Dear readers, summer vacation is almost over. Most students are back in school at this point or are ready to start classes soon. My little one starts this Monday and my older one starts next week. Hope summer vacation was easy and enjoyable for everyone. If you’ve been reading my previous posts, you probably know that we took two vacations abroad this summer. We traveled to Calgary, Canada to meet our family, then we flew to Italy. In my travel post, I wrote an article about our trip to Canada, which you can read here – https://dawnandhope.com/canada-vacation-2022/. In my next travel journal I wrote about visiting Rome, Vatican City, Florence and Pisa – https://dawnandhope.com/italy-trip-to-rome-vatican-city-florence-pisa/. This is our last travelogue about our summer vacation, the sequel to the second part of our Italian vacation. Here I present the last leg of our Italian tour to the Cinque Terre, Venice, Milan and Lake Como. So read on.
first part of the trip
We arrived in Rome, Italy for the first time and really enjoyed the food, architecture, rich culture, bustling streets and tourist feel. The Vatican City is amazing in its own unique way, and the Sistine Chapel is a must-see. Florence has its own charm, and so does Pisa. We enjoyed the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo and Florence’s lovely Piazza del Duomo. We also stopped in Siena and San Gimignano while visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Now read on for the second leg of our trip to Italy.
We left Florence by train to La Spezia. The accommodation here is also great. I want to thank our kids for finding a great stay this holiday season. This is a newly renovated apartment, spacious, light and very comfortable. We did not use the kitchen in any of our stays as we used the outdoor dining option in every place we visited. Our train was around 10am on July 3rd and the train journey was 2.5 hours. After dinner we took a walk by the river and it was very relaxing.
Cinque Terre
The next day, the trip was to the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a chain of five ancient fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region, until recently connected by mule tracks and only accessible by rail or water. There are 5 lovely towns in Cinque Terre –Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Monterosso is the largest of the five coastal villages with the largest and most beautiful beaches, Vernazza is a small fishing village with great views from the beach to the hills, Corniglia is in the middle, no beaches but beautiful, Manarola is a charming And romantic place built on high rocks 70 meters above sea level, Riomaggiore has great beaches and beautiful sunsets. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. They have beautiful beaches and breathtaking views of the mountains! You can hike, boat or train between these towns. Since we are tourists, we chose TrenItalia and the train travel is very convenient, comfortable and enjoyable. Our first stop was Monterosso, which has the most beautiful of the 5 or so beaches we read. Both kids spent almost 3 hours at the beach while my husband and I walked around, explored and snacked.To learn more, visit their official website here.
Venice
We had a day in Venice on July 7th! Venice, also known as the City of Canals, Floating City or Water City, consists of 118 islands. We found Venice to be fascinating and a lovely city to explore. The kids did a lot of shopping, including buying souvenirs. Venice is famous for its aqueducts, gondola rides, beautiful bridges, busy streets, architecture, art and Carnival celebrations. The Grand Canal in Venice is two and a half miles long. We learned that by law, gondolas had to be black, that being a gondolier was a lot of work, and that the word “ciao” originated in Venice! It is said that Venice hasn’t really changed since Napoleon’s time and has maintained its historical beauty. There are more than 400 bridges, churches and buildings are beautiful!
Lake Como
The final destination of our Italian vacation was Lake Como! We took ferries on Lake Como, Bellagio and Varenna. Lake Como is one of the places you should visit, which is why several celebrities, including George Clooney and Richard Branson, have homes here. It has appeared in films such as Twelve Oceans, Casino Royale and Star Wars.
According to their official website Lake Como, also known as Lario, is the third largest lake in Italy. Lake Grada and Lake Maggiore are the two largest lakes in Italy. Lake Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, with a depth of approximately 410 meters (448 yards). Lake Como has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. It is located at the foot of the Alps and is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Lake Como originated from glaciers, dating back to the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, and is known for its “Y” shape. It is close to the borders of Italy and Switzerland and is surrounded by mountains. It is also home to some of the most charming and regal villages in northern Italy. It is often touted as one of the most beautiful places in Italy and is home to some of the most impressive luxury villas in the country.access Lakecomotravel.com Learn more and plan a trip!
Milan
Our last stay in Milan, Italy was 4 nights in a brand new apartment we booked through airbnb. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 separate bathrooms on 2 floors, so it’s a great holiday stay experience. Milan is a city in northern Italy, so living here is a completely different experience.Milan is internationally recognized As one of the most important fashion capitals in the world, it also has many interesting museums and things to see and do.For more information, please visit their official website here. We spent our last day in Milan shopping and sightseeing.Attractions in Milan include Milan Cathedral, known as Duomo di Milano in Italian, a striking castle, museum and art gallery. We had fun shopping and eating while exploring Milan on foot.
wrap up
To wrap up our trip to Italy, we visited many places including Rome, Vatican, Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Cinque Terre, Venice, Milan and Lake Como. It’s hard to choose our favorites, but I’d love to go back to Rome and the Cinque Terre. Add that to the grandeur of the Vatican, the enchanting Florence, the breathtaking Leaning Tower of Pisa, the beauty of Venice, Milan full of architecture and fashion, and the breathtaking Lake Como! Italy is a wonderful travel destination for our family.
Dear reader, we would love to hear from you. Have you been anywhere in Italy? Have you ever taken a summer vacation trip? Please share your most recent travel location or any location you plan to visit next time.
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