The Italian Vibe Check
How to choose the best Italian city for you, plus the December "Ask Me Anything Zoom" link.
If you’re planning a trip to Italy and your checklist is “Florence, Venice, Rome, pizza, pasta, sunshine,” you’re setting yourself up for confusion.
Italy may be geographically tiny, but every region and city has its own cuisine, its own history, wildly different landscapes, and even its own language.
Here’s a quick Italian vibe check to help you choose the version of Italy that actually fits you.
Venice is a fever dream.
I mean, what else looks like this? The streets are made of water, everything is the color of candy, and the insides of the churches are covered with small chunks of gold and colored glass. But if you go to Venice for just one day or stay over for just one jet‑lagged night, you’ll only see pigeons and pickpockets. You’ll miss the Venice that was once the most powerful city in the world and became so glamorous thanks to the trade in treasures from across Asia and the Middle East.
Florence is nerd paradise.
Florence is a city of the mind. It makes you want to think and learn, which is why it’s such an enduring center for study abroad. Florence feels like stepping into the past because its architecture was so well designed, so rational, so considered, that it still stands intact. Florence was a power center, and its citizens today are very proud of the city’s intellectual and artisan traditions and have always been eager to share them. And that’s why everyone I know who lives in Florence despises the sandwiches and wine windows. Go to Florence with an open mind.
Rome has seen it all.
Nothing is ever thrown away; it’s just used again and again, because the classics never go out of style. The ancient world bursts from the seams of modern Italy’s capital. Step out of the Roma Termini train station to wait in the taxi line, and you’re already looking at a chunk of the Aurelian Wall. Romans are sarcastic and cynical because they’ve seen it all. Their favorite food is tripe. They know that Rome is a pilgrimage city, and that religion is both faith and commerce. And Rome, for better or worse, is eternal.
Naples is your entry into the Mediterranean world.
Naples has more in common with Athens or Alexandria than with Venice, Florence, or Rome. It’s loud and ancient, and its original name was Parthenope, named for a mermaid who cried so much over a sailor who ignored her that her tears formed the Bay of Naples, and then she drowned in them. Naples is drama and passionate chaos. Neapolitans invented pizza. It used to be super wealthy, and now it’s not, but it still holds on to its best jewelry. Oh, and if you have ideas for making it more organized or for cleaning up the graffiti, my dear, please do not share them. Go to Naples with an open heart.
If you want help figuring out which experience is best for you, join us tonight for the December 18th Ask Me Anything About Italy call. If you can’t join me live, email your question to danielle@danielleoteri.com, and you’ll hear the answer when I send out the replay tomorrow.
Please find the Zoom Link below:
