“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.”
- The Dalai Lama
Have you ever felt changed by a place you've visited?
My recent trip to Italy was exactly that kind of experience. It was a very last-minute decision with no plan, no agenda, just a longing to put my Italian lessons into practice and visit a place I have long been admiring from afar. A week after returning, I find myself curiously contemplating why this trip, why the region of Puglia, felt so restful, restorative and like a recalibration for the soul.
Was it because it was off-season and unusually quiet and calm? Was it the scent of the sea air arresting our senses as soon as we stepped off the plane, or the thousands of olive trees that quietly welcomed us to this ancient land? Was it the generous hospitality and the beautiful surroundings that made us feel immediately at home? It was all of these things and more, something ineffable and deeply felt.
If there’s one thing traveling to Italy will do for you, it is to shift your perspective and remind you of the true priorities for living a beautiful life.
In Italy, productivity fades into the background. Things still get done, but with a seemingly easeful effort, more like the artful unfolding of an ordinary day. Life doesn't feel like you're rushing to a finish line. If the hurried pace of the holiday season has me feeling in need of a reset, in the end, whether I am here or there, it's ultimately about a way of life and a state of mind.
It's first and foremost the rhythm of daily life. In Italy, the day begins with rituals meant to ease into the morning and provide sustenance throughout the day, Food is the foundation of those rituals. Habits, and what we eat, have certainly changed all over the world with the globalization we see, which is why I love places that still embrace the tradition of taking time out of the day for nourishment. It's as much for the spirit as it is fuel for the body. It's the act and art of eating that matters most.
Rest is another ritual that we usually reserve for vacations or a much needed day off. In Italy, it's an essential cadence of the everyday. Without the onslaught of tourists in tiny towns, you can experience a quiet stillness, ia refreshing reminder to take a pause during the day, an antidote to operating like a run on sentence. It's a deliberate rest that resets you without the stigma of seeming tired or feeling lazy.
Making time and presence a priority for these kinds of rituals is key, whether in Italy or anywhere you find yourself in your daily lives. It's a reminder that a beautiful life isn’t built through speed, efficiency, or constant striving, but through slowing down the rhythm of our days, grounded by daily rituals that nourish and nurture us in all the ways. Sometimes, we need more than a Sunday Slowdown to recalibrate the spirit. We need to venture further than home to come back to ourselves.
May you find your “Italy”, wherever that may be. It's a worthy, and I would say necessary, investment in the most important asset you have, you and your well-being.
X Alisa
PS: I'm putting together a Puglia guide with all the places we visited and loved. I'll be posting it soon on my Substack page, so if you want to download a copy, you can subscribe here.