Northern vs Southern Italy: Why I’ll Always Choose Both

The beautiful streets of Verona

People often ask me, “Are you a north of Italy person or a south of Italy person?” And my honest answer is always the same: I could never choose just one.

My roots are from the south. My mother is southern Italian (from Campania) and I grew up watching my nonna make pasta from scratch using passata made from my nonno’s homegrown tomatoes. We had homemade wine and an endless supply of vegetables pulled straight from the earth that we enjoyed during festive family dinners. Those traditions, the old ways; the pasion the rituals, the flavours live in me. They shaped me.

But I also spent my adult life in Melbourne and I fell deeply in love with its cosmopolitan rhythm (perhaps a little too much). The creativity, the fashion, the pace, the energy of the city became part of who I am and what I love the most. And that’s why northern Italy makes me feel so alive. At my core, I’m a city gal, but I love how I feel in the south.

Gallipoli in Southern Italy

Southern Italy Taught me How to Slow Down

My life in the south, especially in Salento has changed the way I experience time.

Here, life stretches out. Mornings unfold slowly. Conversations don’t rush to their conclusion – there’s always time for one more coffee. The sea is not an occasional luxury, it’s simply part of the rhythm of living. I wasn’t always a “beach person,” but the south gently made me into one. Now, I crave that quiet moment, the sunsets where everything slows.

Southern Italy is deeply authentic. Not in a curated, Instagram-perfect way, but in a real, sometimes messy, always human way. Things can be frustrating: bureaucracy takes patience, plans change without warning and nothing ever runs quite on the clock you expect. But that friction teaches you something powerful: resilience, flexibility and presence.

The south taught me to:

• Let go of control

• Accept imperfection

• Value connection over speed

And once that lesson settles into your bones, it never quite leaves.

Northern Italy Inspires me to Dream Bigger

Enjoying panettone in Milan

And yet, every time I return to northern Italy, something in me lights back up in a different way.

Cities like Milan and Verona move with a clarity and polish that feels electric. The architecture is confident. The fashion is effortless and inspiring. The energy is ambitious and powerful. Things feel possible.

Milan, in particular, reminds me so much of Melbourne. Maybe not aesthetically or on the same level – but it energises me in a similar way. The pace, the creativity, the design culture, the quiet confidence—it feels familiar.

Verona, on the other hand, captures something softer but just as refined. Romantic, elegant, deeply historical but still vibrant and alive. It’s the kind of place that feels cinematic even when you’re just walking to buy bread.

The north gives me:

• Structure

• Vision

• Refinement

• Creative drive

It reminds me that beauty can also come from precision.

Why I Refuse to Choose Between Them

The truth is, I don’t want to live in a world where I have to pick authenticity or polish, slow living or ambition, beach days or city nights. They’re both equally Italian, and the truth is, we can have both. Italy isn’t one lifestyle. It’s many, and they can exist in the same life if you let them.

The most amazing pastries of Napoli

For anyone thinking about making the move, my honest advice is this: where you start matters. For me, beginning in the south was a smart entry point as well as a soulful one. Arriving with Australian dollars meant my money went further than it would have in the north. I could settle in without immediate financial pressure, learn how things work, build connections, make mistakes, and give myself time to adjust properly. That slower, more affordable start gave me confidence and options.

It also meant I could travel more. I didn’t have to choose between north and south. I could explore both, understand the differences for myself and decide what actually suited my lifestyle, my budget, and my long-term plans, not just what looked good on paper.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t have to lock yourself into one version of Italy from day one. Start where it feels manageable. Let your life evolve. The beauty of Italy is that whether you begin in the quiet rhythm of the south or the energy of the north, there’s always room to shift, expand and change direction.

And sometimes, the best choice isn’t north or south—it’s simply giving yourself the space to experience both.

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