La Dolce Dream Italy

Things That Made Me Fall in Love With Italy

Discover the little things that made me fall in love with Italy, from passeggiata and piazza culture to gelato, the Italian language, architecture, warm people and everyday Italian life.

8/27/20269 min read

(Photo of me in Gioiosa Ionica, one of my ancestral towns in Calabria)

There are plenty of obvious reasons to fall in love with Italy...

The food (most obvious). The wine (second most obvious). The beaches. The ancient ruins. The rolling green hills of Tuscany. The colorful villages hanging from the cliffs above the sea. The turquoise water of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Cannoli (that aren't soggy)!

But when I think about what really made me fall in love with Italy, it isn't one famous ruin or one perfect plate of carbonara pasta. It's all the little things. The things you start noticing once you spend more and more time here.

The evening passeggiata. The musical sound of Italian conversations floating out of an open window. A piazza that seems completely empty at 4:00 pm and is suddenly filled with families a few hours later. It's stopping for gelato after dinner simply because that's what you do.

Italy has a way of making everyday life feel a little more special. Now, Italy certainly isn't perfect... nowhere is. But I would much rather be in Italy than anywhere else. Here's why..

The Warmth of the People

This is probably one of the biggest ones for me, especially in Calabria.

Of course, you can meet wonderful people anywhere in Italy, but there is something about the warmth I've experienced in southern Italy that has always stayed with me.

People talk to you. They ask questions. They want to know where you're from, why you're there, and whether you have family nearby. A quick conversation can turn into a much longer one before you know it.

And once someone welcomes you in, they really welcome you in.

I've experienced a generosity in Calabria that isn't about anything extravagant. It's someone wanting to feed you. Someone introducing you to their family. Someone checking to make sure you know where you're going or telling you where you really need to eat instead of wherever Google Maps sends you.

There is a strong sense of community here, particularly in the smaller towns where people still know their neighbors and generations of families have lived in the same place.

That feeling of connection is one of the things I love most about Italy. Extended families unite weekly (or even daily), and people go outside. Even the teenagers go outside! When we are in Italy, my teens get fresh air far more often than they do when we are stateside. It's just the culture of Italy.

The Passeggiata

One of my favorite Italian traditions isn't really an event at all. It's just the passeggiata.

In the late afternoon or early evening, people come out for a walk. You'll see couples strolling arm in arm, grandparents chatting with friends, teenagers walking in groups, little kids running around or riding their bikes, and families pushing strollers.

There doesn't necessarily have to be a destination. And that's the whole point.

You're walking. You're talking. You're seeing people, and getting some fresh air. Maybe you're stopping for an aperitivo or deciding that gelato is just what you need to cool off on a hot summer night.

In a culture where so many of us are used to rushing from one thing to the next, I love that there is still space in Italian life for something as simple as taking a walk together every day.

The passeggiata is less about exercise and more about being part of the community.

And I absolutely love that!

Gelato Is Basically a Lifestyle

Yes, gelato is delicious, but what I love even more is the culture around gelato.

Gelato isn't reserved for vacation or a special occasion. You don't need an excuse for it.

You might get one while walking through town in the afternoon. After dinner, you'll see entire families heading to the gelateria. Kids are choosing their flavors while parents and grandparents are ordering right along with them.

And somehow, eating a gelato while wandering through an Italian town at 10:00 pm just feels completely normal, as it should.

There is also something fun about finding your favorite gelateria and eventually developing a connection with the people who work there. After all, you're going in there daily, so you'll inevitably get to know each other.

For me, gelato isn't just one of the best things to eat in Italy. It's part of the experience of being here. So work it into your daily calorie intake, and enjoy!

The Italian Language

I could listen to Italian all day.

Even before you understand everything being said, there is something beautiful about the rhythm of the Italian language. It's expressive and musical. Before I could barely understand it, I would listen to full Italian podcasts. I honestly believe doing this helped me progress more quickly in my studies.

And I love how Italians don't just speak with their voices. The hands are involved. The facial expressions are involved. Sometimes the entire body seems to be participating in the conversation.

I love sitting at a café and hearing conversations happening around me. Or walking through a piazza and hearing someone calling to a friend across the street. Listening to phone conversations and the repeated, "Ciao, ciao... okay.. ciao. Ciao!"

Learning Italian has made me appreciate the language even more because there are words and expressions that capture ideas that don't translate perfectly into English.

And then there are the regional accents and dialects, which add an entirely different layer to the language. You can travel a relatively short distance in Italy and suddenly hear people speaking completely differently.

It's part of what makes Italy so fascinating.

Life Happens in the Piazza

If I had to choose one place that represents what I love about Italy, it might be the piazza.

Every Italian town seems to have one, whether it's a grand piazza surrounded by historic buildings or a tiny village square with a church, a bar, and a few benches.

During the day, it might be quiet. Then evening arrives. Tables fill. Children start playing. Older men sit together talking or playing Scopa or Briscola. Teenagers meet up with their friends. Families stroll through after dinner. Toddlers and babies are out and about until late into the night (something you don't see too often in the States).

Nobody seems particularly eager to leave. The piazza is like the town's living room... the heart... the core.

And that's what I love about it. You don't have to buy a ticket or plan anything. You just show up and enjoy.

Some of my favorite nights in Italy have been the simplest ones, sitting outside in a piazza with a drink, watching everyone around me and realizing that absolutely nothing exciting is happening.

Somehow, that's exactly what makes it perfect, and it's something I long for when I return to the U.S.

The Gorgeous Architecture Is Everywhere

Italy has some of the most famous architecture in the world, but honestly, it's often the ordinary buildings that catch my attention.

A crumbling stone wall covered in flowers. A faded wooden door that looks like it has been there for 300 years. Cats lounging on the warm cobblestone in front of a dilapidated home.

A tiny balcony with laundry hanging over the railing. An old church squeezed between houses. A narrow alley that suddenly opens into a beautiful piazza.

Italy doesn't feel polished and perfect everywhere, and I think that's part of its beauty. There are layers of history everywhere you look.

Buildings have been slightly changed, repaired and lived in for generations. Instead of tearing everything down and starting over, so much of Italy's past is simply woven into everyday life.

You don't have to be standing inside the Colosseum to feel Italy's history. Sometimes you just have to look at the building across the street.

Dinner Is Enjoyed, Not Rushed

One thing Italy has taught me is that a meal can take as long as it takes.

Dinner isn't always something you squeeze into your evening before moving on to the next activity. Sometimes dinner is the evening.

You sit. You eat. You talk. Then you talk some more.

Maybe another bottle of water (or wine) arrives. Maybe someone orders coffee. Maybe someone suggests an amaro. I love the lack of urgency.

There's something really nice about sitting around a table without feeling like everyone needs to finish quickly and get somewhere else (like going home to your couch to binge-watch your favorite Netflix show).

The Little Bars and Cafés

One of my favorite parts of being in Italy is stopping at a neighborhood bar. And if you're picturing an American-style bar, that's not what I mean.

An Italian bar is the place where you grab your morning cappuccino and cornetto, stop for an espresso in the afternoon, meet someone for an aperitivo later, or pop in for a quick conversation with someone you know.

Some are sleek and modern. Others look like they haven't changed much in decades. I love both.

There's something wonderfully simple about walking in, ordering an espresso, standing at the counter for a few minutes, and then continuing with your day. And again, you'll find your favorite bar and become friends with the workers there.

It's a tiny ritual, but Italy is full of tiny rituals like this.

There Is Always Something Happening

Especially during the summer, Italian towns seem to come alive at night.

You might hear music coming from the piazza and discover a concert you didn't even know was happening.

There might be a religious procession winding through town. A food festival. Fireworks. A market. A band playing on a stage that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Some of my favorite experiences in Italy haven't been things I carefully researched and added to an itinerary. I simply happened to stumble upon it.

That's one reason I always encourage people traveling through Italy (especially smaller towns) to leave some empty space in their plans.

You never know what you might stumble into.

The Way Generations Mix Together

This is something I notice constantly in Italy.

Life isn't always divided into places for young people, places for families, and places for older people. Everyone is just... there.

You'll see babies sleeping in strollers late in the evening while their parents have dinner. Grandparents are out walking with their families. Teenagers are hanging around the piazza while older couples sit a few tables away.

Different generations share the same spaces. I love seeing that. It makes towns feel alive in a completely different way.

The Beautiful Chaos

Italy isn't perfect.

Trains can be delayed. Things close when you weren't expecting them to. Opening hours can occasionally feel more like suggestions. Parking can become its own adventure. And sometimes the answer to a question seems to depend entirely on which person you ask.

But weirdly, some of that has become part of what I love about Italy too. You learn to loosen your grip on the schedule a little.

You figure it out. You laugh about it later.

Italy has taught me that everything doesn't have to run perfectly for the experience to be wonderful. Sometimes the unexpected parts become the stories you remember most. So my biggest suggestion for enjoying Italy is to just go with the flow.

It's the Way Italy Makes Ordinary Life Feel Special

I think this is ultimately what made me fall in love with Italy.

Italy is obviously filled with extraordinary places. You can stand inside buildings that are thousands of years old, see some of the greatest works of art ever created, and visit landscapes that barely look real.

But eventually, those aren't the moments I think about the most.

I think about sitting in a piazza at night, about hearing church bells through an open window, and walking to get gelato after dinner.

I think about the sound of conversations happening around me, and people stopping to greet someone they know. All the little routines that make up everyday Italian life.

Italy reminds me that life doesn't always have to be about those planned big moments.

Sometimes happiness looks like a warm evening, a busy piazza, nowhere you need to be, and a gelato in your hand.

And maybe that's what I fell in love with most.