What Italy Reminded Me About Living Well

There’s something about Italy that keeps drawing me back.

I first visited in 2011 with a couple of friends. At the time, I was living and teaching in Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution. School had been called off for nearly a month, and we suddenly found ourselves wondering what to do with all of this unexpected time. We searched for the cheapest direct flight we could find and landed on Rome. I fell in love with Italy almost immediately.

Then, two winters ago, my husband and I returned. It was his first visit, and after nearly a decade away, it was wonderful to experience the country again through fresh eyes. This time we explored Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, and Milan. I was fascinated by how different each region felt - not only in its history and architecture, but in its food, traditions, and pace of life.

This summer, we planned yet another trip, this time to Sicily, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast. These had always been places I wanted to visit, and I intentionally waited until I could experience them during the warmth of summer.

Every trip has been completely different.

Yet somehow, I always leave Italy carrying home the same reminders.

They’re rarely about the monuments or famous landmarks. Instead, Italy reminds me to slow down, pay attention, and enjoy the ordinary moments that make up everyday life. It isn't a perfect country, but it always reminds me of the kind of life I want to live.

Slow Down and Enjoy the Little Things

If there’s one thing Italy does exceptionally well, it’s refusing to rush.

Enjoying an aperitivo (Hugo Spritz) at the beach in Positano.

Outside of bustling cities like Milan, life seems to unfold at a gentler pace. People linger over lunch with colleagues, laugh over long dinners with friends, and don't seem to measure every moment by productivity.

As an American, I sometimes feel like we're conditioned to eat lunch at our desks or squeeze meals into the smallest possible window between meetings.

Italy reminds me that meals deserve our full attention.

Lunch isn't simply fuel for the afternoon. It's a chance to connect, relax, and enjoy the people you're with. A leisurely lunch might end with an espresso, a conversation that stretches longer than expected, or simply sitting for a few extra minutes because no one feels the need to rush away.

One of my favorite parts of every day quickly became ordering an espresso after lunch. I joked that I wanted my school to install an espresso machine so I could continue the tradition once summer ended.

I also found myself enjoying Italy's daily rhythm. Breakfast was wonderfully simple - a cappuccino and a cornetto (pastry) at a neighborhood café. Lunch happened around one o'clock. Dinner often wasn't until eight or nine in the evening.

Then came aperitivo.

Between five and seven, cafés and bars filled with people meeting after work to enjoy a spritz, chat with friends, and unwind before dinner. What I loved most wasn't the drinks (although I happily sampled plenty of different spritzes), but the ritual itself. It created a natural pause in the day, a reminder that life doesn't always have to move from one obligation straight to the next.

Meals Are an Experience, Not a Task

One thing I noticed throughout Italy was that eating was never treated as something to get through quickly.

Meals lasted.

People ordered multiple courses, lingered over conversations, and rarely seemed to check the time. Restaurants buzzed with laughter long after plates had been cleared. People didn’t seem to check their phones very much.

It made me realize how often I eat simply because it's time to eat, or eat in front of the television, rather than because I want to enjoy the experience.

In Italy, the meal is the experience.

It's where relationships happen.

It's where stories are shared.

It's where people slow down enough to actually enjoy each other's company.

Walk More

One of my favorite Italian words is passeggiare.

It simply means "to take a walk" or "to stroll."

After dinner, entire towns seem to come alive as families, couples, and friends head outside for an evening walk. There’s no destination. No step count to hit. No workout to complete.

People simply walk.

I loved wandering through cobblestone streets after dinner, watching children play in piazzas while older generations sat chatting on benches.

One evening in Naples, I watched someone stop their motorbike in the middle of the street because they spotted a friend walking by. They exchanged greetings, two kisses on the cheek, laughed together for a few minutes, and then continued on their way.

No one seemed bothered by the delay.

It wasn't unusual to see conversations begin in the middle of the street simply because two friends happened to cross paths.

That small interaction somehow captured everything I loved about Italy.

After dinners that almost always included tiramisu (obviously), my husband and I would slowly make our way back to our Airbnb and climb the two hundred stairs waiting for us in the Amalfi Coast.

It wasn't always easy after a big meal.

But somehow, it felt like exactly what we were supposed to be doing.

Public Spaces Bring People Together

One thing I've noticed throughout Italy is how much life happens outside.

People gather in piazzas, sit on benches, chat in parks, and spend evenings wandering through town centers.

Public spaces feel like extensions of people's living rooms.

Even during the hottest part of the summer, people still gathered outside.

Watching this made me realize how much of modern life often happens indoors. At home, it's easy to move from house to car to work to grocery store without ever really sharing public space with other people.

Italy reminded me that simply being around other people, even strangers, creates a sense of community.

I also loved seeing how connected many families seemed to be. It wasn't uncommon to see someone sitting on a bench FaceTiming a relative or catching up with family while enjoying an evening outside.

There was something beautifully ordinary about it.

Café Culture

Italy also reminded me that coffee doesn't always have to be rushed.

One of my favorite morning rituals became stopping at a neighborhood café for a cappuccino and pastry before beginning the day.

Locals would often order an espresso and drink it standing at the counter before heading off to work.

The entire process took only a few minutes, yet somehow never felt hurried.

If you sit at a table in many cafés, you'll often pay a service charge. But standing at the counter alongside locals became one of my favorite parts of each morning.

Later in the day, cafés spilled out onto sidewalks and piazzas. People lingered over espresso, wine, or an afternoon drink while conversations drifted through the streets.

It reminded me that cafés aren't simply places to buy coffee.

They're places to spend time.

People sitting outside of a wine bar in Trapani, Sicily.

Take the Time to Connect

Before this trip, I spent almost a year learning Italian on Duolingo.

I'm far from fluent, but I always think making an effort to learn even a few words of the local language makes traveling more rewarding.

A simple buongiorno, grazie, or arrivederci often opens the door to small conversations that become some of my favorite travel memories.

One evening in Taormina, Sicily, my friend ordered spaghetti bolognese. While this is a delicious pasta, it’s more known in the city of Bologna, not Sicily.

Our server looked genuinely horrified.

"Bolognese?!" he laughed. "In Sicily? Why would you do this to me?"

The entire table burst into laughter while he continued playfully teasing my friend throughout dinner.

It's such a tiny interaction.

But those are exactly the moments I remember long after I've forgotten which museum I visited that afternoon.

La Dolce Vita

One of my favorite Italian phrases is la dolce vita - "the sweet life."

I don't think it means living extravagantly.

I think it means giving yourself permission to enjoy life while you're living it.

Enjoy the pasta.

Order dessert.

Have the glass of wine.

People sitting outside living la dolce vita.

Take the walk after dinner.

Meet a friend for coffee instead of eating lunch at your desk.

Sit in the piazza for ten extra minutes.

One of the biggest things Italy reminds me is that joy doesn't always have to be earned.

Sometimes it can simply be part of an ordinary Tuesday.

Final Thoughts

Every time I leave Italy, I find myself wanting to bring a little of that mindset home with me.

Not necessarily the pasta or the wine (although those are certainly tempting), but the reminder that life doesn't always need to be rushed.

Maybe that's why I keep returning.

Not because I've run out of places to visit, but because every time I leave, Italy reminds me how I want to live.

Until next time - keep saying yes to the adventure.