You Know You're In Italy When...
From our perch on Borgo Pio, just outside of the Vatican in Rome, it doesn’t take long before you learn the rhythm of the tourist calendar. You can feel its ebbs and flows: the October moment when the Germans on autumn break arrive or the winter weeks when South America shows up. The onslaught of 10,000 teens for the Jubilee of Adolescents a few weeks ago was pretty hard to miss, as is the springtime arrival of the American honeymooners, a legion of which C and I were once a part.
There’s been a tremendous amount written over the past few years about overtourism in Italy, and the problem is undeniable whether you’re seeing it in a TikTok video or on the street in front of your apartment. Space is finite after all, and you can only fit so many people in front of the same panino shop or on a small footbridge across a canal. Likewise, time is limited. Understandably, everyone wants to optimize the days they have to see the things they’re interested in.
But it’s worth remembering that in contrast, the potential for experience is infinite. Those moments when place and people and pleasure come together to create an image that will stick in your head long after your Story has evaporated into the Instagram ether are not found only at the top ten tourist destinations. In fact, they may be impossible to find there.
No list of must-see sites will give you an impression of Italy. But one sight, caught in a glance when turning a corner or throwing open a pair of peeling wooden shutters, can capture all of the splendor, antiquity, humor, nostalgia, and insouciant cool of a place built as much on myth as it is on marble and terracotta.
You know you’re in Italy when…
Last year, I posted a piece called “Ten Things To Experience In Italy Before You Die”. The title was a tongue in cheek take on the clickbait travel stories that dominate our newsfeeds and bear a good portion of the blame for that much-lamented overtourism.
The point of the story was that it’s not necessary to see the biggest and best of Italy in order to discover the essence of it. In the most crowded cities, there are forgotten corners where beauty lives. In the most forgotten towns there are things of infinite value, even if it looks like nothing more than people just getting on with their life. Which might be the most beautiful thing of all.
I was happily surprised by the response to “Ten Things To Experience In Italy Before You Die”, not only because it brought so many new people into this community, but also because many of you shared comments, added to my list, and recommended your own favorite places. One subscriber, Peter Milne, even shared photos of a vacation he’d taken several years earlier. With spooky foresight, he had unwittingly snapped photos of almost all ten of the items I mentioned in the post— proving not only that great minds think alike, but that there is something about the pace and the patina of this Italian life that resonates in a way that many of us feel but can’t fully explain.
So as vacation season heats up once again, I thought I would initiate a chat on the Substack app for subscribers to Life Lived Italian to share with one another those quintessential Italian impressions. I’m calling it:
You Know You’re in Italy When…
Whether you’re visiting Italy this summer, reminiscing about a trip still fresh in your mind, or sharing one of those indelible images from time spent here years ago, I’d love to know what moments—scenes, faces, tastes— define this place for you. Of course, I’ll be sharing some of my own photos and thoughts and (with permission obviously) some of the ones you’ve sent in response to previous posts.
For those of you who’ve traveled to Italy only in your mind, I hope these glimpses will inspire a journey to places beyond the usual itinerary. Or prompt you to forsake the itinerary all together. For those of us who live here, the Chat can be a chance to talk about our favorite subject, and to remember, even in the face of the day to day frustrations, how fortunate we are to be in this remarkable country.
I’m so appreciative of each of you who takes the time to read Life Lived Italian and especially to comment or hit the heart button on occasion. And I definitely do get it— everyone is immersed in plenty of communities already, whether professional, social, educational or virtual.
But this one carries with it no expectations or obligations. Think of it like an easygoing Italian piazza. You’re free to sit in the corner of the bar with your espresso, greet your friends, or jump into a conversation with a stranger.
Or you can sit by your open window above the square, and silently take it all in: the comings and goings, the church bells and the scent of jasmine, the slow spread of the late day shadows across the travertine stones. It’s a whole world open to you, while you’re busy hanging out your laundry or checking the calcio scores.
You know you’re in Italy then.
So true! It's one of those places where the past is never past, and there's a nostalgic air that just hovers over everything. You hit it on the head. Would you mind if I shared this comment on the chat as well?
So glad you enjoyed it-- and even better that you've got a visit just ten days away! Hope you have a wonderful time. Be sure to share a pic or memory from the trip on the Substack chat-- would love to know more about your visit. And yes, I love that shot of the men in the square as well-- that's actually from Peter Milne, another subscriber to Life Lived Italian. A classic moment-- especially the guy who's in his work uniform.