Italy

The Ferry

Italy very quickly became one of our favorite stops...but getting there was interesting, to say the least. While trying to figure out the best way to get from Barcelona to the coast of Italy, I came across a more unconventional option... overnight ferry, basically like a mini cruise. It sounded cool. It was cheaper than a flight and less complicated than the mix of trains we'd need. So I figured this was a no-brainer. We boarded and quickly found out many others thought the same thing. It was packed, like really really packed! They seemed to have no limit on the amount of people they were letting on this ship. So there were people and families sleeping everywhere, in the halls, the stairwells, even the "movie theatre" was full of people and their luggage. The dining options were, to put it nicely, not as advertised. We were forced to eat what we had on us, a can of sardines and a jar of olives. One last round of Spanish tapas. Kids ran through the halls all night long and seeing who could be the loudest. To top it off, there was no Wi-Fi or cell service onboard. Kaitlyn and I decided we were just fine to stay in our room the whole night and keep to ourselves. 

La Spezia - Cinque Terre

Luckily after the ferry, things got better. We landed in Genoa, grabbed our first Italian cappuccino, and boarded the train to a town called La Spezia.

We were excited for this part of our trip, not only because of the location but also because two friends were joining us. Our friends Cale (Ryan's former roommate) and Kailey. We stayed at an Airbnb close to the train station and city center, which made exploring La Spezia easy and gave us quick access to Cinque Terre.

We arrived a day before them so we decided to get a head start on exploring Cinque Terre. We got up early and trained to the biggest town first, Monterosso. We explored a bit, grabbed a coffee and bombolone (basically an Italian doughnut filled with cream and topped with powdered sugar), got our hiking passes, and we started our trek through the cities.

Each town is connected by hiking trails which makes for a scenic way to travel to each one. The hikes between the town vary pretty significantly. Some are fairly easy, with lemonade and wine stands along the way, while some of them are steep and strenuous (think doing the stairmaster for an hour plus). Either way, the views are spectacular and we stopped countless times to take pictures. We made our way to the town of Vernazza where we wandered the city and had some fried anchovies and calamari as a mid-hike snack.

After that we were off to the next, and our favorite town of the day, Corniglia. I'm not sure why but a lot of people on the internet say this is the town to skip if you are short on time. We would disagree. While it's a little smaller, there are fewer tourists, and the way the city is laid out is super unique and fun to walk around. Plus if you make your way all the way down we found an amazing spot to jump and swim in the ocean. We ended the day with one more hike to Volastra where we stopped at Capellini Winery to enjoy some local wine while the sun set. 

That night, after dealing with a nationwide train strike, our friends finally made it to the Airbnb. The gang was officially here so we grabbed dinner and went to bed early to get a head start on Cinque Terre the next day. 

The next morning we started at the opposite end and visited Riomaggiore where we spent the morning walking the streets and swimming at Riomaggiore Beach. We then hiked over to the last town, Manarola. After lunch at Nessun Dorma, we had an awesome surprise... we found two of our good friends Drew and Lorna out on their honeymoon! Kaitlyn and I weren't able to make it to their wedding a few months prior because we were getting ready for our trip. So it was really cool to be able to see them out here. We spent the rest of the day catching up, finding wine, swimming in the ocean, and cliff jumping off some 35 ft rocks. Manarola became our favorite town and the day ended up being one of our favorites so far.  

Way too quickly, our time in Cinque Terre was up. It was time for us to pack and head to Milan.

*mention how many days here and also highlight that we loved being on the coast of Italy, it was so colorful, scenic, etc. Every picture/postcard/etc. you have seen doesn't even do it justice*

Milan

We spent two days in Milan because Kailey and Cale got tickets to the F1 Italian Grand Prix. Kaitlyn and I, unfortunately, weren't able to go so we spent the day in Milan doing some shopping, sight-seeing, and finding the best affogato of our lives at Gelateria Umberto 1934. It turned out Drew and Lorna were in Milan too, so we met up with them one more time for dinner. 

After the F1 race, we all spent the last day seeing the big three sights, Duomo, Vittorio Emanuele, and the Starbucks Reserve. *if we did it over, we would have spent another day here to shop some more since it is the capital of fashion, eat at restaurants and explore more of the inner city parts of italy, since all other areas are more rustic/small*

Alba

Next we headed to the Piedmont region of Italy. We took a train from Milan to the town of Alba. We spent three days in a rustic cottage in the middle of the vineyards. The house had two cats, a dog, and a chicken coop so we got fresh eggs every morning. 

During our time here we drove around exploring the different towns and tried to learn a little bit more about the wine in this region. We had two very memorable meals while we were here. One was at Umano, a really cool place in the small town of Neive. The other was at the Boglietto airstrip. We were driving around, starving, and looking for something around us to eat. So we went to the closest thing Google maps suggested. Once we arrived, we realized it was a tiny cafe for people waiting at the airfield. We almost turned around but we decided to give it a try, and we were so glad we did. There wasn't really a menu here. We just sat down and ate whatever we were brought. One of which was the best gnocchi of my life. Another was carne cruda all'albese. Yes, raw beef at an airport cafe, and it was fire!

The other Piedmont claim-to-fame is the truffle. We got to visit the house of a trifolao (truffle hunter) in the town of Canelli. He explained the process of truffle hunting and the different types found on their land, but most importantly, he showed us how he and his dogs find them. This was such a cool experience and after we were done, he let us try the different types and even finished off with some truffle ice cream, which was an experience we won't forget any time soon.  

Unfortunately, our time here was wrapping up and our friend Kailey had to head back to work. So now, it was just the three of us heading to our last city in Italy.

Stresa

We finished our time in Italy at Lake Maggiore, specifically in the town of Stresa. It had incredible views, with mountains rising above the calm lake waters. During our stay, we explored the town, stopped for drinks at a few of the historic hotels, and spent a day visiting the three famous lake islands.

Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Madre 

One of our favorite days here, we hopped on a boat and hit each of the islands here. They are very small but packed with unique shops and good restaurants. Our favorite island was Pescatori, where we stopped at Trattoria Imbarcadero for some fresh grilled fish from the lake and Aperol Spritzes. Seeing the islands is a can't-miss if you are in the area, although if we did it again we'd probably skip Madre. It is pretty but you can't see much unless you buy an additional ticket to the botanical gardens. 

Italy

Our 11 days in Italy were easily the most fast-paced and packed part of our trip so far. It's also the first time we've seen people from home which made it extra fun for us. Kaitlyn had been to Italy quite a few times before this trip and I was glad I got to finally see why she loves it so much. Next up, we cross the northern border and head to Switzerland. See you in the Alps!

*mention pizza w/fries,