I’ve been filming in Italy on and off for years, Venice, Milan, and this spring the Versilia coast. Individual sights fade. Moments don’t. These are the seven that would each justify the airfare on their own.
1. Venice Before 7am
The only time the city belongs to itself. Empty bridges, delivery boats, mist on the lagoon. I wrote about Venice years ago and this remains the single best hour in the country.
2. The Duomo Terraces at Opening
Standing among Milan’s marble spires with the streets barely awake below. Book the first slot; the difference between 9am and noon is the difference between a film set and a queue.
3. Seeing the Carrara Quarries From the Coast
From the beach at Forte dei Marmi, the Apuan Alps look snow-capped in May. It’s marble, entire mountains of it, carved for two thousand years. Once you know, you can’t unsee it.
4. Aperitivo Done Properly
Not a drink, a ritual. Golden hour, a spritz, small plates arriving unasked. The Navigli in Milan does it loudly; a beach club in Versilia does it barefoot. Both are correct.
5. An Italian Train Window
The Frecciarossa at 300 km/h past vineyards and hill towns. Italy is one of the few countries where the transit is legitimately part of the sightseeing.
6. A Beach Club Morning in Versilia
Rows of umbrellas in perfect formation, espresso at a bar counter, the Mediterranean doing very little, beautifully. The discipline of Italian beach culture is a spectacle in itself.
7. The Last Light on Any Piazza
Pick any town. At sunset the stone goes amber, the swifts come out, and every terrace fills. Italy’s real luxury is that this happens everywhere, every evening, for free.
Next on my Italian list: the quarry roads above Carrara, properly, with permits. Some mountains deserve a dedicated trip.
