Buongiorno!

We only ended up sacrificing a few small, replaceable toiletry items—but we also kind of cheated. On the way here, we brought carry-ons to avoid lost luggage. Today, we checked them instead. We each also had an extra shoulder bag in addition to our backpacks—one foldable from home and the other a super cute Rome souvenir bag. Not exactly comfortable to carry without wheels, but we made it work and got everything home.

Today is International Workers’ Day in Italy, and our taxi driver—taking us to the airport—told us we were his last ride before heading home to do absolutely nothing all day. Which, honestly, seems to be the national agenda.

We left the apartment just after 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. flight since American Airlines recommended arriving 3.5+ hours early. It turned out to be a great call because taxis, trains, and buses all run on reduced service today. And in Rome, taxis can already be hard to find.

On our third night, we had to rearrange dinner plans because there were no taxis available. Yesterday at Piazza del Popolo, they were scarce again—I had to order one through the app. The first driver canceled, and it took several minutes to find another. When that one arrived, someone else tried to steal it.

So yes… leaving early today was the right move.

Everything felt quieter this morning. Most places were shut down, and people were just out relaxing—like the entire country collectively decided to pause. It’s kind of funny, but also very fitting for Italy.

We arrived at the airport just before 7 a.m. and, for the first time ever, got our VAT refund. Also for the first time ever… we spent enough for it to matter. We’ve received the forms before but never followed through. Growth.

Passport control was interesting. They’ve gone mostly automated, which somehow made it slower. A few human agents stood behind “closed” windows, waving through anyone who hit an error. I kind of wanted a departure stamp, but I suppose I’ll survive.

With all the extra time, we finally got to hang out in an airport lounge. Wild, considering we’ve never even used Delta’s lounge despite being (mostly) loyal customers with the credit card and everything.

The rest of the day was your standard travel day, with a few highlights: a fussy passenger behind me loudly complaining about an unknown liquid on his seat while announcing he’s a “4-million miler,” and our second flight being delayed an hour. Thankfully, since it was our final leg and nothing was riding on it, we didn’t mind.

And now… some final thoughts on Italy.

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Italy Takeaways

As busy and chaotic as things can feel, there’s always an unspoken order everyone seems to follow. On escalators, for example: stand on the right, walk on the left. Lines are respected, and if someone cuts you, they are almost certainly not Italian.

Most people already knew this about Italians…. Work-life balance is real here. Time off is important.

You can’t always rely on taxis—sometimes there simply aren’t any.

Interestingly, Milan—despite being the wealthiest city we visited—seemed to have the highest visible homeless population (just our observation, not official data).

Elevators are tiny. Likely because most buildings are older and the elevators were added much later.

The most common word we heard? Prego. It can mean “you’re welcome,” “go ahead,” “come in,” or “how can I help?”—which perfectly reflects the overall hospitality here. So many people work in service roles, and it shows. Some of the kindest, happiest restaurant staff and hotel workers we’ve met were here. And if you know even a little Italian, you get bonus points. Only twice did anyone suggest we switch to English—and both times it was lighthearted and with a smile.

I also discovered lemon soda. If this has been around in the U.S., forgive me—I’m not much of a soda drinker. It’s basically carbonated lemonade with way less sugar than Sprite.

In most tourist areas, the background music was covers of American songs. And somehow, Michael Jackson is still everywhere.

My hair and nails grew noticeably faster—I can tell just from my roots.

Somehow, the air in Italy just felt… lighter. Cleaner. Clearer. Especially outside of Rome. I can’t explain it, but it’s like my lungs were suddenly working in high definition. According to our iPhones, we climbed 28 flights of stairs in Positano… and for some reason, that feels like something my body would simply refuse to do in the States.

The food? Incredible. Simple, clean ingredients. We came across organic gelato shops constantly. Handmade pasta, bread with actual fiber… we didn’t hold back, and somehow never felt that gross, overstuffed feeling.

We averaged about 17,000 steps per day on this trip. Slightly less than our last one, but this trip was longer and more spread out.

Italy will always have a special place in our hearts. The beauty, the history, the food—and for me, the nostalgia.

Matt has already told me not to wait another 16 years before coming back.

Deal.