FunderfulWorld

As we got ready to welcome autumn, a grand goodbye to summer was in order. At Peschiera del Garda. On the shores of Italy’s largest lake, Lake Garda. The regional trains from Milan reach the little town of Peschiera in about an hour and a half (it is faster if you take the high-speed trains). A convenient day or weekend trip. The pretty lakeside town has an old fortress, quaint canals, boats docked along the lake, and a spectacular lakeside promenade with pebble beaches.

It is no secret that the little boy at home is obsessed with cars. And that his face lights up at the mere mention of a Ferrari. I will not even begin to describe his reaction when he sees one :). And hence, a surprise visit was planned to the Ferrari Museum (Museo Ferrari) at Maranello, near Modena. By the other Ferrari fan in our family :). As for me – their enthusiasm rubbed off on me :).

Bologna. Known as “La dotta”, “La grassa”, “La rossa”. Famous for its gastronomy, its university, and the red color on most buildings. On a very hot summer afternoon, we had the opportunity to discover Bologna in the shade! We walked along the innumerable beautiful porticoes of the capital of Emilia-Romagna in Italy. And we were amazed by the visual treat. As we wondered about exploring Bologna in the blazing sun, the porticoes came to our rescue.

Need a breather from the city sights of Milan? Looking to recharge your spirits? How does a pretty tranquil little town – on the shore of Lake Como, with spectacular mountain and lake views, verdant gardens overlooking the lake, quaint narrow streets (and not many tourists) – sound? On a sunny weekend morning in June, our destination was the little lakeside town of Varenna. This town, on the shore of Lake Como, turned out to be a fantastic visual treat.

Art, architecture, history, beauty – we discovered all that and more in Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Florence finds itself on almost every tourist itinerary of Italy. We now know why. We boarded an Italo train from Milano, and in about 2 hours, we were in the capital of Tuscany. In the next couple of days, we were completely enchanted by the magic of the Renaissance city. I must confess: We skipped the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia.

We had a wonderful time at the Genoa Aquarium, one of the largest in Europe. Located in the Porto Antico area, the Acquario di Genovais a delight for kids and adults alike. It is one of the most popular attractions and can get quite cacophonous indoors (with kids screaming in wonder and glee :)). I spent considerable time observing the manatees (munching on cabbage, I think). Junior was marveling at almost everything that swam :).

A fun and amusing way to explore Genoa is to ride the various public elevators or funiculars of the city. Breathtaking city views guaranteed! At a very reasonable price. Our first ride was on the Funicolare de S. Anna. Junior’s first-ever funicular ride – what a better place to do it than in Genoa! 🙂 Next, we opted to ride the Ascensore Castelletto, a public elevator. This one was located very near the funicular that we rode earlier.

A Trenitalia train transported us from Milano Centrale to Genoa (Principe) in about 2 hours. We passed picturesque locales and several tunnels on our way to La Superba. Our hotel, Hotel Vittoria & Orlandini, proved to be a good choice – great location, comfortable room, friendly personnel. The Old Port Area (Porto Antico) I LOVE ports. Period. 🙂 And therefore, the Porto Antico area of Genoa was the first place we visited.

A city referred to as La Superba. Home to the most delicious pesto… and amazing focaccia (oops, the goodies were GONE before I could take any pictures!). Said to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Colorful houses in the hills… and public elevators as local transport! A beautiful old port… and one of the largest aquariums in Europe. Extremely narrow streets (caruggi)… and steep slopes. Made famous by Shakespeare. “What news from Genoa?

An approximately one-hour train ride from Milano’s Porta Garibaldi took us to the charming lakeside town of Lecco. This picturesque Alpine town, on the banks of the beautiful Lake Como, is the birthplace of the Italian writer, Alessandro Manzoni. It was a sunny Sunday morning. A short walk from the Lecco station brought us to Piazza XX settembre. An outdoor art exhibition attracted many onlookers. From here, we headed towards Piazza Cermenati, which was buzzing with activity.