Italy is a country that invites you to slow down and wander without a plan.

My first trip to Italy was a spontaneous one with my mom, just 48 hours’ notice. We stayed in a lofted Airbnb tucked into ancient Roman ruins in the Jewish Ghetto. A few years later, we returned for a longer trip through Italy, from Bologna to Venice, Parma, Cinque Terre, Lucca, and Florence. Some of my favorite moments were the unplanned ones - listening to water lap against the boats in Riomaggiore, eating pizza on the beach, and stumbling across a flea market in Lucca.

What I love most about Italy is the way life revolves around food. Meals are unhurried, often communal, and sometimes shared with strangers who don’t stay strangers for long. It’s a reminder of how much beauty there is in lingering and how meaningful travel can be when you allow yourself to truly be present.