We had received a recommendation to visit Toledo as a day trip from Madrid. While this could work, we missed the opportunity when visiting Madrid last time. So this time around, we built a road trip with the intention of arriving in Madrid and visiting some castles in the surrounding area. Toledo was a good […]
We had been trying to get to Istanbul for many years. We had at first booked a cruise that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Then had a second cruise booked with a scheduled overnight stop, but there was an incident, and they cancelled the port again and took us to Izmir instead. This time […]
Turin or Torino is a large metropolis not that far from Milan. We opted to spend three nights here on our Northern Italy adventure, but it really stands alone as a place to visit alongside other larger Italian cities. Easily combined with Milan we would definitely recommend a visit to Torino.
Northern Italy has become more popular as a tourist destination with many hoping to find less crowded historical attractions. We were intrigued and excited to plan out and explore a selection of smaller towns rich in history. We were equally excited to visit a sampling of spots along the picturesque Italian lake area. Our plan, […]
This little town was a real gem of a place to visit. With everything close by it was great to be staying in the heart of Bergamo’s Città Alta (Upper Town). We didn’t even know it when we booked but our hotel (Gombit Hotel) was actually attached to the Torre del Gombito, a stone tower […]
The smaller city of Brescia also turned out to be one of our favorite Northern Italy destinations. It is a charming little town with much fewer tourists. Everything in the old city center is close-by and within walking distance. We found everyone to be friendly and helpful and really felt welcome. Brescia Castle Upon arrival […]
One could surely plan a whole week or more around the northern lakes in Italy. This picturesque countryside nestled in the mountains is simply beautiful. No wonder many actors and celebrities have second homes here. As part of our Northern Italy road trip, we visited Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. While we would have loved […]
While we’ve heard some bloggers compare Verona with Rome, our honest opinion is that nothing can compare to Rome. With that out of the way, we enjoyed our visit in Verona. Many of Verona’s top attractions are concentrated in the historic center, Città Antica. This area is pedestrian friendly making it easy to explore on […]
About an hour west from Venice Marco Polo Airport is the city of Vicenza. This was one of the towns on our Northern Italy adventure that we adored. Perhaps the reason we loved it so much was due to our wonderful hotel, the Palazzo Scamozzi, which was actually a converted 1720 palace. Having booked early […]
The city of Padua is literally a 30-minute drive from Venice Marco Polo Airport and makes for an easy stop if starting one’s adventure from there. In our case, it felt a bit weird to arrive in Venice and not go into Venice for a visit. We were intending on maximizing our Northern Italy attractions, […]