I took a 6-day trip to Italy after dreaming of going my whole life. 6 surprises have stayed with me for years.

Sep 11, 2026 11:29 PM - 3 days ago 6

Boats parked successful a canal betwixt rows of buildings successful Venice, Italy

Growing up pinch my Italian family successful a Manhattan suburb, I ever dreamed of visiting Italy.

While eating my grandmother's celebrated spaghetti dinners and listening to her stories astir what it's for illustration to research the onshore our family came from, I longed for Italian experiences of my own.

My dream yet came existent successful October 2022, erstwhile I spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan for the first clip while backpacking done Europe.

Four years later, I'm still reasoning astir six highlights that made the long-awaited travel everything I hoped for and more.

I retrieve taking successful the Italian countryside from trains betwixt cities.

Business-class seating connected a train from Venice to Rome.

I visited Italy during a two-week train travel done Europe. I took an overnight train from Vienna to Venice. Then I traveled by train to Rome and Milan. I spent 2 days exploring each city.

The passing scenery looked for illustration thing consecutive retired of my dreams, pinch miles of grapevines and rolling hills down them.

I'll ne'er hide the infinitesimal I saw Venice myself for the first time.

My first extremity successful Italy was Venice. I'd heard of the ancient city's canals and car-free streets, but I didn't expect to consciousness for illustration I'd entered a storybook upon arrival.

It didn't matter really galore photos I'd seen of the complete 1,000-year-old metropolis — opinionated supra the canals dotted pinch gondolas and lined pinch vibrant buildings struck maine pinch awe.

After wandering the streets, I took a gondola circuit to spot the metropolis from a different perspective.

Being successful a constrictive canal allowed maine to spot homes up close. Seeing their foundations vanish successful the h2o felt surreal.

I was amazed to find I could book a enactment successful a castle.

The grounds of Castello de Roncade extracurricular of Venice, Italy.

For my enactment successful Venice, I booked an Airbnb enactment astatine Castello di Roncade, a castle and winery conscionable extracurricular the city.

While wandering the castle's stunning grounds, I was entranced by perfectly placed plants, complete 100-year-old trees, and weathered sculptures of Venetian soldiers.

From Venice, I traveled to Rome, wherever I stayed successful the astir different accommodation of my life — a livable creation sculpture I recovered connected Airbnb.

The writer stands connected a colorful patio successful beforehand of the sculpture home

My big told maine he built the livable sculpture connected the tile of his villa from recycled materials specified arsenic car windows, scrap wood, and surgery tile.

Before booking this Airbnb, I'd ne'er heard of a sculpture home. It felt for illustration sleeping successful a elephantine creation installation, pinch quirky creation elements successful each corner.

I'll ne'er hide really astonishing it felt to aftermath up wrong this Airbnb pinch sunlight pouring successful acknowledgment to each the windows. I wish I could commencement each time for illustration that.

A fewer minutes later, I spotted different creator sculpting dogs from sand.

A creator sculpts dogs from soil connected the streets of Rome.

I thought this was a unsocial creator mean and recovered it fascinating to watch.

The past extremity of my travel was Milan. During an aimless locomotion astir the city, I was shocked erstwhile I recovered myself successful beforehand of a monolithic ceramic castle.

The entranceway gates of Castello Sforzesco successful Milan.

It was Castello Sforzesco, a 15th-century castle built by Francesco Sforza, a duke of Milan who founded the Sforza dynasty, according to Britannica.

I thought the castle looked for illustration it came consecutive retired of a fairy tale.

And since I wasn't expecting to find it successful municipality Milan, my chance brushwood made for a typical memory.

I don't deliberation I'll ever hide my first travel to Italy acknowledgment to these unsocial surprises.

A composite image of the writer opinionated and taking a photograph connected a cobblestone thoroughfare successful Rome

And I can't hold to spell back.

Joey Hadden is simply a recreation newsman and photojournalist astatine Business Insider based successful NYC. She covers proscription modes, replacement lifestyles, and luxury travel. Many of Joey's stories are ocular features that springiness readers a front-row spot to her individual experiences astatine location and astir the world.Joey graduated from St. Edward's University successful May 2019 pinch a BA successful Photocommunications. Since joining Business Insider successful 2019, Joey has traveled by train successful 7 different countries, including overnight rides lasting up to 53 hours. She's ridden connected galore different train lines, including Amtrak, Via Rail, Nightjet, and the iconic Orient Express of the 21st century, among others. During her travels, she's slept successful countless accommodations — five-star hotels, unique mini homes, and backstage train cabins, to sanction a few.When walking successful North America, Joey takes readers wrong the continent's wealthiest enclaves wherever billionaires hide away, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to Medina, Washington. When she's not taking trains, notes, aliases pictures, Joey spends her clip singing and playing drums for the indie-rock set Blanket Approval.