Italy holds claim to 58 UNESCO sites (the most of any nation), with 31 additional sites on the tentative list right now. It’s incredible; all that history and enlightenment from a country slightly larger than the state of Arizona. And it means that no matter how many times you’ve been to Italy, there’s always so much more to see, and do.

While I don’t plan on visiting every site, I have made it a personal and professional goal to visit every region in Italy. I’m still lacking a few; I’m looking at you Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Marche, Molise and Valle D’Aosta. After a quick count, turns out I have been to 26 Italian UNESCO sites, and each one reminds me of how fortunate I am to do what I do, and to have been born in this cradle of Western civilization.