Monday On our first afternoon in Bologna we saw these little cakes in the window of Paolo Atti & Figli - torta di riso, so we had to try it. It is a lightly sweet cake made from rice that had a...
Blog posts from Italy 2023
Italy 2023: daytrip to Modena
Modena has intrigued me for a while, after all it is the home of balsamic vinegar, with ham, lambrusco and other tasty items also produced locally. And with it being about 30 minutes from Bologna by...
Italy 2023: Bologna sights
Monday After checking into our apartment we walked about 15 minutes to the center, then onward to a view of the famous Bologna towers. There are a lot of power lines at the base, so it is hard to...
Italy 2023: 24 hours in Verona
There is always a delicate balance on where to stay and visit on our longer trips - moving every night is exhausting and impractical, but we also want to 'see all the things!' While planning this...
Italy 2023: a morning in Sirmione
Sirmione is on a peninsula - jutting into the southern end of Lake Garda - known for it's castle and spas. We wanted to check it out, and knowing it would get busy on the weekend decided to go early...
Italy 2023: lakeside walk to Garda
From Bardolino it is about a 40 minute walk to Garda. In the morning there is lots of shade, and since it was Saturday the path was busy with dog walkers, bicyclists, etc. Besides the amazing views...
Italy 2023: wine tasting in Veneto and Lombardy
During our planning, we became quite interested in the wine regions around Verona, and we were not disappointed in our visits. There are multiple appellations within 30-60 minutes driving, and each...
Italy: Bardolino food & drink
Thursday Dinner at La Piccola Osteria. I tried the macaroni picante (spicy) with Gorgonzola cheese, delicious! Leandra got the beef cappacio with a pile of cheese on top! We split a 500 ml carafe of...
Italy 2023: Bardolino sights
Bardolino was a lovely town to base ourselves as it is quite walkable, has lovely views of the lake, and isn't too noisy at night. Walking around town you hear a lot of German, as it is (apparently)...
Italy 2023: Venice sights
We had three nights in Venice, which let us explore several districts primarily on foot. Monday After dropping our bags at the apartment we went for our first unencumbered walk around the city. Not...
Italy 2023: Venice food & drink
Monday El Sbarlefo - With our first round of wine, a grechetto for me (lighter white with mineral and nice acidity) and a primitivo for Leandra, we also ordered some fried cheese bites. Leandra had...
Italy 2023: Milan
On this trip to Milan we flew into the smaller, but much closer, Linate airport, which let us take the city 73 bus to the Duomo area. After dropping our bags at the hotel we walked around, trying to...
Italy 2023: Where we stayed
Milan: STRAFhotel&bar Pros: Prime Location - great location right next to the Duomo, so right in the heart of the historical center. Good sleep - the shutters really kept out the light and...
Italy 2023: Introduction & flights
On our overnight layover in October (coming back from Poland) I happened to see a good deal on premium economy tickets to various cities in Europe for Spring 2023. After quite a bit of hunting we...
Our Itinerary
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London, UK (Dec)
Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)