Learn Italian: Ci metto venti minuti per il tragitto normale. - It takes me twenty minutes for the normal route.

Ci metto comes from metterci, which is a personal verb. It means you are specifying who takes the time. If we used ci vuole from the verb volerci, it would be impersonal and mean 'It takes twenty minutes' in general, without saying who is actually doing the traveling.

The English translation says 'It takes me'. Where is the word for 'me' in the Italian sentence?

There is no direct word for 'me' because Italian flips the perspective. The verb metto means 'I put', so you are literally saying 'I put twenty minutes into it'. The 'I' in the Italian structure translates to the 'me' in the English phrase 'It takes me'.

What role does ci play in ci metto? Can I just say metto venti minuti?

You need the ci. When combined with mettere to put, the pronoun ci changes the verb's meaning to 'to take time'. Without ci, metto just means 'I put' or 'I place' physical objects. Think of ci here as meaning 'into it'.

Is tragitto different from a word like viaggio?

Yes. Viaggio usually means a trip or journey, often for vacation or long distances. Tragitto specifically refers to a route, a commute, or the physical path covered between two points, which fits perfectly for timing a regular drive or walk.