• Italy is a European country I'd always dreamed of visiting. In 2022, that dream came true. • I spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan. Each destination surprised me. • From castles and train windows to an art sculpture Airbnb, these were the biggest shocks of my trip.

Growing up with my half-Italian family in a Manhattan suburb, I always dreamed of visiting Italy.

While eating my grandmother's famous spaghetti and meatball dinners and listening to her stories about what it's like to explore the land our family came from, I longed for Italian experiences of my own.

My dream finally came true in October 2022, when I — at age 26 — spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan for the first time while backpacking through Europe.

Nearly three years after my Italian advent

See Full Page