In 2018, I visited Italy for the first time. To get to know the country, I chose the northern part and Lake Iseo — less famous and less touristy than Garda or Como, but no less picturesque.
For two weeks, I stayed in a small town on the lakeshore, renting an apartment with a friend. It was my first encounter with a country I had heard so much about but had never seen with my own eyes.
My first impression was simple: in Italy, beauty is everywhere. It is not confined to museums or historic centres. It shows itself in the architecture, in the details of city streets, in the food, in the colour of facades, in how people dress and spend their time. At times, it felt like being inside a beautiful film.
August turned out to be much hotter than I had expected. In the cities, the heat was especially intense. The stone and old architecture seemed to absorb the warmth throughout the day and release it slowly. That is why Lake Iseo quickly became the heart of the trip.
I loved spending days by the water, walking along the promenade, watching the life of the town, tasting local food, and simply being immersed in a new environment. The lake brought a sense of coolness and calm that was so lacking in the sweltering cities.
During the trip, we visited Lake Garda, Verona, Venice, and Milan.
Verona is remembered mainly for its unbearable heat. We even changed our route and headed to Lake Garda earlier than planned, where it was significantly more comfortable.
Venice made a very different impression. The canals, bridges, the island structure of the city, and the sheer scale of its historic architecture created a sense that conventional ideas about cities did not apply here. Everything felt both unusual and natural at the same time.
Milan barely left a mark on me that trip. Perhaps after small towns and lake landscapes, I was looking for a different kind of experience.
As an artist, I took many photographs of architecture and nature, searching for interesting angles, lines, and compositions. I made sketches. Later, some impressions from the trip found their way into my paintings.
But what I remember most is not any particular place.
I recall the clear water of Lake Iseo, the pleasant coolness after a hot day, and one storm that caught us on the shore. The dark sky, the movement of clouds, and the unusual colour of the water created a landscape unlike anything I was used to.
When I think of Italy in 2018, I don't think of landmarks or itineraries. I think of the feeling of beauty that exists in everyday life and feels completely natural.