It’s no lie that Italy has to be up there as one of our favourite countries. We’ve spent so much time there and loved every minute.

These are our top 5 things that make Italy so special to us.

#1 The narrow streets

Ha, we have so many hilarious stories about the narrow streets.

Imagine cobblestone streets dividing beautiful architecture and houses, it is just beautiful. Now, the reason why we have to laugh is we have been in a few sticky situations where we have hired a car in Italy, one particular moment comes to mind when we drove around Lake Como up windy and narrow roads to get to one of the lookouts. We had to place full trust in Google Maps as Jenna was convinced we weren’t driving in actual streets given our car (which was a small hatchback) was about an inch away from the buildings on either side of the vehicle. Well, to cut a long story short, it was a street – a two-way street and when navigating the back streets one must be prepared to reverse all the way back down to let someone pass! First in, best dressed!

#2 Italian Vespas

You’re not really in Italy until you’ve seen a Vespa parked on the street outside some beautiful old building. *insert image here* We definitely have a number of photos of Vespas park outside these buildings, but for the life of me, I just can’t seem to find one at the moment!

#3 Villages built on cliff faces

Well, this is true Italy. Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast where villages are built on cliff faces must be some of the most photographed areas in Italy, with good reason.

This again, takes me back to our first point- have you driven along these coastal winding roads? We have and it was an experience!

#4 Why hurry?

Have you ever noticed that nearly no one in Italy is in a hurry? Isn’t it nice for a change to be relaxed and at ease? What’s the point in stressing!

#5 Coffee (aka Espresso)

When we very first visited Italy, I drank cappuccinos so I struggled with the Italian coffee. However, times changed and I realised the best way to drink coffee is in the form of an Espresso. So when we visited Italy on and off for two years, I was very impressed with how they make their coffee – strong!

What do you love most about visiting Italy? Let us know in the comments below.

“Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop