Oh, Italy. Take me back! What a country. The food, the scenery, the atmosphere… we had an amazing trip!

Our travels here were inspired by a single text message from my hubby in September 2018 while he was in Italy on business:

DONE.

But of course, you can’t just go to one city in Italy… you have to cram in as much as humanly possible! So I scoured the internet to help plan our route, and we watched vlogs together and asked friends. And we ended up spending 10 days in Europe and visiting 2 countries and over 20 different places!

We did something differently on this international trip – during/after (almost) everything we did, we put down a few notes and then rated it. I decided this would help me with my reviews and blog, and it really did! It also “helped” make it longer… So I’m splitting this up.

Below you’ll find an overview of our route. On another post, I’ll review the benefits of driving in Italy and the things to be aware of. The narrative and details of each place will be posted separately.

Here we go!

Itinerary

Sunday, September 22

Flight to Italy LAX – LHR – MXP (American Airlines, operated in part by British Airways)

Monday, September 23

Milan

• Dinner @ Trattoria Caprese (rate 3.5/5)

Stay: Antares Hotel Rubens, Milan (rate 4/5)

Tuesday, September 24

Milan

• Starbucks Reserve Roastery
• Piazza del Duomo
• Outside of Teatro Alla Scala
• Shopping near the Duomo
• Lunch @ Maio Restaurant, Milan (rate 4/5)
• Naviglio Canal area 
• Dinner @ Cartoccio Milano in Naviglio (rate 4/5)

Stay: Antares Hotel Rubens, Milan (rate 4/5)

Wednesday, September 25

Mottarone & Lake Maggiore 

• Alpyland (4.5/5)
• Lunch@ Ristorante Cardini (4.5/5)
• Stresa – beach lookout 

Lake Lugano, Switzerland

• Sunset beach views 
• Dinner: Grotto Pierino (aka Osteria Pierino, Da Peirino, etc.), Cureggia/Lugano (rate 4.5/5)

Stay: Hotel Atlantico, Lake Lugano (rate 4.5/5)

Thursday, September 26 

Lake Como

• Ferry to Bellagio
• Bellagio Express Train
• Lunch @ Ristorante “Alle Darsene” di Loppia, Bellagio (5/5)
• Villa del Balbianello

Lake Garda

• Dinner @ Osteria Al Torcol, Sirmione (4/5)

Stay: Hotel Saviola Sirmione, Lake Garda (3.5/5)

Friday, September 27

Lake Garda

• Sit by the Lake at the hotel
• Walk around Sirmione
• Quick Lunch @ 999 Castello Restaurant Chinese & Japanese, Sirmione (2/5)
• Drive around Lake Garda (Lazise, Torbole, Limone, Tremosine, Moniga del Garda) including Strada della Forra
• Dinner @ Ristorante Terrazza Brivido, Tremosine (4/5)
• Drinks: Recyclage, Moniga del Garda

Stay: Hotel Saviola Sirmione, Lake Garda (3.5/5)

Saturday, September 28

Lake Garda

• Castello Scaligero
• Grotte di Catullo
• Lunch @ Marghe, Sirmione (4/5)
• Boat Rental, Sirmione 
• Dinner @ Zanoni Bottega e Cucina (5/5)

Stay: Hotel Saviola Sirmione, Lake Garda (3.5/5)

Sunday, September 29

Verona 

• Verona Arena
• Juliet’s house, Verona
• Shopping
• Lunch @ Peperino Pizza & Cucino Verace (3.5/5)

Venice

• Piazza San Marco
• Bridge of Sighs
• Dinner @ Oliva Nera (5/5)
• Snack: Pasta & Pasta (3.5/5)

Stay: Palazzo Schiavoni, Venice (4.5/5)

Monday, September 30

Venice

• Murano Island
• Burano Island
• Lunch @ Riva Rosa Ristorante, Burano (4/5)
• Ponte di Rialto 
• Gondola ride
• Dinner @ Al Gazzettino (5/5)

Stay: Palazzo Schiavoni, Venice (4.5/5)

Tuesday, October 1

Parma

• Fidenza Village outlets – shopping
• Lunch @ Locanda del Culatello (5/5)
• Azienda Agricola Guareschi Parmigiano-Reggiano farm tour & tasting

Bologna 

• Dinner @ Gessetto ristorante la cucina Italiana (4/5)

Stay: Savhotel, Bologna (5/5)

Wednesday, October 2

Florence

• Early Lunch @ all’Antico Vinaio (5/5) and Starbene Gluten Free Gold (4.5/5)
• Ponte Vecchio
• Palazzo Vecchio   
• Shopping 

Pisa

• Torre de Pisa

Cinque Terre

• Manarola
• Dinner @ La Scogliera, Manarola (2.5/5)
• Dessert @ Gelateria 5 Terre (4.5/5)  
• Riomaggiore

Stay: Hotel Continental Genoa (4/5)

Thursday, October 3

Genoa

• Breakfast: Illy at the train station, Genoa

Flight Home MXP – LHR – LAX (American Airlines operated by British Airways

Keeping it short and sweet here (-ish), but before I go, I wanted to leave you with a fun fact: Italy is one of the friendliest countries for a gluten-free diet!

While I’m not a celiac, I am 95% gluten free. You know… I fit in a taste of this and a taste of that… but too many tastes and I’m in big trouble. So, I was beyond excited to have access to lots of goodies, and I was definitely not disappointed on the trip. Check out the restaurant reviews in the upcoming posts to learn more about where to eat gluten free.

Next up in the series: Driving in Italy!

XO,

J