Venice is a city built for oohing and aahing. From charming, narrow cobblestone pathways that stretch into wide piazzas, tiny little shops that sell an assortment of Murano glassware and Venetian masks, delicious Bellinis at Harry’s Bar (the birthplace of the Bellini) and gondola-lined waterways that dot every inch of this tiny little place, there is just so much to see and do. I’ve only been to Venice once but it certainly left an indelible impression.

So I can imagine just how wonderful it must be to actually grow up in the place, as Englishwoman Skye McAlpine did when her parents decided to uproot the whole family and move to Italy when she was just a child.