At the time of this posting, I am in Italy on a vacation I’ve been thinking about for years. So of course, I’ve been thinking about Jenna Evans Welch’s Love & Gelato, which says that people come to Italy for love and gelato. And while that may be true (I mean, gelato is a huge reason I’m going), there are so many other reasons to go to Italy!

Pasta

I could eat pasta for every meal. In fact, I’m probably eating it while you’re reading this. In Master of None, Asiz Ansari MOVES TO ITALY because he loves pasta so much and wants to learn to make it. I can definitely see that.

Cheese

I already love mozzarella, ricotta, asiago, gorgonzola, taleggio… I could go on. Imagine how much more delicious they’ll be in their country of origin. Plus, I’ll learn how to say all of it with an Italian accent like Giada.

Coffee

Coffee, well espresso, is a fundamental part of Italian culture, so much so that “Prendiamo un caffè” (“Let’s have a coffee”) is a standard Italian greeting.

Art

This is where all the Ninja Turtles Renaissance artists got their start: Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci. Seriously though, Italy is an art lover’s dream. From the Sistine Chapel to David to the Birth of Venus, it’s the home of some of the most famous, breathtaking, and influential art of all time.

The Vatican

Technically, The Vatican is its own country, but it’s definitely a reason to visit Italy. Millions of people make a pilgrimage to Rome every year to catch a glimpse of the Pope (and as popes go, Francis is the coolest one yet). The Vatican also houses incredible museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel (ever heard of it?).

Scenery

Mountains, the sea, wineries, countryside, a CITY OF CANALS?… the place is BEAUTIFUL. Check it.

Monuments and History

The Colosseum. The Pantheon. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Duomo. The Trevi Fountain (which I was first introduced to in the Lizzie McGuire movie, NBD). These are the places where gladiators fought and Augustus Caesar ruled. There is so much to learn about the people who were here before me, from the ancient civilization to the Renaissance to Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.

Books

Of course, Love & Gelato does make us want to travel through Tuscany. And Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins, a timeliness love story set in part in Cinque Terre, is the main reason I added those seaside villages to my itinerary. Not to mention Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, the coming-of-age stories set in Naples. And when I’m in Florence, I can’t wait to crack open Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee.

So…have I convinced you to visit yet?