All stories

Italy

Where beauty isn’t a luxury — it’s simply how the day is done.

The cultural soul of Italy

Why Italy stays with you

Italy makes an art of ordinary things: the morning espresso taken standing at the bar, the evening passeggiata through the piazza, the long lunch nobody is in a hurry to end. La dolce vita isn’t a slogan here — it’s a schedule.

Each region guards its own character — Tuscan hills and Venetian canals, Sicilian markets and Alpine valleys, a hundred dialects and a thousand pasta shapes, each with a town that swears theirs is the only correct one.

Come for the Colosseum and the Uffizi, but let the real Italy reach you at the table, where every meal is an argument worth losing.

Meet a local legend

The stories of Italy

Folklore

La Befana

The kindly old witch of Epiphany night.

Older than Santa in Italy, she flies in on a broomstick on the eve of Epiphany, filling children’s stockings with sweets — or, for the naughty, a lump of coal.

Give freely, even while searching for something you never found.

Two more characters and their full stories unlock when you design your trip.

Good to know

A few things you might not know about Italy

  • Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other country.

  • Around €1.5 million is tossed into Rome’s Trevi Fountain each year — and collected for charity.

  • Two countries sit entirely inside Italy: San Marino and Vatican City.

  • There are more than 350 recognised pasta shapes — each with its own “correct” sauce.

Best time to visit
May–Jun · Sep–Oct
Language
Italian
Currency
EUR
From Australia
~22h flight

Good-to-know details like seasons, prices, currency, visas and safety can change and may vary by traveller — always check official sources before you book or travel.

Unlock Italy

This is the doorway. The full story is just inside.

The complete guide to Italy — its three characters and their stories, stays matched to how you travel, and trip ideas built around what moves you — unlocks when you join the waitlist and design your trip in the Mood Book.

  • The full cast of characters and their stories
  • Personalised stays, matched to your travel tribe
  • Trip ideas shaped by the photos and moods you love