La Dolce Vita

With roughly 50 million visitors per year, Italy is one of the top 5 travel destinations in the world. It is also the smallest of the top 5: France and Spain are about twice the size of Italy, the US and China are over 32 times bigger. Several factors make such a small country so popular: incomparable artistic and historic treasures, over 50 World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, friendly people, culinary delights, top design and fashion, diverse scenery ranging from quaint villages in the Alps to dramatic Mediterranean towns and volcanic craters, and, last but not least, its laidback vibe. In summer, there is no better place to be in Italy than by the water. With its extensive Mediterranean coast, options abound and, this time, I ended up splitting the trip between the Riviera di Levante (Coast of the Sunrise) and the Lakes.

The Riviera di Levante starts to the east of Genoa and goes past the lovely Cinque Terre to Lerici near Tuscany. This stretch of coast once lived off fishing but is now extremely popular, home to some of Italy’s top resorts, with Portofino a jet-set favorite. Yes, there will be traffic jams and busloads of tourists but it is impossible not to fall in love with the colorful picturesque villages where buildings’ façades have embellishments painted on them, most so well made that they look real. It is sophisticated, a testament to centuries of devotion to fine arts and it is inspiring to see how well Italians incorporate art into their daily lives be it in the design of everyday objects (not exactly an everyday item, but just look at a Ferrari…) or in their stylish clothes. To best enjoy this coast, go during the week and stay overnight (Camogli was my favorite).

The Italian Lakes are also very popular, not only for the sight of lakes surrounded by mountains but also for the numerous outdoor activities such as swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, rock-climbing, mountain biking, trekking, golfing among others. But perhaps the lakes are better known for the splendid villas that dot their shores. Lake Como, in particular, has attracted the wealthy for ages and you can just picture the 1% crossing their expansive villa gardens, climbing down a few steps and hopping into a yacht for yet another day of leisure. Several villas are open for visitation so you can dream of being a 1%, even if just for a little while.

But what always strikes me most when I go to Italy is how Italians have mastered the art of enjoying life. They never seem to be in a rush, take a 2-hour lunch, go for a passeggiata in the evening, stopping for a gelato or coffee along the way. And they always find time to chat. This is all part of the Italian way of life and it even sneaks into Lugano in the Italian region of clockwork Switzerland where, gasp, there was a traffic jam when we arrived. Italy has a rhythm all its own, things seem to move slower and that is not a bad thing. After all, life is not to be taken in a rush.