So much has happened since our last international vacation…pandemic aside, we moved to a new city, bought another house, completely renovated said house, and oh yeah – got pregnant!
With a little one on the way, we had to take one last trip just the two of us before adding another travel companion to our crew. Considering we had such a fantastic time on our last trip to Italy (and ate very well), we decided to return and explore the Northern Region this time around. We flew in an out of Milan, but spent most of our time in Lake Como-Bellagio, Bologna, and Venice.
Upon arriving in Milan, the line to get through immigration was absurd (probably a couple hours of waiting); HOWEVER, Italy seems to prioritize pregnant women as we noticed a separate line with a pregnant icon and after showing off baby bump, it was confirmed we were able to skip ahead straight to the front – already off to great start 🙂
We arrived to our hotel in Lake Como early afternoon. We chose to stay in the town of Bellagio because of its central location on the lake, and were given a complimentary upgrade to a room with absolutely stunning views. Most of our time here was spent relaxing. We took a private boat ride around the lake one day viewing some of the famous Villas and neighboring towns (including George Clooney’s home), and also walked the grounds of Villa Serbelloni. This particular Villa was purchased by the Rockefeller Foundation and has provided residency to famous artists, writers, and scholars to continue and focus on specific thesis’, literary works, etc. (ie. RBG and Maya Angelou).
Our next stop was Bologna – a true foodie destination. The historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region and close to Modena, Bologna is known for their medieval architecture, balsamic vinegar, aged parmesan, and traditional dishes such as tortellini and tagliatelle al ragu (aka BOLOGNESE). The city is also home to the world’s oldest University which currently has a student population of 150,000+! Wild. We spent our time here checking out a historical theater where human anatomy was once performed and viewed, walked around town viewing the many towers and medieval buildings, and of course, went on a food tour learning about local cuisine and eating all the pasta and gelato we could dream of.
After a couple of days in Bologna, we made our way to Venice, Italy. Our hotel here was conveniently located within walking distance to the Grand Canal and San Marco square, but also nicely tucked away so that we weren’t directly in the midst of the large tourist crowds. Upon arrival, we explored the city a bit and enjoyed aperitifs and bruschetta right by the Rialto Bridge. Some additional highlights:
- Day trip to Burano, a nearby fisherman’s village/island known for their bright multi-colored buildings
- Gondola ride (total tourist trap and huge rip-off, but a must do at least once when visiting Venice)
- City and walking tour of Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs, and St. Mark’s Basilica
- Matt struggling to get the NFL Sunday ticket to work so he could watch the Bill’s game #commitment
- Private water boat that took us all around the different sites and neighborhoods of Venice.
We spent our final day and night in Milan and visited the Duomo, did some shopping (went to the stunning: Galleria Vittorio), treated ourselves to a couple of spa services (the spa at our hotel was sublime), and of course enjoyed one last delicious meal before heading back to the states the following afternoon.
Of the four Italian areas we visited this time around, I’d say our favorite was Lake Como (can’t beat the scenery!); although we still enjoyed every aspect of our vacation. One thing I want to express (and this may be very controversial), is that yes Italy has fantastic food no matter where you go, BUT I think I much prefer central/southern cuisine over northern (although Florence is more northern than central and that’s one of our faves). Regardless, I’d consider this vacation a babymoon success! The weather was absolutely perfect everywhere we went and we left Italy relaxed, happy, and with full bellies.
For more pictures of our trip to Northern Italy, check out the image gallery page or click on the links below: