Aria is set far in the future. Mars has been terraformed, which melted the polar ice caps and covered much of the red planet in water. The capital of this world is Neo-Venezia, built exactly like the city of Venice back on Earth. Aria centers around three trainee gondoliers (undines), Akari, Aika and Alice.
Each episode focuses on something that the characters do which probably seems very ordinary. In the second episode, for instance, the rising of the water (Acqua Alta) forces Akari to wear boots while she goes to buy cat food. She gets caught in the rain, and stays over at her friend's house. That's it.

This is precisely why Aria is not for everyone.

Because both the manga and anime fit perfectly into the slice-of-life genre...not much happens throughout the course of the entire series.

And that's the beauty of it.

Aria gently forces you to slow down and appreciate everyday things that most people consider to be mundane or ordinary. Going to get cat food is more fun when you get caught in the rain. Life looks a little different when you view it through the window of an ancient café populated by cats.

It's these little unplanned incidents which prove the people who say that "nothing" happens in the anime/manga wrong. In fact, quite a bit happens; you just have to stop and notice it.

The art of Aria is lush and natural, like the namesake of the anime's second season. Kozue Amano draws the backgrounds of the manga with such reality that still manages to present the ethereal, otherworldly quality of Neo-Venezia so much so that you want to reach through the page and touch it. The anime is beautifully drawn as well, with the water especially being gorgeous - you can almost feel the sea spraying your face as Akari and her gondola guide you serenely down a narrow canal in New Venice.

Aria, for me, taught me to appreciate even the tiny things in life that make it so wonderful.
And that's why I love it.

So, recommended? Yes. Even if you don't like slice-of-life, watch one episode, read one chapter, whatever - because we all need to relax for a little while. And that's why we have Aria!