The Magic In Italy

My life until now has been confined to the lines surrounding the United States, Pennsylvania even. I can’t quite describe how that feels, or if there is a feeling for it, but it is claustrophobic to say the least. Knowing there are whole communities, cultures, languages, and people outside these lines that I have neither heard nor experienced before is an idea I can hardly wrap my head around. This summer I finally broke the barrier surrounding life in my little hometown. I went to Italy!

I could go on and on about the trip because the two weeks I spent there were nothing if not magical. But to begin, my best friend and I decided last winter to rip off the band aid. My family is from Italy, and my grandfather has told my sister and I so many stories about the amazing country, so I have always wanted to go. I met someone from Italy in college who jokingly offered for us to come stay with his family over the summer. I imagine he thought I was also joking when I told him I booked my ticket, but I would never joke about that. We picked random dates in June, hoping we wouldn’t have any conflicts, and booked the flights. Yes, it was expensive. Yes, it was ill advised. Yes, it was stressful. But yes, I would do it over and over and over again. 

Our trip lasted two weeks. Three of the days were spent napping on airport benches, not sleeping on long plane rides, and spending absurd amounts of money on European airport chick fil a, espresso, and “authentic” French pastries. Our home base was right outside the center of Milan and each day we traveled to another city. We spent a day in Venice, Florence, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, and three days in Rome. 

Everyone always asks which place was my favorite. While I do have an answer, they are each so different they are almost incomparable. Each place has their own architecture, landscape, restaurants, even their dress codes vary, but the common ground is their culture. 

The people in Italy are unlike any other. Strangers to us didn’t see us as strangers. They are all kind, generous, helpful, genuine people. Going into the trip, I knew the language barrier was going to be tough because we didn’t know a lick of Italian. Surprisingly, there were a lot of people that knew English and would take time to talk to us. We had so many amazing conversations with so many people who told us stories about their lives. We met all kinds of amazing people with so many fascinating backgrounds. They would often teach us some Italian too! While it was harder, we were still able to talk to people who didn’t speak English and had such heartwarming conversations. 

As an outsider, I can say that one of Italy’s mottos is “what’s mine is yours.” Wherever we went, people would invite us inside, introduce us to their families, give us food to try, tell us stories about their lives, and even teach us a little bit of Italian. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, I have never met such kind people. They even share cars there! You can walk down any street in the bigger cities and borrow a car! You pay a little bit of money, get a code to the car, use it however long you need, and return it where you found it when you’re done! 

Another big thing for the people in Italy is to slow down and enjoy life. Italians spend hours at restaurants with multiple courses of food and wine. There is no such thing as a quick meal unless you get it from a market or a small shop. A lot of the time, people in restaurants aren’t even eating. They are talking to an old friend, catching up with their waiter or waitress, or just taking a beat from their lives and enjoying a glass of wine. The people in Italy walk or bike everywhere, and don’t hesitate to stop in a little shop  for some espresso or gelato. Every restaurant and shop in Italy is a family business. There are so many entrepreneurs and hard working men and women who love to share a little bit of their lives and their cultures with anyone who walks by. It is so common to see people gathered at a restaurant, bar, park, sidewalk, really anywhere and talking to a neighbor or friend of a friend. To them, any friend of yours is a friend of theirs. 

Family is the biggest part of Italian culture. Italians greet everyone with a kiss on each cheek and have some of the most genuine souls I have met. Businesses are closed at lunchtime because families come together for every meal and enjoy it together. The amazing family we stayed with included us in every meal too. Every night and morning were a home cooked meal with as many courses as we could eat. Italians take great pride in their families and their lives. People would often talk to us about their country and their families, leaving nothing to our imaginations. We learned so much about their history, ancestors and stories that people there treasure. 

Looking back, the spontaneity of the trip was invigorating but it was also so terrifying. I had my plane ticket, but I had no idea what any of the numbers or letters meant. How early are you supposed to be for a flight and how do you read the screens in the airport with the pages and pages of flight information? I had no idea how to navigate a subway system or how I would buy a bus ticket to get there. What if I miss my train and can’t talk to anyone at the station? What if I get separated from my friend? People kept telling me to be careful with my valuables because pick pocketing is an issue in Italy. No idea what I would do if that happened. So many fears had turned me away from the trip for a long time, but at the end of the day, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Days definitely strayed from our agenda, and we did miss our train once or twice, but everything that happened just made the trip that much more memorable. Traveling is all about the experience, and no experience goes exactly as you planned it. 

It might be an exaggeration to say I found myself in Italy, but I don’t think that it is. I learned so much from the people who lived there, and learned even more about myself. I think I grew up more in those two weeks than I did in the last few years. The country’s beauty and history were inspiring and I absolutely cannot wait to go back and do it all over again. The genuine smile on my face in all of the pictures does say it all. I really truly fell in love with this magical country.

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