I discovered that the best place on Earth to get lost in a book is Italy.

My family and I ventured to Italy this past summer, and I don’t think I will ever forget all that I experienced. The food transported me to a different universe with authentic yet familiar flavors. The language rolled off the tongues of locals and hit my ears with a burst of curiosity. Even the stars looked different in Italy.

My family and I were able to travel to many cities throughout Italy: Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Minori.

Rome was a blend of breathtaking architecture, and the captivating history behind it. The Italian summer sun was almost unbearable, but the city’s beauty completely made up for it. 

The Amalfi Coast was an absolutely gorgeous sight to see with its crystal blue ocean, colorful vegetation, and refreshing salty breeze.

Capri was crowded with crabby tourists who simply came for photos instead of experiences.

Minori, on the other hand, was complete and utter perfection. 

After being in Rome for four days, we got ourselves an apartment in Minori. The apartment exceeded all of my expectations with a modern yet artsy style. But the balcony—the view from the balcony was heart-stopping.

Looking over the balcony, I gazed at the vibrant sun gleaming over the hills and the buildings that lay upon them. I then glanced at the chair that was perfectly set up for reading for hours at a time, and the table adjacent to that chair, that was perfectly able to hold a freshly made Italian cappuccino. 

Whenever I went out of the apartment to go to the beach that was a two-minute walk away, or to find a restaurant to devour a five-course meal, I thought about that balcony. I thought about how the sun looked shining over the hills from the balcony. I thought about how my Romeo could be waiting for his Juliet on that balcony. But most of all, I thought about reading on that balcony. Every time I stepped out of that apartment to explore the city, I missed the feeling of bathing in the sun with my book open in my lap, and my chocolate gelato melting in a cup on that table beside me. I longed for the approaching evening when I could huddle in that chair and occupy myself with my book while listening to the sound of the local children playing tag or hide and seek beneath that balcony. 

The end of our stay in Minori came all too quickly, and we headed back to Rome. We spent three days there before we went back home to Michigan. 

A part of me sometimes wishes that I didn’t have that balcony and that view and a book to read because it almost felt like I wasted my time in Minori. But then again, I came to Italy with my family to make memories and see the world, and I did just that with a book in my hand. 

To this day, I will never forget that Italian chair on that Italian balcony which had the most beautiful view of Italy, that begged me to sit and read for hours on end.