I took a 6-day trip to Italy after dreaming of going my whole life. 6 surprises have stayed with me for years.

Growing up with my Italian family in a Manhattan suburb, I always dreamed of visiting Italy.

While eating my grandmother's famous spaghetti dinners and listening to her stories about what it's like to explore the land our family came from, I longed for Italian experiences of my own.

My dream finally came true in October 2022, when I spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan for the first time while backpacking through Europe.

Four years later, I'm still thinking about six highlights that made the long-awaited trip everything I hoped for and more.

I remember taking in the Italian countryside from trains between cities.

I visited Italy during a two-week train trip through Europe. I took an overnight train from Vienna to Venice. Then I traveled by train to Rome and Milan. I spent two days exploring each city.

The passing landscape looked like something straight out of my dreams, with miles of grapevines and rolling hills behind them.

My first stop in Italy was Venice. I'd heard of the ancient city's canals and car-free streets, but I didn't expect to feel like I'd entered a storybook upon arrival.

It didn't matter how many photos I'd seen of the over 1,000-year-old city — standing above the canals dotted with gondolas and lined with vibrant buildings struck me with awe.

After wandering the streets, I took a gondola tour to see the city from a different perspective.

Being in a narrow canal allowed me to see homes up close. Seeing their foundations disappear in the water felt surreal.

For my stay in Venice, I booked an Airbnb stay at Castello di Roncade, a castle and winery just outside the city.