In Italy, even getting lost is a good idea.

I had planned to stay just one week, with a rail pass and a list of thirty things to see. By the end of my first day in Rome, I had already reorganized everything. The Colosseum completely floored me, so huge it almost feels absurd, and Yuuki poked his head out of his bag at that exact moment, as if he could sense it mattered. We stood there, the two of us, without moving, for what felt like a good fifteen minutes.

In Tuscany, I missed my train in Siena because I had followed a stray cat down an alley. I swear it wasn't Yuuki, he was asleep in the bag. The alley led me to a tiny square with a fountain and two old men playing cards, and I understood that this was the real rhythm of the country. I waited for the next train with no regrets and a focaccia bought from a baker who only spoke the local dialect. For once, the translator app couldn't help me, but at least I ate well!

The surprise came from Sicily, which I had almost left as an afterthought. The Greek temples of Agrigento at sunset, the columns turning orange, Yuuki perched on my bag on the ancient stones and sulking because the wind kept flattening his ears. That's when I realized Italy is so much more than what you usually get shown. Right before leaving, I nearly dropped my camera into the Arno while photographing Yuuki on the Ponte Vecchio. He watched me rescue it at the last second with total indifference. Thanks, Yuuki...