Rick Steves' Favorite Country In Europe Is No Secret

Professional traveler Rick Steves has revealed his most-loved European country, and really, it's no shock to any of us. In an interview with Strong Towns, Steves calls Italy his favorite, citing its culture of community-making and relationship-building. Italy boasts some delicious cuisine (especially on the island of Sicily, which Steves considers the country's food capital) and is a mecca of rich history; however, Steves points out that it's the Italian piazza that draws him in time and time again.

The culture of the Italian piazza has a vibrancy that is unique to the country. After automobiles were banned in many of Europe's most famed squares, the role of the piazza re-blossomed. Italy was among the trailblazers of this renaissance, with towns like Siena banning cars in historic plazas as early as the 1960s. The result re-established the square as the central heart of a city where townspeople can travel on foot and connect with others. As Steves explains, "The whole society is wired where people gather."

A piazza is essentially a square or courtyard at the center of several buildings and monuments. Historically, they were used as marketplaces where goods were sold and traded throughout Italy. People would routinely converge at these spaces to do business and connect with others, forming both personal and professional relationships. While some squares still retain the marketplace in a literal sense, like in Padua or Siena, many of them preserve this essence by being hubs for restaurants, shops, and bars. Steves highlights this person-to-person bonding without the interruption of modern vices as the heart of the piazza — and the reason he adores it so much.

The ancient architecture, grand fountains, and monuments aren't the only things that make the piazza so significant (although that doesn't hurt in the slightest). It's the intentional checking-in between neighbors, friends, and colleagues that Steves credits as his reason for listing Italy as his favorite European country. The key in all of this, Steves points out, is that people get out of their cars and into pedestrian-friendly streets for a stroll or a chat. You can have this same bonding outside of the piazza, but the structure really serves as an anchoring place where this intrinsic cultural value takes shape.

For those of us seeking an authentic peek into Italian life, there are scores of squares where visitors can experience the beauty of these interactions for themselves. Of course, the most famous that come to mind are Rome's Piazza de Trevi, where the Trevi Fountain is located, or the Piazza de Spagna, home of the illustrious Spanish Steps. If you're hoping for something a bit more local and less crowded, try visiting Campo de' Fiori, a famous flower market in Rome.

Outside of the capital city, the Piazza San Marco in Venice is a worthwhile destination. Admittedly, it is a major tourist draw given its centrality to the city's famous landmarks, but somehow, the magic that Steves describes is still very much present. Similarly, Bologna's Piazza Nettuno boasts the stunning Fountain of Neptune. For a truly underrated piazza with all of the buzzing life that Steves admires, be sure to take a trip to Lucca in Tuscany. Often overshadowed by its big sister, Florence, Lucca is a stunning medieval city with the historic Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the site of an ancient amphitheater that turned into a medieval marketplace.

There are some practical hiccups about hanging out in a piazza, like the costly tourist trap restaurants near monuments and attractions. However, the whole point of spending time there is to let go of some of those stresses and simply enjoy where you are and who you are with. As Steves passionately describes, "It's young people, old people, romantic couples, people with babies, poor people, rich people — everybody's out licking their ice cream cones and checking in." Not everyone agrees with Steves, as travel guru Samantha Brown considers Italian piazzas some of the most overrated destinations in the world.