My fondness for Italy was a very long time coming. The first few times I went there I was left feeling like it had been a mediocre date. I wasn’t sure I wanted to explore the possibility of an ongoing relationship but I thought there was something about it that I should give it another chance. If it hadn’t been for friends, however, who always seemed to pick Italy as first on their list of places to visit in Europe, I doubt I would have made any effort. That was well over a decade ago and today I love it much more than dislike it – although there are still moments.
A five week trip there in 2009, however, did manage to tip the scales more in its favour. Early that year, a friend of mine presented me with a list of all the World Heritage Sites (WHS) in Italy and stated flat out, “I want to see them all – except the ones in the big cities!” So, the challenge was on. I plotted all the sites on a map and worked out a J -shaped route which started near Rome, went south along the western coast, crossed the Appenines to the eastern side in Puglia, then worked north through Umbria, Tuscany and The Marche to the Italian Lake Region crossing the Appenines several more times. While a few of the WHS sites never did make it onto our itinerary, we succeeded in checking off all but one of the ones we’d planned to visit. The trip did not include Rome, Florence, Venice or Milan but led to the discovery of many less known parts of the country. To list just a few highlights, we learned about the Mille Miglia car race (and got caught up in it for a few hours in Tuscany!), explored two amazing caves in Puglia and The Marche, saw the classic architectural creations of Palladio in Vicenza, stayed in a trullo, and rode the scenic Rhaetian railway through the Italian and Swiss Alps. On other trips to Italy, I’ve explored the Italian Lake region, Venice, Rome, the Italian Riviera and the Cinque Terre and spent lots of time in Tuscany and Umbria. In addition, I was privileged to experience the 2006 Olympics in Turino. The “posts” that follow detail some of my favourite Italian places and experiences from these trips.