Switzerland is a rather divided country, both culturally and linguistically. The majority of the mountainous country is made…
Times visited: 7
Cities visited: Rome, Venice, Bergamo, Milan and Naples
Towns and villages visited: Ostia, Campione d’Italia, Pompei, Ercolano, Sent’cò, Corricella and Chiaiolella
Islands visited: Procida
UNESCO sites visited: 5/60
Italy is one of those countries that everyone dreams of visiting – and for good reason. There’s so much to see that I’m not even sure it’s possible to take it all in over the course of a lifetime. I’ve been to Italy seven times, though five of those visits were quite brief, so in many ways, I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.
My first visit was in March 2013 on a high school field trip to Rome with my Latin class. We spent a week diving into the ancient world – so many ruins, in fact, that they’ve all blended together in my memory. What I do clearly remember? Pizza. Lots of pizza.
Later that same year, in the summer, I returned with my family – this time just for a day trip from Croatia to the famously overcrowded city of Venice. And in June 2016, I had another short visit, during a long stopover in rainy Bergamo. Despite the weather, I found it to be a charming and refreshingly less touristy place.
In the summer of 2019, I visited Italy again, mainly to reach the tiny landlocked country of San Marino. But I did spend a lovely afternoon in Milan, where I unexpectedly stumbled upon a beautiful pro-immigration demonstration that left a lasting impression. In summer 2021, my time in Italy was more of a technicality. I was hiking from Nauders in Austria to the Dreiländergrenzstein – the very spot where Austria, Switzerland, and Italy meet. Much of the final stretch took me through South Tirol in Italy, so I counted it as another visit! The following year, in November 2022, I stepped foot in Italy once again, this time in the peculiar little exclave of Campione d’Italia – completely surrounded by Switzerland, but unmistakably Italian.
Finally, in August 2024, I made a proper return. I spent a full week in the country, combining work and exploration. The annual EAA (European Association of Archaeologists) conference took place in Rome, and I was giving a presentation, so four of my days were spent attending sessions and sneaking in time to rediscover the city. Before the conference, I had three nights in Naples, where I immersed myself in the city’s chaotic energy. I spent a day visiting both Pompeii and Herculaneum and climbed to the summit of Mount Vesuvius. On my last day, I walked 16 kilometres around the small, colorful island of Procida – one of the most picturesque places I’ve seen in Italy so far.