Travel

Italy versus Greece

Who wins?

By May-Britt Mobach | #!31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:003231#31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:00-12Europe\/Amsterdam3131Europe\/Amsterdam202331 11pm31pm-31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:0012Europe\/Amsterdam3131Europe\/Amsterdam2023312023Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +02004512458pmFriday=9#!31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam8#08-11-2023#!31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:003231#\/31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:00-12Europe\/Amsterdam3131Europe\/Amsterdam202331#!31Fri, 11 Aug 2023 12:45:32 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam8#

If you follow me a little, you know that I am quite team Italy. Give me a long weekend and I’ll float to the boot. Whether it’s Portofino, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, or my beloved Puglia doesn’t matter much to me. My love for Italy is so great that during a – also quite fun – vacation in Sweden, I got tears in my eyes when a group of Italian kids passed by. You just have places that draw you in, and for me, that’s Italy.

But our daughters want, rightly so, to see a bit more of the world and also taste something different than spaghetti alla vongole, so during our Puglia paradise, we booked ten days in Greece. Sure, I’ve been there before, I even took my first steps on the Acropolis, but I had no active memory of it, as Mark Rutte would say.

So off we went. From Bari to Zakynthos, Kefalonia, and back to Zakynthos. I will share my highlights and also my subtle points for improvement. Here we go.

1. The people, the people, the people
I have yet to meet the first unfriendly Greek. Full of confidence, nothing is too much. They speak quite good English (the Italians could learn a thing or two from that), sometimes even a word of Dutch, and in Zakynthos and Kefalonia, they also speak good Italian.

2. The styling
Here too, a point where the Greeks win over the Italians, in my opinion. Although Italy is the land of taste and style, it is sometimes, and my heart shrinks as I write this but it’s just true, quite difficult to find a nicely decorated hotel or restaurant. I have come to love the messy charm, but in every establishment, no matter how chic, you quickly find a bronze statue of Jesus Christ next to a paper monthly calendar. In Greece, almost every beach shack is Instagram-proof. Just everything in one color (and not green or orange) and topped off with bamboo. The Greeks have understood that well.

3. The food
I know it’s true: in Italy, the same is often served too, but I find the Italian cuisine just a bit, well no, quite a bit better than the Greek. The advantage of the Greeks is that they don’t bat an eye when you suddenly fill the table with food (the Italians find it hard to understand that the kids' pasta can come at the same time as your appetizer), but after ten days of feta and stuffed peppers (I’m exaggerating of course for the sake of a fun piece, have mercy on me, dear Greece-goers) I really enjoyed when I had gratin mussels with potato slices at my favorite restaurant yesterday.

4. The wine
Also a topic. Maybe I searched and haven’t found it yet, but wine-wise Greece and I are not the best match. Chardonnay seemed exotic and it was mostly dry, which was the trend. Fine for the detox process and there was plenty of Aperol, but on this point, I still lean towards the Italians.

5. The seawater
Oh guys, I’ve rarely seen such beautifully clear blue water as around Zakynthos. And then diving from a high rock. That’s just therapy.

And you know what the good news is? You don’t have to choose. Next year we’ll float to the Cyclades. Because you understand: for a good Greece investigation, I need to spend at least a few more vacations there. With love.