The very first time I arrived in Italy, I was armed with exactly two Italian words. Ciao. And pizza (I was only in my early 20’s, so I think all can be forgiven). And while both of those did a reasonable job, what happened when I actually started trying to speak the language, even a little bit, was something I honestly didn't expect.

Italy doesn’t have to mean packed streets, endless queues and overwhelming cities. Here are some quieter Italian destinations for travellers who prefer space, slower days and places beyond the usual tourist trail.

There is a specific kind of ache that hits you on the journey home from Italy. Not sadness exactly. More like an awareness (nope, actually it’s 100% sadness 🥲). You've spent days eating food that tastes as if it came from the ground it was grown in, sitting at tables where no one is in a hurry, drinking wine in the afternoon like it's perfectly reasonable. 

I still remember the moment I pulled out of the airport car park in Pisa. It was a tiny blue Fiat Cinquecento, and it was 10 pm. Every single sign seemed to be pointing somewhere I didn’t recognise, and I had to join the main autostrada without causing mayhem. My hands were on the wheel, my maps were loaded, and I thought: what on earth am I doing?