This video was filmed in Borgo Val Di Taro, Italy. Borgo Val Di Taro – meaning small village in the valley of the Taro River – is a small, beautiful town in the mountains of Northern Italy. We lived there for four months this summer, and it is a quiet, calm, easygoing village filled with warm, friendly people. In this video I tried to convey what a hospitable, unreserved place it is.

International experience is a great thing! Children who experience many different cultures at a young age will develop a much more sophisticated and cultured character than someone who has lived in the same town all of their life. International experience has really affected my videos: I try to make them more unique and different by giving them a distinctive cultural feel, like this one. I try to include culture and history in my videos based on where I am or have been.

I made this video by just walking around town and filming things that I thought represented Borgo Taro, or things that simply looked good on camera. I got a few smiles and a few funny looks – this kind of thing never happens in Borgo – and a few “posso?”s (can I?) from people that wanted to pass and wasn’t sure if it was okay. It was quite interesting to see the reactions of all the people. Some older women stayed far away from the camera as if it was evil, but the younger people of the town smiled and walked by the camera on purpose.

Do you give your children international experiences? If you do, they will grow up to be far more mature and worldly than your neighbors.

Emily Zumchak is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program.