Italy 2008: Post Archive.

Full Trip Report

• Day 01: Our overnight flight.
• Day 02: Venezia & Murano.
• Day 03: Reconnecting.
• Day 04: Going to Tuscany.
• Day 05: Volterra.
• Day 06: Rain in Chianti.
• Day 07: Climbing a tower.
• Day 08: Rain, Bellagio, and a festa in piazza.
• Day 09: Villa hopping.
• Day 10: Heading to the airport.
• Posts created during our trip: May '08

Final thoughts...

Sharing this trip with our mothers turned out to be a great decision. Since moving to Seattle, we have gotten to spend time with them on a vacation basis. That showed us that they would be great travel partners and we couldn't have been more right. What surprised us was just how well they got along with each other, too! They made great roommates and we are so happy that we got to share this special experience with them.

Oh, and between the four of us over the duration of our trip, we ate 28 gelati. I'm honestly surprised it wasn't more...

DAY 10: Heading to the airport.

We awoke to another overcast morning in Varenna. We planned to spend our last full day in Italy split between Lake Como and a hotel near the airport in Milan. So, we were determined to make the most of it. After breakfast, we walked to the Villa Monastero, a villa featuring a long, narrow garden just outside our hotel. We strolled through the gardens, looking at many unique plants and stopping to smell orange blossoms along the way. The fruit trees had such a sweet scent, similar to that of honeysuckle or lilacs. We swooned each time we passed them. The garden was adorned with many ornamental details, including decorative archways and somewhat creepy statues and door knockers. At the far end of the garden, we found a nice view of Varenna, so Shawn stopped to sketch the scene.


The view from Villa Monastero.

The gardens at Villa Monastero.

It started to sprinkle an hour or so into our visit, so we decided to head into town for lunch. We found a covered seating area at Nilus Bar that was exactly what we’d hoped for. While we ate, a few ducks wandered right up to us begging for crumbs. Liz saved some bread and fed them once we’d finished. Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped into Varenna’s internet café one last time, where we chatted with the same lady we’d been practicing our Italian with since arriving two days prior. Shortly after, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the train station to catch our ride to Milan.

From Milan, we took a bus to Malpensa airport. We ate a small meal and a yummy tiramisu in the airport before calling the shuttle to our hotel nearby. In the cab, Mom burped and we all started to laugh when she asked if it smelled like garlic. Liz, Mom, and I then devised a plot for a game show. “What did I have for dinner? Guess this burp!” We laughed so hard that we must have sounded drunk. We were still pretty slap happy when we got into our swank hotel, so we ended up taking funny photos with bathroom props and a mysterious pole in our rooms. We finally called it a night, knowing we had to get up at 4:00 am to catch our flights home.

Leaving Italy on a classy note...

DAY 09: Villa hopping.

This morning, we all woke up super early because the sun was filling our rooms with light. We’d made a pact the previous night to get out quickly if the weather seemed like it might cooperate. We met Mom and Liz in the breakfast room only to find them giggling already. They explained that the hotel’s automated coffee machine had gone haywire when Mom tried to use it earlier. Apparently, the machine’s several drink options came out in varying amounts based on the type of mug to be used. Thinking she could control the amount, Mom attempted to get just a touch of hot milk using a tiny espresso cup. She quickly figured out she couldn’t stop the flow and ended up creating an overflowing fountain of hot milk. We laughed about what a sight that must have been while quickly eating yet another day’s worth of pastries and cereal.

Since the weather seemed to be on the up, we decided to visit two of Lake Como’s major villas and gardens. We took a boat from Varenna to Villa Carlotta, enjoying the views now that the sky had turned blue. The snowy Alps were far more visible today! Villa Carlotta, an ornate house right on the water’s edge, is home to a large diverse botanical garden. At the entrance, there is a beautiful formal garden and fountain with the villa hovering high above it. We spent a couple of hours exploring the garden’s many micro-environs—seeing bamboo displays, rhododendrons, cactus, fruit trees and roses galore. We walked up several hills and climbed a large staircase into a small Japanese garden. By the time we left, we figured we’d only seen ¾ of the grounds.


Villa Carlotta and its impressive grounds.



We headed to Villa Balbianello near Lenno next. Because we had to pass through Bellagio to catch a connecting boat to Lenno, Shawn and I ran through the town’s steep lanes to find a quick lunch option. We found a grocery store off a small lane where a sweet old woman whipped up fresh sandwiches for us to take on the boat. So, we picnicked on the way to Lenno.

In Lenno, we were instructed to walk a half mile to catch a water taxi to Villa Balbianello. Feeling straight out of a movie, the speed boat delivered us to the villa in its dramatic location along a point jutting out into the lake. We quickly realized why the villa is so revered as a special destination. The grounds were positively breathtaking—unique, thought provoking, and romantic. We felt like royalty as we circled through its landscape. The gardens were planted with vivid colors and it seemed as if an amazing viewpoint awaited us at every turn. At one point, we turned a corner and I looked up to see a perfectly manicured hillside, dotted with cypress and other trees. Liz nearly burst into tears when she turned to see it, saying “Oh, good grief!” We took a short break in the sun in the villa’s hilltop loggia. The loggia has been featured in many films. Being there was quite surreal and certainly magical.


The lawn at Villa Balbianello.


The jaw-dropping hillside from Heaven.



The villa and its magical loggia.



Relaxing in the loggia.

Back in Varenna, we rested for a bit before heading to dinner at Il Cavatappi, a tiny restaurant with a mere three tables. Having made a reservation before we left the US, we felt privileged to be eating in a place so clearly created as a labor of love. The owner and chef, Mario, treated us to salad covered in his own egg and mustard dressing, bacon, and apples. Shawn and Liz both indulged in a red wine risotto while Mom and I ate spaghetti with tomatoes and shredded ricotta. Shawn also ate a tender pork chop seasoned with anise. We finished with a plate of mixed desserts that included crème caramel, apple tart, and a luscious banana-strawberry mousse. We chatted about our favorite parts of the trip and just enjoyed each other’s company for a little bit longer.


One of our last gelati...


Dinner at Il Cavatappi.

DAY 08: Rain, Bellagio, and a festa in piazza.

Waking up to rain created a bad start to the day. We decided to power through it and jumped on a autotraghetto (or ferry) to Bellagio. Even in the rain, the view of the lake from the ferry was pretty stellar. A sort of mish-mash of the Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast mixed with Seattle’s crappy weather, Lake Como’s colorful towns popped against the lush wooded areas surrounding them. All I could assume was that the lake must be pretty great when the sun is actually out.


Rain over Lake Como.


Bellagio.





In Bellagio, the rain subsided a bit, so we walked up and down the town’s steep lanes. We stopped for another divine lunch at Trattoria San Giacomo. For €15 each, we got quite the meal. They served us troffie with pesto, grilled vegetables, chicken cacciatore, and a soothing soup and salad. Shawn also managed to squeeze in his second gelato of the day after lunch, as well.



Troffie with pesto... delicious!



Since the rain started up again while we were eating, we decided to head back to Varenna shortly after. We squeezed in a quick stroll along the waterfront gardens in Bellagio before the boat arrived. Naturally, it started to clear up just as we arrived back at our home base. Shortly before dinner, Shawn and I walked along Varenna’s honeysuckle-scented pasarella, the waterfront walkway that offers astounding views of neighboring towns and the Alps off in the distance.


Coming back to Varenna.


The same scene from the morning, but cleared up and beautiful.



Before returning to our hotel, we grabbed prosciutto and cheese crepes at Nilus Bar to eat with leftover pizza back in our room. Our moms joined us as we relaxed with a beautiful sunset, a tasty mish-mash of a meal, and some Italian television. We happened upon a show called “Festa in Piazza” (or “party in the plaza”) that had us howling for the rest of the evening. A Lawrence Welk-style variety show, Festa in Piazza featured poorly choreographed line dancers and elderly couples waltzing to lip synced hits as they stared vapidly into the camera. Mom, in particular, lost her shit while watching that!

If you're so inclined, you can watch some clips from recent episodes of Festa in Piazza: clip 1 | clip 2

DAY 07: Climbing a tower.

Goodbye, San Gimignano. We'll miss you!


Poppies alongside the road leaving San Gim.

We bid San Gimignano farewell early this morning to head north. We took the autostrada to the airport outside Pisa where we returned our rental without issue. They didn’t even inspect it for potential damage! From the airport, we took a short train ride to Pisa Centrale where we checked our bags with left luggage and hopped in a cab heading for the Leaning Tower. We had reservations (approximately $25) to climb the tower and were determined not to miss out!


Pisa's Field of Miracles.

The “field of miracles” in Pisa is no doubt an impressive sight. Because of this, however, it is overrun with crowds and souvenir stands selling trinkets that are undoubtedly imported from China. As a result, it feels a bit like a circus with incredible architecture in the center ring. We ran past it all in order to collect our tickets, check our day packs, and get in line to climb during our reserved time slot. Fortunately, the sun was shining in full force, so earlier visions of slick wet stone steps left my head.

We started up the tower as a group, but Liz ended up staying behind a bit in order to take her time. The tower isn’t the tallest campanile we’ve climbed, by any means, but the gentle of pull of gravity we felt as we ascended certainly made for a unique experience. The stone steps were quite worn down closer the top with a bowl shape basically cut from them where many feet had tread before. The climb went fairly quickly and wasn’t terribly claustrophobic until the stairwell narrowed and, eventually, turned into a spiral staircase right at the top.


Climbing, climbing, climbing.


Getting closer to the top.

At the top, a gentle breeze cooled us off as we enjoyed our view of the campo (with its church and baptistery) below. We could also see the Pisa FC stadium amongst the red roof tiles spread before us. Because the number of people allowed in the tower at one time is heavily controlled, we were rushed back down fairly quickly. At the bottom, we admired the tower one last time and took the obligatory photos before grabbing another cab back to the station.


Finally at the top.




The obligatory photo!

We spent the next 5.5 hours traveling to Varenna via Milan, passing the Ligurian coast (including the Cinque Terre) along the way. We learned a tough lesson when we purchased three bad sandwiches, sodas, and cookies from a cart on the train. Not only was the quality poor, but it ended up costing us around $50. Ridiculous! Our time had been at a premium, though, so how were we to know?



We finally jumped out at the Varenna-Esino station before the train took off one minute later. One cab ride later and we finally arrived at our hotel high up above the town. Liz immediately started showing signs of Stendahl’s Syndrome, claiming that it might be time to rip clothes off and jump into lake once she clapped eyes on the view from our hotel balcony.


The view from our room.


Varenna, Lake Como

Immediately after checking in, we flipped on the TV to find an Italian broadcast of the Champion’s League final between Man Utd. and Chelsea in Moscow. Kick off was just about to start so our timing was perfect! Our mothers were great supporters in our mission to see the game live, and hustled off to get pizzas we could eat in the room. Chelsea dominated and Man Utd. ended up winning 6-5 in penalty kicks, but it was a fun game to watch anyhow. The pizzas Mom and Liz brought back were awfully good, too!

DAY 06: Rain in Chianti.

Pie for breakfast!

We took off to the Chianti region of Tuscany this morning. A 45-minute (and very curvy!) drive later, we arrived in Castellina in Chianti. The town was much smaller than we expected and it was raining quite hard by time we arrived. We decided to stop for a cappuccino just after arriving to warm our bones a bit. We didn’t end up doing a whole lot other than some window shopping, but were able to stop for a nice lunch before heading back to the car.


The beautiful textures of the Chianti countryside.


A typical scene from our Italian adventures: us wearing garbage bag-like ponchos.

At Re Gallo, we were treated to artichoke ravioli with a sage and butter sauce, a pecorino omelet, and a traditional pici (thick spaghetti-like noodle) with Sienese sausage and porcini mushroom sauce. This place was quite the find for the low cost associated with it. I think we spent less than $10 per person, but left fat and happy!

The rain let up slightly, but we still dropped our plans to continue on to Radda in Chianti. The drive had been a bit nerve-wrecking and we didn’t want to get any further on without knowing if the roads would be dry on our return. So, we turned back to San Gim. The ride was certainly scenic, filled with grapevines and olive groves. We even saw a farm filled with what appeared to be truffle hunting dogs! We were all blown away by the diverse look of this area.

Back in San Gim, Mom and I decided to take a walk through town in order to seek out the perfect ceramic purchase. I bought a few goodies and finally decided on a ¼ liter wine carafe with Chianti’s signature black rooster hand painted on it. Mom purchased a lovely red poppy spoon rest and a “ciao bella” shirt for Aubree. Awhile later, we met Shawn and Liz for the “world’s best” gelato at Pluripremiata in the Piazza della Cisterna. We couldn’t disagree with their award-winning gelato—it was incredible! They had a unique selection of flavors including raspberry with rosemary, limoncino, and vernaccia wine. I’m still regretting not ordering a second serving with the creamy orange-chocolate variety.


One of San Gim's lovely ceramic shops.


A store in San Gim selling none other than... Chianti.

The sun finally appeared late in the afternoon, so we took a final walk along the old wall. On the way back, we picked up some pizza to create a mish mash of a picnic dinner back at our hotel. It was our cheapest meal yet, but nonetheless light years better than most things we can get at home for a comparable price. Not to mention that we really had a lot of fun eating as a group in the little dining area just outside our hotel room!


A school bus coming back into town for the day.


Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano.


A sweet kitty enjoying her own little slice of Tuscan heaven. Her sweet little tongue made us miss our Lu.


That sweet kitty's little Tuscan paradise. Off to the right, she had a sweeping view of the countryside. Lucky kit!