FunderfulWorld

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.

<p class="wp-caption-text"> In the streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> In the streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> In the (NARROW) streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Little bridge, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> The winged lion, Piazzetta San Marco, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> St. Theodore, Piazzetta San Marco, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Spot of sunshine? Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Grey clouds and the blue skies beyond.

<p class="wp-caption-text"> Colors! Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Splash-splash! Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Museum of Natural History. Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Beautiful churches abound. Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> The unmissable Rialto Bridge. Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Where are all the pigeons?

We joined a friend’s family on a short trip to Venice (Venezia) in early spring this year. It rained during the entire trip (well, almost!). Dampener? Absolutely not! On the contrary, it was as magical as ever! 🙂 This was our second visit to Venice (the Queen of the Adriatic had been on our travel itinerary a few years ago), the first time with Junior. A 2-hour morning ride on a FrecciaBiancafast train transported us from Milano in the Lombardia region to the romantic city of Venezia in the Veneto region of Italy.

The Monday after Easter Sunday, known as Pasquetta, is typically spent outdoors – in the countryside with friends, a picnic in a garden… And so, although the weather was barely showing signs of spring, we decided to visit one of the public parks in Milan, the Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli. We had already seen the civic aquariumand the Museum of Natural History that are located in the same garden. This time, we were ready to enjoy the outdoors.

A piazza all to yourself? Well, you can get that and much more! At the charming town of Vigevano, a short train ride away from Milan (~30 minutes). Hop on to a train from Porta Genova, and you will be transported across green fields and beautiful countryside to the quaint town of Vigevano. A short walk from the Vigevano train station through cobbled streets took us to the beautiful Piazza Ducale.