I took a 6-day trip to Italy after dreaming of going my whole life. 6 surprises have stayed with me for years.

Business Insider's reporter visited Venice, Rome, and Milan during her first trip to Italy.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider I'd always dreamed of visiting Italy.

In 2022, that dream came true.

I spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan.

Each destination surprised me.

From castles and train windows to an art sculpture Airbnb, these were the biggest shocks of my trip.

Growing up with my Italian family in a Manhattan suburb, I always dreamed of visiting Italy .

While eating my grandmother's famous spaghetti dinners and listening to her stories about what it's like to explore the land our family came from, I longed for Italian experiences of my own.

My dream finally came true in October 2022, when I spent six days exploring Venice, Rome, and Milan for the first time while backpacking through Europe .

Four years later, I'm still thinking about six highlights that made the long-awaited trip everything I hoped for and more.

I remember taking in the Italian countryside from trains between cities.

Business-class seating on a train from Venice to Rome.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider I visited Italy during a two-week train trip through Europe .

I took an overnight train from Vienna to Venice.