I was in Rome last year and it blew me away. Absolutely every street had something majestic and historical. An old church, a guild, a restaurant, a fountain, a museum, you name it. The Vatican in particular is something I'll never forget with its endless opulence and beauty free for all to appreciate. It's insane how big the crowds are and how relatively unguarded everything is. And unlike most cities in Europe the Italian ones have a strict coherence with the architecture, at least in the old town, rather than a hodge-podge of old and new that takes away from everything, for example Straßburg.
Honourable mention to Turkey, they are incredibly friendly and everything is so affordable. I ate a wrap with something called çiğ köfte (means raw meatball, but it is bulgar) almost everyday which only cost like one euro each. Turkey is probably the best place for young frugal Europeans right now to travel ignoring the politics.
In the first picture is meatballs in yogurt, a dangerous but worthwhile combo, the second a Kurd who invited me to his home.
