It was just like the pictures of the old Italian movies that I used to watch with my parents when I was little. You could expect Adriano Celentano to pop up from behind a building or just see him riding a scooter on a narrow street. You’d expect to see beautiful women with colourful scarves covering their hair and wearing wavy skirts rushing down with a shopping basket on their arm. I am of course talking about the very small bit of Italy that I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to see during a four day trip. It was like walking in a dream. After 3 days spent in Riva di Solto, Lovere and Fonteno, by Lago d’Iseo, I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a more beautiful place in my life. This might have been influenced by the experience of it all, the waking up high above a lake with the mountains on the horizon, the cozy breakfast and amazing coffee, the people I got to see again and the ones I got to meet for the first time.

Growing up in a house where Italian music was a constant presence it was obvious that I had the perfect soundtrack to my trip. And pretty much every corner reminded me of a different sound and vibe but I had the song below permanently on the back of my mind.

And then there was the part of communicating. It is amazing how people can just understand each other without using many words. It was also incredible that I could understand a bit of Italian but  it was frustrating that I couldn’t answer using the same language.

As bewildered as I was by the beautiful Italian countryside, I had to leave it behind, say goodbye to dear people and head towards the city. This time it was Milano. And this is where I say that I wasn’t too impressed. Il Duomo is beautiful, I couldn’t understand why people were more fascinated by taking selfies in the shopping galleria rather than in front of the church, La Scala is impressive and the cat colony by Sforza Castle gave my visit a purpose. The gelato is delicious and so is the food, especially when friends tip you on where to go dining, the cozy narrow streets have their own charm but I wasn’t swept off my feet. That might have also been because I was very tired and missed a lot of activities because on my only night in Milano I fell asleep quite early. However, I was advised to visit Bergamo so on my way to the airport I stopped by and just walked its cosy streets for a few hours, rode the funicular and enjoyed the view from above. Still, my thoughts went back to the resort by the lake, the hot and humid weather, the thunderstorms and the mountains.