Travel Highlights of Genova

Taking the train into Lake Como was a breeze from Genova with only 1 transfer in Milan.  Once we arrived, we jumped in a quick taxi to our AirBnB apartment and met our wonderful host Rita.  We were blown away by the modern, well-decorated and cozy accommodations which were only a 10-minute walk to the heart of Lake Como.  AirBnB is an excellent option for Lake Como travelers on a budget as our nightly rate was only €100, whereas local hotels cost at least double or triple that amount. We found it quite easy to experience the beauty of Como on a budget and here’s how.

Once we got settled in, we went out to explore the town on foot.  There are many restaurants, boutiques, and cafes lined up and down the pristine streets brimming with flowers and well-dressed people.  It’s easy to walk the entire town in just a couple of hours and we enjoyed walking the boardwalk and perusing the boats.  On our walk, we discovered the Funicolare Como-Brunate lift and decided to take it (€2 round trip per person) up to the top which is a town called Brunate.  If you can snag the window at the front of the lift, you can see spectacular views as you climb to the top of the mountain.  

As soon as you exit the lift, you can wander the small town for exquisite photos of Lake Como.  We were fortunate to get up there just before sunset, and since it was off-season, we were able to easily find a table with a perfect view at Capolinea Bistrot Caffe & Cucina (Via Volta 68/70).  Granted, the food was not the best we’ve had while in Italy; but, if you select a traditional favorite like Pasta Bolognese or Lasagna, you won’t be disappointed.  It was here where we saw the most beautiful sunset of our lives.  Check out our photos in the gallery below.  This was probably the highlight of our 3 days in Lago di Como just because of the sheer beauty!  

On our 2nd day, we decided to take the Lago di Como Public Transportation Ferry Boat (aka. Gestione Navigazione Laghi) at 9am to explore the left “leg” of the lake. It costs €25 per person for the mid-size lake package which covers all of the most recognizable towns (eg. Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Cadenabbia, S. Giovani, Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo and Lenno) and more! 

Lake Como is so large that it’s impossible to cover it all in 1 day.  In fact, if you take the slow speed ferry from Como to Bellagio, that ride in itself is about 2 hours.  But, you can pay an extra €4.40 per person, per leg to take the fast boat which gets you there in about 45 minutes.  Our goal was to hit 3 lake towns in 1 day which is definitely possible, but it takes some planning and you must keep an eye on the ferry schedule as they are not always as regular in some of the smaller towns.

Obviously, we are tackling this trip with a limited budget.  If you happen to have more disposable income to spend in Lake Como, we recommend getting a private boat tour so that you can see more of the lake and visit more towns (including Lecco). This will provide you with much more flexibility than the ferry boats offer. 

Our first stop was Bellagio and it is definitely a must see!  We found great joy in wandering the town, walking through the shops and enjoying a nice breakfast on the water.  It is a very upscale town with beautifully manicured streets and we couldn’t help but ponder how every tiny street could be so cute and picturesque.  There is a perfect photo opportunity (the one on all the postcards) you can snap of Bellagio from the end of the boardwalk. 

From Bellagio, there are many ferry options to 6-8 other nearby towns.  We opted to check out Varenna as our 2nd stop.  If you are feeling energetic, you can walk from one end of town to the other AND climb up to the castle at the top of the hill.  It’s quite a steep climb; thus, we stopped at the 2nd look out, took some photos and turned back to town.  We had a lovely, decadent lunch overlooking the water at the Nilus Bar (16 Via Garibaldi).  Mike had the best spaghetti alla carbonara  ever and I had a ham, spinach and camembert crepe, baked in the oven that was to die for!  It really was a memorable experience and one we recommend highly.

Unfortunately, we didn’t keep good track of time and we missed the ferry boat to our next stop and ended up having to wait 1.5 hours longer to catch another boat. But we couldn’t really complain, considering how lovely the town of Varenna is!

Our 3rd and final stop on the ferry (due to time constraints) was Tremezzo.  There are several beautiful and notable resorts in Tremezzo; but, otherwise, we found it the least captivating of the 3 destinations.  Unless there is something you really want to see here, we recommend skipping it and instead, heading over to Menaggio…so, you can maybe catch a glimpse of George Clooney!

Luckily, when we caught the 6pm ferry back to Como, we had a terrific open-air spot where we could take amazing photos and see all the little towns built in the mountains, along the way.  We drove right past George Clooney’s house and got a pretty good picture of it too.  The ride back to Como on the fast boat was 1 hour of unforgettable beautiful views.

Overall, our time in Lake Como was better than we could’ve ever expected.  It is a magical place that everyone should visit in their lives.

Anyone who has ever dreamt of going to Italy on holiday has undoubtedly put Venice on the top of their list and there’s no mistaking why.  It is like no other city in the world…completely suspended over water.  No cars, no freeways, no subways…just hundreds of canals, boats and gondolas.  This distinctive factor is what gives Venice a mysteriously laid-back vibe and entices tourists from all over the world. 

Even though we visited Venice in mid-September, it was crawling with tourists, mostly couples, holding hands, walking the streets, riding the gondolas and enjoying glasses of wine and Aperol Spritz at the cafes. 

It happened to rain 2 days during our stay which put a damper on our fun in some ways, but also made it a tremendous adventure.  We thought we came prepared with rain coats and umbrellas but we were not prepared for the flooding we would experience in Piazza San Marco.  

On our 1st of two full days in Venice, we had planned our own walking tour of the city.  We knew the top tourist attractions and grabbed a walking tour map from a local travel agency but decided to do a self-guided walking tour so that we could do it at our own pace and save €20 per person.  Plus, while in Italy, the locals always recommend us to “get lost” in the streets of the city and that is exactly what we did.

We set out from our canal-view AirBnB in Cannaregio,  the northernmost of the six historic districts of Venice and began heading toward Piazza San Marco which was about a 25 minute walk. Along the way, it’s easy to get lost in the narrow, winding streets of Venice.  After you pass the hundredth pizzeria, souvenir and glass store, you can easily forget your way home.  As we approached San Marco Square, we started to notice hundreds of barefooted tourists and vendors selling plastic booties; but, it wasn’t until we saw the massive flooding that we realized it was impossible to “walk” through Piazza San Marco without wading in six inches of ocean water.  We ended up purchasing the rain booties for €10 each and braving the flood waters which turned out to be really fun.  Once we walked to Saint Mark’s Basilica (closed for visitors during flooding) and meandered through the square, we made a left and continued up the boardwalk  to cover the rest of the city sights.

The city is relatively small which makes a walking tour quite fun because every few hundred meters, you discover another beautiful piece of history.  Some of the loveliest bridges with the best views of the city are Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, the Venetian Arsenal and Ponte dell Accademia.  You don’t have to try too hard to find them either. If you explore and get lost in the city, you will naturally come upon all the major gems.  

If you want to see a panoramic view of the city, you should visit San Marco Campanile which is a large tower in San Marco.  There are also countless museums in Venice. Although we didn’t chose to take in the art museums during this trip, the most well-renowned are the Gallerie dell Accademia which houses a variety of Venetian paintings and are, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Murano Glass Museum which will teach you about the history and craft of glassmaking which is HUGE in Venice.

There are also countless churches to see dating back from the 16th and 17th centuries.  Obviously, Saint Mark’s Basilica is most noteworthy; but, some others which caught our attention are Santa Maria della Salute, San Giorgio Maggiore and Basilica San Giovanni e Paolo.

If you have great weather and a little extra time while in Venice, check out a boat tour of the Venetian lagoon or head over to Burano, which is another island known for its brightly colored fisherman’s houses and seafood restaurants. The least expensive way to get there is to take one of the express ferries near St. Mark’s. 

We stayed in the city for 3 nights and found that to be the perfect amount of time.  You can certainly shorten your visit but we recommend staying enough time to really soak up the uniqueness, beauty and history of this great city!

By far the most common and desirable activity to do while in Venice (aside from eating Italian food and gelato) is to take a gondola ride!  A 30 minute gondola ride will run you €80 for up to 6 people.  You can pay an extra €30 to be serenaded while you are chauffeured through the canals.  This is a very romantic thing to do an quite memorable; however, it is also the most expensive activity we found in Venice!

We learned some very interesting facts about the history of gondolas and gondoliers that we’d like to share.  For centuries, gondolas were the primary form of transportation in Venice. These days, there are about 400 licensed gondoliers in the city and they have one of the most highly paid occupations available. Not just anyone can be a gondolier.  For many years, it was passed down from father to son but these days it’s even more difficult. Each and every gondolier must belong to the infamous Gondolier’s Guild which is very elite.  In order to become a member, each gondolier must find an experienced mentor, practice 400 hours and pass a rigorous exam. And can you believe that an average gondolier can expect to earn at least $150,000 per year?  Gondoliers certainly know ALL the interesting facts about the history of Venice too.  So, make sure to splurge on a gondola ride while in Venice if you have the budget!

During your time in Venice, you certainly won’t have a hard time finding excellent food.  There may be more Gelato shops than restaurants, so get ready to sample to all the flavors from Nutella and Twix to Blackberry and Mint.  Our favorite was the pistachio gelato.

Not surprisingly, Venice specializes in seafood and pasta dishes. Here a few common dishes you'll find while in Venice:

• Sarde in Saor – A Classic Italian antipasto of sweet and sour sardines
• Spaghetti al nero di seppia -  Squid Ink Pasta often with pieces of squid or octopus mixed in 
• Pasta e Fasoi – Soup made with pasta and beans
• Baccala Mantecato – Blended cod mousse served over bread or polenta
• Tramezzini – Triangular sandwiches on white bread spread with many different toppings from cheese and ham to tuna and salmon
• Bigoli in Salsa – Thick, coarse spaghetti in a salted sardine and onion sauce
• Tiramisu – Cake made from lady fingers, coffee, eggs and mascarpone cheese

Of course, there is a laundry list of amazing restaurants in Venice and an even longer list of mediocre restaurants as well. Due to our limited budget, we weren't able to try the likes of Osteria Boccadaro, Trottoria Pontini, or Enoteca Ai Artisti; however, we had 1 absolutely fabulous lunch, along a lovely canal with excellent food, a romantic ambiance and fabulous service.  If you stumble upon Ristorante Alla Conchiglia, definitely stop in for a traditional Venetian dish!

And finally, we must give a shout out to our favorite bar in Venice called Birreria Zanon!  It's small, neighborhood dive bar with amazing music and the friendliest staff ever.  We had a lot of drinks and even more laughs and we even had the pleasure of hanging out with the owner.  It was wonderful to spend some time getting to know the Venetian locals. 

If you have an extended stay in Italy and enjoy traditional pasta dishes as much as we do, then a quick pit stop in Bologna should be on your itinerary.  Bologna is known as the gastronomical capital of Italy and is the original home of Tagliatelle al Ragu or Pasta Bolognese as we call it.  Though we didn’t find the city of Bologna overly captivating, we did enjoy the medieval quarter with the main attraction being the Piazza Maggiore and the two towers – Torri Asinelli e Garisenda.   

The Two Towers of Bologna were built in the 12th century. The tallest of the two towers is Torri Asinelli and stands 97 meters high or 500 stairs if you want to climb it.  You can see a panoramic view of the city from the top of the tower. It’s a MUST SEE! The smaller tower is called Torri Garisenda and stands 48 meters high.  It has a serious lean as well. it was originally over 60 meters high but 12 meters were taken off due to the instability of the ground underneath. 

Throughout the ages, the towers of Bologna were a symbol of power for local noble families; but, In modern times, they were used by scientists and during war times, they were used as look outs.  Today, they are the largest tourist attractions of Bologna aside from the food.

So, let’s get to the FOOD!  We had the opportunity to eat in a number of wonderful restaurants while in Bologna but our absolute favorite was Osteria La Traviata, a quaint, romantic, family-owned, traditional Bolognese restaurant that will not disappoint!  We also had a fabulous dinner at Ristorante Cesarina located in the historic city center. They serve traditional Bolognese cuisine in a warm, friendly and elegant environment. These 2 restaurants are definitely worth a try and we did not need a reservation, although we recommend one if you are traveling to Bologna in August or planning your dinner after 8:30pm. 

Here are a few recommendations for what to eat while in Bologna:

• Tagliere – Sliced cold cuts!  Start every meal with a shareable platter. Especially make sure to try the Mortadella, as it is a true delicacy
• Tortellini in Brado – Tortellini noodles in a hot broth
• Tagliatelle as Ragu – Egg noodles in a rich, meaty sauce. This dish is also known as Pasta Bolognese
• Lasagna – traditional lasagna made with green egg noodle pasta sheets, ragu, béchamel sauce, parmesan and butter!

Having visited the Cinque Terre by both boat and train, I can tell you that we enjoyed our day trip by train the most!  Riding in a boat is always fun; but, the photos were not nearly as magical and the journey from town to town is quite a bit longer allowing you a maximum of 1 hour per town.  So, if you have a choice, we highly recommend traveling to each town by train and then exploring the towns on foot.  There is NO bus or car access to or from Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia or Vernazza.  Monterosso is the only town that is accessible by car. 

Each of the Cinque Terre villages have some similarities being filled with fishing boats and colored houses set into the mountainside; but, they also have their own unique charm. Below are our highlights from each of the towns in order from South to North since we were staying in Lerici. 

The 5 lands of the Cinque Terre are located on the west coast of the Italian Riviera and either cling to the cliff face or are concealed in miniature inlets perfectly blending into the unique, unspoiled landscape. The entire area has been designated a National Park and proclaimed as heritage of mankind by UNESCO.

Upon arrival in Riomaggiore, it’s bright, beautiful colors stop you in your tracks as well as its dramatic positioning on the cliff side. It is the largest of the Cinque Terre which makes it the most fun to explore on foot. Walk down to the tiny harbor and on to the rocks near the water to see the postcard perfect view of Cinque Terre.  But take note, if the tides are high and the winds are strong, the walking paths will be closed and the ocean swells with be beautifully terrifying!  You don’t want to miss the exquisite beautiy of Riomaggiore, especially at dusk!

In our opinion, Manarola is the most beautiful of the Cinque Terre villages and from many different angles too. With acres and acres of grapevines growing in the mountainside, Manarola is famous for its sweet Sciacchetra wine. It also is home to many medieval relics, a lovely church and excellent hiking. We enjoyed walking the narrow streets and venturing up into the small walking paths of the vineyards reaching high above the town.  By far our best and favorite photos come from Manarola, specifically from Punto Bonfigliolo which offers a perfect, backlit panorama! 

Corniglia is the only village in Cinque Terre we did not stop to visit.  There is no harbor which means boats cannot stop there and we also chose to skip this town when on our train tour.  Reason being, it’s the smallest of the Cinque Terre and the least picturesque in our opinion.  It sits atop a 100 meter high rock promontory and is quite difficult to reach.  It does have all the charm of the other villages with narrow alleys and colorful 4-story homes though. To reach the village center from the train station, you must climb 350+ stairs!  Good luck! 

Upon arrival in Vernazza, it looks similar to the other Cinque Terre towns; however, the most beautiful views cannot be seen from the marina.  Near the village center, you can visit the Santa Margherita Church with its lovely bell tower and then wander further to the Doria Castle (€1.50 per ticket), a medieval defensive tower you can climb up for panoramic ocean views. Vernazza contains the only natural port of Cinque Terre and is also known for its colorful elegant homes. For the most incredible view, climb up to La Torre restaurant for an aperitif or traditional Italian meal at sunset.  You will not be disappointed!  Vernazza offers several striking views to capture beautiful photos.

Monterosso is the last of the 5 Cinque Terre and is accessible by boat, train and car. However, traveling by train is by far the easiest and fast way to get around.  You can also hike from Vernazza on a rather challenging yet beautiful path.  It’s by far the easies townt to reach and has the most hotel accommodations as well as the largest beach area for summer vacationers.  It isn’t as picturesque as the other towns, but makes an excellent home base while exploring the Cinque Terre region. The town is divided into 2 parts: old town and new town which are separated by a single pedestrian tunnel. Many restaurants, shops and cafes line the streets, making it a wonderful destination for tourists to the area.

As a final note on this region of Italy, it is also possible to visit to the charming towns of Portovenere, Lerici, and San Terenzo while exploring Cinque Terre.  These towns are just as lovely, quaint and colorful; however, they typically attract a lot less tourists.  We found that all these towns offer a similar fishing-village vibe and laid-back Italian-culture. If you have more than 3 days in the region, we highly recommend exploring these lesser known port towns so you can get the full Italian Riviera experience.  And if you’re looking to visit Cinque Terre but want to make a quieter town your home base, we highly recommend Lerici, San Terenzo or Portovenere accommodations.  We stayed at a wonderful 14-room, oceanfront hotel in San Terenzo which was definitely a highlight of our time in Liguria.  Hotel San Terenzo is a 4-star hotel with oceanfront balconies and a small town, cozy feel.  The staff were amazing, the views and sunsets were exquisite and to top it all off, in mid-September, the rates were surprisingly low at €140 per night. We very much enjoyed a relaxing and beautiful week in Cinque Terre and The Golf of Poets!