Beauty and history flooded over me like the sunlight as I strolled through the slim, winding streets of a Tuscan town. I was submerged in an environment rich with sensory delight – from the medieval and Renaissance architecture rising on all sides, to the lilting sound of a street musician’s accordion, to the smell of fresh, creamy pastas and delicate pastries emanating from sidewalk cafes and bistros. Above these ancient cobblestone streets, the blue foothills of the Apennines rose in the distance, silent guardians of the valley.

My experience of Italy left me with a suitcase full of reflections on culture, both Italian and American. I’m still rummaging through it. From these fragments, I’ve found at least three aspects of Italian culture that Americans could benefit from – and one that

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