ITALY
I’ve Been Saying I’m Italian My Whole Life… But Did It Live Up to the Hype?
I’ve always said I’m Italian like it meant something.
Like it explained my love for food, my need to romanticize everything, the way I linger in moments longer than I should. It’s never just been a fact—it’s been a personality trait.
So going to Italy felt like more than a trip.
It felt like proof.
Or… the risk of being wrong.
Rome: Where Everything You’ve Ever Seen Is Suddenly Real
We landed late, dropped our bags, and immediately started walking—because that’s what you do in Rome. You walk until your feet hurt and then you eat pasta in a cup and keep going.
The Colosseum wasn’t just “cool”—it was one of those moments where your brain actually pauses trying to process what your eyes are seeing. Like… how is this just here?
And the Trevi Fountain—I don’t care how many photos you’ve seen, nothing prepares you for it. We of course had to throw coins in. We learned that the amount you throw in matters, one coin means you will return to Rome one day, two coins means you will find love, three coins means marriage to a love you find in Rome. How many coins did I throw in? I threw in my favorite number two.
We walked into Vatican City and it felt surreal—like stepping into something you have only ever learned about in school and realizing you should have been taught a lot more about this. The scale of it, the detail, the history… it’s overwhelming in the best way (go to Vatican City tab for more info on the country!).
But one of my favorite things?
Just walking around at night.
Getting a table, ordering food, taking our time. There’s no rush. You sit, you eat, you talk, you stay. That’s the rhythm.
And the gelato. Constant. Necessary. Non-negotiable.
Florence: The Climb, The View, The “Okay… This Is Unreal” Moment
Florence felt calmer—but somehow just as powerful.
We climbed to the top of the Duomo… and I’m not going to pretend it was easy. It was a lot. Tight spaces, endless stairs, slight questioning of life choices.
But when we got to the top?
Worth it. Every single step.
Looking out over the city, everything felt still for a second.
We also did a wine tasting—which… I already knew I loved wine, but this was different. Sitting there, actually learning about it, tasting it slowly, not rushing—it felt very Italian in a way I didn’t fully get before. This was a day long trip stopping at a vineyard with amazing views. We had amazing time drinking our wine, making friends with strangers in our group, almost missing the bus before it left for the next stop.
And then dinner with your mom and dad—those moments matter. Sitting, eating, talking, laughing. That’s what Italy does best. It turns meals into memories without trying. We had the most amazing steak dinner, with grilled onions, red wine. It was so amazing, we ate there twice!
We also did a cooking class. Our chef was very kind and we learned he was originally from Brazil! He taught us his nonna’s recipes though so it still was authentic. We made gnocchi (I learned that I have been pronouncing it correctly my whole life and Americans simply butcher the language). We made so much food and got to eat it all after! They provided wine for the table and luckily the other half of the table did not drink so we got two bottles! Score! Later on in the week we were walking down the street and Chef went flying by us on his scooter shouting “Hello Family!”. It was a really cool moment to run into someone we knew in Italy! He was a sweetheart.
Venice: Getting Lost Was the Plan
Venice felt like a place you’re not suppose to fully live in. It felt unreal, like how do people really live their day to day lives here? I mean don’t get me wrong it is beautiful and amazing people do. It just felt like a different world.
We did a gondola ride, floating through the canals, seeing the city from the water—it’s quieter, slower.
Walking around all the streets, stopping to get a pastry, stopping to get pasta in a cup, a cappuccino, a slice of pizza. It was beautiful, historic, and a little sad to think this place would someday be sunk below the water.
The Little Things That Ended Up Being Everything
Some of my favorite moments weren’t the big landmarks.
It was sitting at the Trevi Fountain at night, just taking it in.
It was gelato runs that turned into routines.
It was dinners that lasted way longer than expected
It was realizing that in Italy, nothing is rushed—and nothing needs to be.
So… Was I Just Romanticizing It?
I thought maybe I had built Italy up too much in my head.
That maybe I would get there and feel slightly disappointed.
But the opposite happened.
It felt familiar.
Not because I have been there before—but because the way they live makes sense to me.
The emphasis on food. On slowing down. On enjoying where you are, who you are with, what you are eating.
Final Verdict
Did Italy meet the expectations I have had my whole life?
No.
It validated them.
Every time I have said “I’m Italian” with a little extra emphasis…
yeah.
Turns out, I had a reason.
