A cheeky Aperol Spritz and carbonara pasta on a terrace overlooking that imposing Duomo, the winding cobbled lanes and beautiful pastel buildings that look like a movie set, and that glittery, azure ...

Italy had always existed in my imagination as a three-city loop: Rome for pasta, Florence for steak, Venice for atmosphere. That was the plan, neat and predictable, right up until the numbers made me ...