** for English speakers

Welcome back to Hidden Italy with Anna.

In the last episode, I talked about why the Italy you’re looking for isn’t in the guidebooks. Today, I want to take that idea one step further. Because there is an Italy most travelers never see. Not because it’s impossible to reach, not because it’s dangerous or remote, but because no one ever tells you to look for it.

This Italy isn’t hidden behind locked doors or secret passwords. It’s hidden behind assumptions. Expectations. Habits. The way trips are usually planned from the outside.

When travelers imagine Italy, a few images immediately come to mind. Iconic cities. Famous landmarks. A very specific version of “Italian life” that feels cinematic and familiar, even if you’ve never been there. That version of Italy is real, but it’s only a thin slice of a much deeper, more complex country.