Love at First Sight?
Given my undeniable love for Italy, one might think that it was love at first sight. It certainly should have been – it is a country filled with unrivaled beauty, fascinating history, and universally well-loved cuisine. What is NOT to love?? My first visit to Italy was part of a 3-week European getaway, where only the arrival and departure airports were known. Everything in between was to be figured out on the fly. While this appealed to the younger me, it makes the current-day travel advisor me shudder! Who else turns up in Rome while a city-wide conference is taking place and expects to find a hotel room for the night? Who stays outside the gates of Florence and then only sees the city center as we drive out of town (back when you could drive through the city center)?
Contrast this with my second (of 20 and counting) return trips to Italy and the experience is elevated in innumerable ways! Friends and I rented a modest seaside villa in the town of Castiglioncello on the western coast of Tuscany for two weeks. Our days were filled with morning coffee and homemade dinners under the grape arbor; days filled exploring the outlying areas or enjoying beautiful sandy beach clubs. Most of all though, it was our chance to “live like locals” that provided lively, yet meaningful, conversations with friends and strangers alike. Whether it was the barista in the town bar; the shopkeeper at the local salumeria; or Italian friends of a friend who invited us to their homes for dinner, these encounters provided insight into the day-to-day life of Italians, and invariably lots of laughs – perhaps at our inability to tackle the language or the metric system!
On each subsequent trip, I have tried to seek out these moments – either through an experience that has been arranged by one of our innovative and well-connected Italian travel partners, or just through chance encounters with a shopkeeper; a driver; a stranger. Italians are warm and hospitable. They are also proud of their country and culture and are generally happy to share that pride with others. Take a moment to engage with those you come in contact with. Remember: “Borders divide us; travel is what unites us.” -- Matthew Upchurch, CEO Virtuoso.