Armed with a mug of coffee and a comfortable chair, you’re all prepared to take part in the national sport of Italy.

That is, idyllic people watching. And there’s no better place to hone your skills than at the Piazza Umberto I.

Affectionately called La Piazetta, this is the social nest of the island. The facades of the surrounding buildings elicit sighs of wonder, elegant elements from the past preserved to add character to the small square. Here tourists in sundresses and tinted glasses laugh over champagne beneath the shade of parasols by a trattoria, recounting a coincidental meeting or amusing anecdote of the past week. Aromatic roasts by day and frothing mugs of beer and curious cocktails by night, there’s always a drink for the occasion to accompany you in your hobby. Such a diverse range of feet cross these cobbled paths that one can never quite predict who you might see on your adventure that day.