The Five Loves of Italy: Italian Travel Review & Mindfulness Reflection
La vita è bella, Life is beautiful.
Life really is a beautiful thing. Our family just returned from a vacation in Italy. The magic of Italy is seen in the entire ambiance - from the flavors of the food, the aromas of the wine, the beauty of the architecture, the smiles of the locals, and the picturesque landscapes that dot the countryside. There is so much to love, that it is difficult to describe. If you have never been to Italy, take this as a sign to go; and if you have been perhaps this will jog your memory of an amazing place where life really is beautiful and your sign to return.
I haven’t been to Italy in nearly fifteen years. This trip like the others before it, I came away enthralled with Italy, even more in love in 2024 than years ago. This is a love story where each passing trip entices me more into the love of all that is Italy and perhaps in future years I will be there more than just a week or two.
Cinque Amori or the Five Loves of Italy
If I had to condense my love of and for Italy into five areas - it would be beauty, faith, wine, food, and family. These loves are so closely intertwined that you really cannot separate them; and they are uniquely enmeshed into the fabric of day to day living and the culture of all that is Italy. My hope is that they will provide a glimpse into our trip (including some of the places we adored and would recommend) while also reminding you to look for the beauty that surrounds you daily in your everyday life.
Beauty or Bella
Pictures of Tuscany, St. Peter’s Basilica or the Duomo in Florence honestly do not do justice to the beauty of Italy. We visited Florence, Rome and a sprinkling of small towns between the two. The sunflowers of Tuscany and Umbria are indescribable, field after field of yellow and then even more than you imagined. Bees, the pollinators, need sunflowers after all to keep the vineyards healthy. From the ancient cities or layers of Rome to the more modern fashion windows, the old and new are intricately woven into what is Italy today.
Faith and God or Fede e Dio
As in many countries, the historical importance of faith and religion are at the center of life. The city squares are built around cathedrals surrounded by shops and smaller churches and residential living.
Florence especially is pedestrian friendly whether you are visiting the Duomo or a private family chapel. No trip to Italy is complete without climbing the steps to the top of the Duomo in Florence (not for the faint of heart) and thankfully, we departed for our trek towards the skies at 6:30am.
You could spend weeks in Vatican City in Rome, whether to see the hand painted maps of the world (all from the perspective of looking out from Roma), or the centuries of art that has been accumulated. I think the coolest job in the world would be to work in the archives of the Vatican! (The stories the walls could tell). The sculpture, the frescos, the reliefs, the architecture of altars, chapels, ceilings, and floors all tell a story if you take the time to stroll through centuries and centuries of a life centered on faith and God.
Wine or Vino
It is true what they say about old world wines, there really is no comparison. When you see wine as art, and winemakers as artists, it is beautiful.
To smell the aromas, meet the winemakers, see how their vision comes to light – whether it is a small family owned vineyard that has been making wine for centuries (not for distribution) or a larger wine house that has made a mark in the global market, it is art in a glass. To sit, sip, swirl and hear the stories of how a wine was made or perhaps the years a vineyard has produced (and to taste the different vintages), all tell a story.
Winemakers near and far want to gather with you and tell their stories. It is actually the gathering and the stories shared over food and wine that make wine a beautiful thing!
Florence is known for wine doors: these little doors at street level that merchants and home owners could share their family wines without having to pay a tax to the Medicis or the ruling family. These doors still exist and all it takes is a knock - and your wine is produced through a door in the wall. Magic at best!
We also embarked upon a sommelier led tour of Florence where we got to sample wine and food pairings that best describe the flavors of the region. And lastly, we visited two very different wine makers: Antinori (26 generations of wine makers who make lovely chianti on a LARGE scale) and Argiano (a villa in Montalcino, where the pace is slow, the wine adored, and an intimate illustration of art and named the best 2023 wine of the year by Wine Spectator). It is true that wine, whether it is a table wine or a wine that has been aged properly, tastes better in Italy. Afterall, the country likely has over two thousand indigenous varietals of which four hundred or so are in production (and no, many are not found in the United States).
Book Your Own Winery Experience Here:
https://curiousappetitetravel.com/
Food or Cibo
With wine, must come food—or perhaps, it’s with food that wine must follow. Regardless, food is also a culinary art all over the country. To say I had the best meal of my life is a true statement. We ate, ate, and ate some more. From the breakfast buffet to a pastry before lunch, to a large family-style lunch, perhaps followed by charcuterie, and then of course, an amazing culinary dinner around the table with family.
The first thing we noticed upon arrival, seriously, were the colors and flavors of the food! It was fresh, vibrant, and tasted like it was straight out of the garden. Every meal was this way (which is why I’m ready to move to Italy)! If a meal wasn’t our favorite, it wasn’t because the food wasn’t delicious or that the plates weren’t prepared as art. Honestly, it was because our family was tired from the day’s activities, and at some point, you just can’t eat all day long (well, you can, but it catches up to you).
My second favorite meal was at Osteria Pane e Vino in Fontechiari, a small town about 90 minutes outside of Rome. No one in the restaurant spoke English, and our server was the menu. You eat whatever they put on the table. Let me tell you, this was a three-hour family lunch where we laughed, ate, took pictures, ate, laughed some more, ate, toasted with table wine, and still had three more courses! It was our last meal in Italy, and we savored every bite, toasting the hands that prepared such a fresh and gorgeous meal.
But hands down, our entire family loved a small osteria in Florence’s city center called Vini e Vecchi Sapori (Wines and Old Flavors) the most. This tiny restaurant can seat approximately 20 people, the menu is handwritten and copied onto pink paper every night, both in English and Italian. We had a table right in the heart of the action, between the kitchen and the antipasti prep station. We saw every dish prepared with love, and the family that runs the restaurant engaged jovially with all the diners. It felt like being part of a large family, watching art produced right in front of us.
From the Florentine bistecca, paté, paccheri with zucchini flowers, and veal chop, to the biscuits with sweet wine, we ate it all. Our family shared everything so we could try almost every dish they served that night. They didn’t rush us—they let us laugh, eat, jive to the music of George Michael blaring in the restaurant, and drink wine with them. It was hands down the best meal I’ve ever had in my life; I literally cried as we savored every dish.
Perhaps it was the people, the flavors, our family, or the family that owned the restaurant, but it all combined to create one of the most special evenings of my life. I can assure you, the next night we wanted to return to Vini e Vecchi Sapori (but it takes over a month to get a reservation- so plan ahead of time if you’re adding this to your itinerary). Reflecting on that evening, even now as I look back at the menu (and my mouth is watering), I’m reminded how special meals create lasting memories.
Restaurant Links:
Family or Famiglia
I initially had some anxiety given that six of us would be together traveling through Italy for nearly two weeks. Our family had the most amazing time. Sometimes we would be in groups of two, other times all six of us were together. We all have distinct memories of meals and experiences (and six versions of pictures to share over the generations).
In my previous trips to Italy I traveled solo or with one other person, this trip was vastly different. On this trip, meals were longer, we told stories, many locals would stop and visit with us, and at times one of us would wander off to look at a new wine, find gelato, or just to witness the beauty of Italy.
After our meal at Vini e Vecchi Sapori, we were stuffed! We chose to wander through Florence’s city center and happened upon a young woman playing violin on the steps of a local church. It was beautiful. People gathered in silence to enjoy her gift.
No family trip is complete (at least in our family) without golf. We played Marco Simone (home of the most previous Ryder Cup). Golf is a leisure sport in Italy and not nearly as popular as the states. We marveled at the landscape and got to take in the beauty and challenge of this unique course.
And our last full day in Italy we traveled to a small town, Fontechiari, about ninety minutes outside of Rome. This town is where my husband and his twin sister’s family are from. Fontechiari has very few people in the city center, high in the hills above the agricultural regions below. We got to meet one of the cousins who was visiting his mother, we savored a local frozen coffee delicacy and explored the church and city center with many names and stories we recognized. To walk through the cemetery was like taking a walk back in time. We explored and imagined and shared family memories as we all took in the small family chapels that dotted the cemetery.
Our cousin suggested a lunch place, Osteria Pane e Vino, which as it turned out was our last full meal together in Italy; only fitting. Our lunch was a three hour family meal that celebrated each other, the love of family, the love we have for Italy, and memories we shared. While we had plans to share a special dinner in Rome that evening, we were all stuffed and it seemed most special to savor the moments in a town that has family significance for all of us.
Fontechiari did not disappoint and I believe inspired us to not only trace more of our family history but to definitely return in the not so distant future. We all feel a connection to Italy: its people, its culture, and most especially its family.
Finding Joy in the Little Things: Your Lesson for Everyday Life
As I reflect back on our summer holiday to Italy and share my five loves of Italy with you, it occurs to me that we each can find loves in our own lives. It reminds me to consider beauty, faith, wine, food, and family in our day to day life.
So whether you are just walking in your neighborhood, sharing a glass of wine with friends, or a Tuesday meal with your family; take time to stop and savor and celebrate the small beauties of this one and only life. As Marcel Proust reminds us, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
