We then took an individual chair lift to the top of a mountain, which offered a lovely view, and in visiting the island we also managed to explore both Sorrento and Naples again which was lovely. There were so many vespas to rent on the island too, which was also on my Bucket List, but I had forgotten my driving licence at home unfortunately. The trip did not disappoint and I'd definitely recommend visiting.

The final place in this category is an obvious one but not for the usual reasons: Florence. I don't think that Florence is the most beautiful place in Italy, but given that my favourite Italian monument is here, I thought it deserved a place in this category. For many, the Colosseum, Trevi fountain, or leaning tower of Pisa are the top sights in Italy, however for me I just loved the Duomo in Florence. Perhaps it was the opera signer outside or my jolly mood that day that decided it for me, but whatever it was I really loved the Duomo (and this is coming from someone who is clueless about architecture). The city is pretty packed with tourists, but less so than Venice or Cinqueterre, and it's very easy to find your way around the city and see all of the famous sights, including Ponte Vecchio and Michelangelo's 'David'.

Italy is a great country with good food, fashion, and football, and its global influence is astounding given its size and the fact that so few countries speak Italian. Of course, each country also has its drawbacks, and Italians have a reputation of being extremely cocky and arrogant, with racism and corruption running rampant, which would deter me from living there. Italians often just say exactly what they think, which can be very entertaining (it does indeed lead to you picking up some very colourful vocabulary on holiday), but coming from a culture where being polite and trying not to offend people is very important, it can definitely be a shock to the system. On the other hand, if you are part of their tight-knit community, they can be extremely welcoming and warm, and we've had far more pleasant interactions with Italians than otherwise. All-in-all, Italy is definitely worth visiting, with everything from mountains, beaches, and cities.