Northern Italy Wrap Up

It was a fabulous trip to Northern Italy. The views in the Dolomites blew our minds. Lake Garda was scenic and fun. And there were a few more stops along the way, which we wanted to include here, with a few highlights from Milan.

On the drive from Bolzano to Garda there were several options to explore, but because we did the trip on Sunday, the local wineries were closed. While wine tasting will generally be our first choice, storming a castle and learning a bit of history is a good alternative. We did not regret our visit to Castel Beseno, the largest fortified complex in the Trento region. The castle extends across a hilltop with views of the surrounding valleys. Built initially during the medieval period, the fortress went through several restructurings in the first half of the 16th century. From the ramparts it was easy to understand the castle’s strategic position, which allowed for control over a major trade route between Germany and Italy.

We had a good laugh taking the photo of the “castle” chess pieces in the castle courtyard. Very “meta.”

And we did get a wine tasting in while in the Garda area, enjoying a visit to Villa Calicantus in the Bardolino DOC.

We made a pilgrimage to see the Madonna della Corona sanctuary, which is built on the side of Monte Baldo. We hiked down from Spiazzi and marvelled at the location, a truly unique site.

Our trip ended in Milan, where we’ve been before. Having already visited the Duomo, we went to see Anselm Kiefer’s Le Alchemiste exhibit at the Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi. Kiefer painted large scale depictions of women “forgotten by history.” We were not impressed as all the pieces were similar and not particularly inspiring. So we went and found a wine bar, where we enjoyed some great recommendations.

What we enjoyed most about Milan was the impressive array of fabulous Asian restaurants, where we ate lunch (Chinese) and dinner (Taiwanese). A treat we so rarely get to enjoy. Of course, we had one last gelato before departing.

Although we didn’t go in the Duomo, the hotel’s water featured it, which led to another “meta” photo.

It was a memorable trip and a great way to celebrate our anniversary and Zoe’s high school graduation. We already have plans to be back in Italy in 2027, again with friends to explore new places. Viva Italia!

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff

Lake Garda

We were sad to leave the Dolomites, but were happy to be going somewhere almost as beautiful, Lake Garda. We took a bus from Castelrotto down the mountain to Bolzano, and rented a car for the nearly two-hour drive to the town of Garda. The place we rented was right on the lake and was in Garda itself.

One night, a band played in the restaurant directly below our balcony, and we had a great view of the crowd dancing and often singing along. It was like having box seats to a concert.

Garda is a cute town, but the best part is the various views of the lake.

One morning, Shana and Debbie awoke early and hiked up the mountain above town, to give us even more views of both the city and the lake.

We drove along the lake, and eventually arrived in the town of Malcesine with its impressive castle.

We did not, however, visit the castle as our ultimate destination was the town of Limone sul Garda on the other side of the lake. Limone sul Garda is extremely touristy but we could not deny that it is beautiful.

Our time in Garda was relaxing and lovely. We were once again sad to leave such a beautiful place, but we were headed to the "big" city where we continued to enjoy Italy, but with an Asian (food) twist.

Ciao,

Jeff and Shana

The Dolomites: One More Hike – The Resciesa Plateau

While we could have found another hike on the Alpe di Siusi, we headed by bus to the nearby town of Ortisei in the Val Gardena region for our next adventure. Ortisei is a bit bigger than Castelrotto and is even more charming. Our first stop was at Caffe Corso, which we all agreed had the best cappuccinos so far, as well as yummy pastries.

We then headed up to the Resciesa Funicular base to ride up to the plateau, part of the Puez-Geisler Nature Park. It was an impressively efficient climb up, saving our legs for the circuit and allowing us to marvel at the fabulous views, which improved with every meter we rose. When we arrived, we were already above the forest line and unlike the day before, we had clear, sunny blue skies.

We stopped briefly at the Holy Cross Chapel (built in 1755) on our way up to the summit cross (2,281 meters).

From the summit, there were 360-degree views of several mountain ranges.

We then headed back down and across the plateau to get a better view of the Seceda Ridge to the east.

Fellow hikers were kind enough to snap photos of our group. Of course, we returned the favor.

The entire hike was breathtaking. We took the funicular back down to Ortisei for lunch, where Jeff and Zoe enjoyed a 6-course pizza tasting menu. There was no debate about Italian food vs. French food that afternoon. Afterwards, we meandered through the town enjoying the architecture and beautiful day, our last in the Dolomites before heading to Lake Garda.

We all agreed that the Dolomites is easily one of the most beautiful places we’ve been and we would love to return.

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff

The Dolomites: Hiking the Puflatsch/Bullaccia Circuit

We knew we had to take Deb & Zoe up on the Alpe di Suisi, and it wasn’t hard to find a different route to hike with them. The Puflatsch/Bullaccia Circuit was a great choice. The loop took us through meadows filled with wildflowers:

We also had the opportunity to see grazing cows and horses, including two foals:

Of course, there were witch themed carvings:

We even borrowed a friendly dog for a group photo, and I was able to capture the flowers and mountains in a selfie:

The weather was gray and cloudy, so we got to use our sleeves, and I even wore my ski hat:

We had a late lunch at a mountain hut that, of course, included a celebratory beer:

And I couldn’t pass up another witch’s broom photo:

The sun finally came out at the end of the hike to bid us farewell as we headed back down the mountain:

The Bullaccia Loop was everything the Dolomites should be.

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff