The day began with a group walking tour of Trento, and then we had a free afternoon to enjoy by ourselves. We had opted against taking the optional cooking class—a good decision given our lack of desire and spending $270 (for two) on something we had little interest in doing. Instead, we explored more of the city, including taking a cable car up to the mountaintop for a panorama view.
For this post, I will take you on a photo tour of the sites we enjoyed throughout our tour and let the photos and captions tell the story.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
He seemed to be amused watching our group outside of the castle!
We had visited (and photographed) the piazza the previous day, but I couldn’t get enough of these gorgeous frescoes! As the light changed, I kept going back, as you will see later in the afternoon…
We had a free pass to ride the Trento cable car, and we thoroughly enjoyed the views!
While Bruce rested his knee (torn meniscus), I poked around the streets of Sardagna and watched a car race winding through the streets off in the distance.
Back in town, the sky was clearing more and more, so we enjoyed wandering the streets.Back in the piazza again! Click on the photo for a panorama view!
Piazza Dante, across from our hotel
The specialty at this shop was speck, a fatty ham that is 80% fat! It was a hard NO for me, but it was a favorite in the old days– the “energy bar of the middle ages,” according to our morning tour guide!I thought this community closet was a great idea! Leave clothes that you don’t need and pick up something you do. Donated canned and packaged food was available as well.
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #18: OVERLAND TO BEAUTIFUL BRESSANONE (BRIXEN)
On the way to Trento, we stopped in the beautiful town of Desenzano, situated on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Some of the streets were blocked off, which baffled Maria, our travel leader, and our bus driver. Did something horrible happen? It wasn’t until a sports car with a number on the side whizzed by that we realized we had stumbled upon a car race! We all hopped out of the bus and headed to the waterfront to see the action. It was the 2024 1000 Miglia, an annual 1000-mile vintage car race that has taken place in the province of Brescia since 1927. The tour concluded in Desenzano where the drivers got their final stamps at the check-in tent, and then took some final laps to celebrate. Italians are huge car race enthusiasts, so it was fun to watch with the locals, as they cheered for their favorites.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Maria also managed to corral our group for a walking tour of the town, which we found to be quaint and charming. The race and walking tour were great ways to break up our journey to Trento!
Ricetto Castle
We continued on to visit an olive mill for a tour, olive oil tasting, and al fresco lunch. The mill we visited, Frantoio Manestrini, was a family-operated mill that had received national recognition. The vegetarian option for lunch was a welcomed surprise, given the lack of vegetables available during the previous days in Northern Italy and Switzerland.
The final leg of our journey took us through the foothills of the Italian Dolomites, which we would be seeing more of in the following days. Upon arrival in Trento, we checked in at the beautiful Grand Hotel Trento, and then took an orientation tour of the lovely town.
Looking up the winding staircase from the bottom floor……and looking back down from the top.
Trento is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. Formerly part of Austria, it was annexed by Italy in 1919 and is now one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in Italy with a high standard of living and quality of life.
Trento is a city of frescoes.
Trento is also a city of gorgeous stone sidewalks of local red limestone.Some of the stone sidewalks have fossils such as this one dating back 200-250 million years!
As if we hadn’t already experienced good luck when we happened upon that car race, the good luck continued in the evening when we stumbled upon a festival in Plaza Duomo, the cathedral square, following dinner. Proloco Centro Storico Trento is part of Feste Vigiliane, celebrating patron saint San Vigilius. The week-long festival transforms the streets and alleys into a mediaeval quarter where food, entertainment, and ancient handicrafts bring out the crowds. The celebrations are full of humor and laughter, concluding with fireworks on the final day.
We stood outside the gate watching men prepare huge copper kettles of polenta. Along with beer, bowls of the polenta were carried out by costumed servers. It was a big social event, and everybody seemed to be having a great time! We sure enjoyed watching!
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #17: TERRIFIC TRENTO
About that “break” I mentioned at the end of my last post; we went on an Overseas Adventure Travel tour to Peru. As soon as I complete my blogs about this tour, I will begin my posts on our amazing and fabulous adventure!
Meanwhile, back in Italy, while the rest of the group went on an optional tour, Bruce and I opted to spend the day exploring on our own. We walked to the charming town of Iseo to catch the ferry to the island of Monte Isola, and we immediately knew we wanted to save some time to see more on the way back.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Scenes of Iseo, while walking through town to the ferry.
This mother was cruising near the ferry with her baby hitching a ride on her back.
Looking back at Iseo from the ferry.A view of the mainland from the lake.Monte Isola
Monte Isola, located in the middle of Lake Iseo, is 1.7 square miles in size and has a population of less than 2,000. It is a beautiful island that peaks at just under 2000 feet, making it a challenge to traverse on foot. We set out to hike one of the loops that took us through the cobbled-street town, and along the waterfront.
We saw mothers with their babies all along the waterfront!
We then turned inland to traverse the island’s steep interior. When I say steep, I mean steep! On one of the roads, a sign warned a couple of cyclists about the steep grade as they walked their bikes up the incline, huffing and puffing. I wondered if they muttered to each other, “Tell me something I don’t already know!” Meanwhile, cyclists flew by in the other direction, as they raced downhill. There was no walking path for pedestrians and no shoulder, so we carefully navigated as bikes and a few cars flew down as we walked up.
Celebrating our achievement of making it to the top, we enjoyed the spectacular views of the lake down below and Iseo off in the distance. It was definitely worth the hike up, even if it was challenging and clouds threatened to drench us along the way. (Fortunately, we stayed dry!)
Bruce enjoying a cold Coke Zero on our way back down.
We’re almost there!
After we completed the loop back to town, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the ancient, cobbled-street town with its steep and windy back streets. Ancient is a subjective description, but there is indication the town was a Roman settlement dating back to 905! This town has history!
More recently, Monte Isola’s little commune became famous when artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude created an incredible temporary installation, The Floating Piers, in 2016. These are a few photos I shot of the photo exhibit that was on display along the waterfront:
The skies cleared for our ferry ride back to Iseo, so we enjoyed weaving our way in and out of the streets after we arrived, exploring around each corner.
We passed by this little privately-owned island on the way back to Iseo.
Iseo
We decided to have pizza for dinner at a little place I found on Trip Advisor, Forno Di Porta del Camo. Check out the link for my review, “Great Owner & Great Pizza.” We will never forget the owner or his pizza. We laughed about it the entire way back to our hotel!
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #16: TRAVELING TO TRENTO
As we departed Tirano, I took one last look at the red Bernina Express train with gratitude. Yesterday had been an epic day in the Swiss Alps!
Now we were headed to Lake Iseo for new adventures. Along the way, we enjoyed beautiful views of Val Camonica and stopped in the little northern Italian town of Edolo.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
It had rained so much in Edolo that the water was flowing at a much higher level and volume than normal.
Our next stop was in the Franciacorta wine region where wonderful sparkling wine is produced using the traditional method. We toured the Bersi Serlini winery, and then sampled several of their sparkling wines followed by a delicious lunch.
The final destination for the day was Hotel Araba Fenice, on Lake Iseo. Check out that link and you will see an aerial shot of the hotel’s location on their Trip Advisor page. What a gorgeous spot! The hotel does a great job taking advantage of the scenery with large lake-view windows and an infinity-edge pool. Although we had warm weather to enjoy the pool, the water temperature was 60 degrees, and the lake was even colder. Brrr!
Lake Iseo, in the Lombardy region, is surrounded by medieval villages, and Bruce and I looked forward to exploring the town of Iseo the following day. Until then, we enjoyed a walk around the shore near our hotel with Maria, taking in the views at one of Pilzone’s tiny beaches.
Dinner that night was in the hotel’s restaurant overlooking the lake. Not only was the view gorgeous, but the cuisine was fabulous, too!
Coming up next (after a break): SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #15: MAGICAL MONTE ISOLA AND INTRIGUING ISEO
For the six people on the main tour who were not on the pre-extension, this was an opportunity to spend a day in Switzerland. I’m sure I could speak for the other nine of us that we were excited to see the Swiss Alps again!
This day was what Bruce and I had looked forward to the most: Riding the Bernina Express. It is one of the few rail journeys designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only is it the world’s highest Alpine crossing (reaching an altitude of 7,400 feet), but also the steepest, with gradients up to 7%.
The journey took us over bridges and viaducts (including a full 360 loop over one of them), through tunnels, past glaciers and alpine meadows, and through tiny villages and vineyards. I did not take this ride sitting down or with the window closed! Fortunately, I was sitting across the aisle from another photographer in our group, so we shared windows on both sides of the train, jumping back and forth when we saw something worth shooting—which was often!
Our local guide, Roberto, was awesome! He rides the train six days per week as a guide, so he knew exactly when our cameras needed be ready for a spectacular scene. At times, it was a blink-and-you-miss it photo op, so he gave us a countdown, so we could capture the best shots.
Remember what I said in one of my Swiss blogs about trains being on time? Well, $#@* happens and it did happen on our journey. At one point in the 30-mile ride, we came to a complete stop and didn’t move. We waited, and waited, and waited… Roberto finally went in search of the conductor to ask what happened. The news wasn’t good. The driver of a huge crane truck didn’t lower the crane enough to go under the railway’s electrical lines, so he got in a tangle with those lines and the lines won. They came down and lost power, and a crossing arm was destroyed. It was a mess. Kudos to the efficient Swiss, though. They immediately called for a bus to pick us up and take us to the next station where the lines had power. To compensate for the inconvenience, we were upgraded to first class. I didn’t notice much difference except the restroom was quite large and nice!
If that’s the worst that would happen throughout our three-week trip (and it was), it was all good!
What was fabulous was our luck with the weather! Normally, there is no snow in mid-June, but it rained for two months straight, late into the season. Lucky for us, it stopped just in time. Come along on our journey and see for yourself!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
The view of our train from our hotel room in Tirano. We were so excited to wake up to a beautiful day!This was just the beginning of many beautiful scenes to come on our 30-mile Bernina Express Journey.Our group, waiting for Bernina Express train, #2.
Upon arrival at the Diavolezza station, we took a cable car up to an elevation of 10,000 feet.The ride was spectacular! This was shot out the cable car window.
Seen while disembarking the cable car. Love it!
The view from the cable car ride back down. Dark clouds rolled in, so we were grateful to have enjoyed the beautiful weather while it lasted!
Maria shared a local spiced eggnog with us to celebrate during our journey back to Tirano.
The track made a 360 spiral!
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #14: EDOLO AND LAKE ISEO
When I heard we would be visiting a goat farm for our “Day in the Life” excursion (an Overseas Adventure Travel feature on every tour), I immediately thought of my friend, Laura. Years ago, when she visited me and Bruce (and after we all had one too many glasses of wine), a funny conversation we were having about goats led to Laura exclaiming, “Bring in the goats!” I don’t remember what the story was or how the topic of goats came up, but “Bring in the goats!” has been a joke between us ever since. Whenever Bruce and I see goats, one (or both) of us quote Laura, have a giggle, and immediately think of her. So, Laura, this post is dedicated to you!
The farm we visited was in the Valtellina Valley, in the Alpine region of Italy near the Swiss border. Known for its agriculture and cheese-making, we participated in both activities after first meeting the goats.
First, a little background: The hillsides and hamlets of this region used to be home to the rich; however, when people started moving into the cities, the small hamlets became depopulated and abandoned. To encourage people to return and build the population back up, abandoned homes were offered by the government for 1 Euro, but with strings attached. The new owners were required to commit to renovating and living in these homes. That worked well during COVID, when people started working remotely, fleeing the cities, and repopulating the region. More and more people are continuing to return to farming and living in more remote places such as the Valtellina Valley again.
We visited Fattoria al Dos in Castello dell’ Acqua and were hosted by Gabriele, his son, Michele, and Gabriele’s dad. Their farm had been passed down by Gabriele’s great grandfather through the generations, and Gabriele now does most of the work while his father handles the tourism end of the business, such as hosting groups like ours.
Their goats were a friendly bunch! They immediately came over to meet us, and they loved being scratched on the head! If we stopped giving them attention, they just stood there and stared at us, waiting for more. It was quite evident that once we were on the scene, they didn’t care about eating the hay that was piled up for them.
After learning about their goats and the milking process, the scene that unfolded brought out an instinctive, “Bring in the goats!” from both of us. While we watched, the goats were brought out of the barn and herded by their dog, Simba, to an area where they could feast on fresh grass.
Simba, keeping an eye out on the goats.
We also helped plant potatoes and learned how to make goat cheese. Their 60 goats yield about 30-40,000 liters of milk a year that is worked into cheese. One hundred liters of milk yields about 17-33 pounds of cheese, just to give you an idea of their production, which they sell locally.
It was interesting tasting the different cheeses they make, from young to aged. We were then served a traditional farm lunch of risotto. For dessert, we enjoyed the cheese we each had made, accompanied by homemade fruit jam or honey.
Our time at the farm was so enjoyable, and it was fun learning about the life of the three generations working the farm. Gabriele and his wife are hoping that Michele will carry on the tradition!
Looking down the hill from their farm, the view was of this little village cemetery.
Following our return to Tirano, Bruce rested while I wandered through the town doing photography, one of my favorite travel activities. I most enjoy exploring quaint, character-filled places that inspire my curiosity, encourage me to peek and poke around corners, get lost, and totally immerse myself in the moment. Tirano was one of those places.
Entering the historic quarter,,,
Our evening concluded with these wood-fired pizzas that cost only $13– for both! The one on the left is a traditional “pizza quattro stagioni” (four seasons), which explains why the ingredients were kept separate! Bruce and I split the pizzas, but I passed on the “winter” season.
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #13: ALL ABOARD—AGAIN!
Following that epic thunderstorm the night before, we weren’t sure what we would be waking up to on this morning. I hopped out bed, flung open the curtains, and exclaimed, “SUN!”
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
On the way to Varenna.
It was sure to be a beautiful day in Varenna, located just 20 miles from Lecco and situated on Lake Como in the Lombardy region of Italy. Founded by fisherman in AD 769, this town is old! It is currently a popular tourist destination, so we were fortunate to beat the crowds that would be arriving later on the ferries, when we took our morning stroll along the waterfront. As time ticked by, the little town became more and more crowded. Thankfully, by then, we were making our way back to our meeting spot and had already done the photography I had hoped to accomplish without people in every photo.
This little town of 800 people has loads of character and photographic possibilities! I enjoyed exploring the many staircases leading to the upper town and seeing the nooks and crannies along the way.
The view across Lake Como from Varenna
Church of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist Church) was built before the year 1000! We were fortunate it was open, so we could see the interior frescoes.
As we made our way back, the crowds were growing larger on the walkway!
After dining al fresco with our group for lunch in Varenna, we traveled on to Tirano, the beginning point of the famous Bernina Express train to the Swiss Alps. After settling in at the hotel, Maria led us on an orientation tour of the town. The skies became quite dark and gray; quite the opposite of our bright, sunny morning. More about Tirano in my next post! Until then, thanks to all of you who have sent emails about my posts! I appreciate it!!
The dessert at lunch was fabulous! It was chocolate; what’s not to like?
Next up: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #12: VENTURING OFF TO A VALTELLINA VALLEY GOAT FARM& TIRANO
We didn’t see much of the city of Milan, but what we did see was marvelous! The day began with a visit to the church and convent, Santa Maria delle Grazie, home of Leonardo Da Vinci’s world-famous mural, The Last Supper. This mural is so famous that it is viewed by 1,000 people per day (on timed tickets), and the tickets are sold out three months in advance. Only small, guided groups are allowed in to see it at a time, and it is very tightly controlled with high-tech security.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
The church, built after the convent, dates back to 1490 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Da Vinci painted the mural in 1495-1498, during the High Renaissance period. “Truly I tell you. One of you will betray me.” These were the words spoken by Jesus that provoked intense emotions in the twelve apostles. Da Vinci portrays their shock in his masterpiece that has been viewed by countless people over hundreds of years.
Da Vinci used an innovative “dry” technique (a mixture of oil and tempera to bind the pigments) that enabled him to ponder his work and achieve vivid color effects with translucent glazes. This technique, however, made the painting extremely fragile and in need of continuous restoration. The latest restoration was completed in 1999.
Directly opposite The Last Supper is The Crucifixion, by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano. He used the traditional technique of “fresco” wall painting to portray a scene where saints and “blessed souls” of the Dominican order, with the city of Jerusalem in the background.
Next, a local tour guide took us around the historic city center of Milan, which is known as the only “European” city in Italy. People come from all over to work in Milan and are quite open to experimentation and innovation, especially in fashion. Jobs in Milan are the best-paying jobs in Italy, but the flip side is that housing is the most expensive as well. Apartments cost anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 Euros per square meter. Compare that to the 400 Euro in Perugia where our tour leader, Maria, lives and it is shocking!
The day we were in Milan the European Union elections were taking place, but only 7% of Italians voted. In general, Italians don’t follow politics and are not informed. 50% don’t vote at all, and that percentage is growing. Sound familiar?
Our walking tour took us past the Teatro La Scala opera house and Duomo di Milano to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II. This is no ordinary shopping mall; it’s the place to shop! Not that we were there to shop; haute couture isn’t our thing. Built in the late 1800’s, the architecture, with its glass dome and mosaic floors, is gorgeous.
This mosaic mural was in the bar famous for serving Campari drinks.
Following the tour, we had free time, so Bruce and I visited the duomo. We had pre-purchased tickets, which allowed us to bypass the long lines, so we were grateful!
The duomo took nearly six centuries to complete and seats 40,000 people! Started in 1386, construction was finally finished in 1965 and is the largest church in Italy. In the world, it ranks third in size.
We may not seen anything other than Milan’s historic city center, but what we did see was nothing short of amazing and beautiful!
Our evening was spent back in Lecco, where we walked as a group to a local restaurant for dinner.
Following our return, the skies opened up! The electrical storm that followed was like fireworks on the 4th of July. This is a video I shot from our hotel balcony. At times, the auto-focus got fooled, but you will get a good idea of what it was like.
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #11: VIBRANT VARENNA
A new country and new currency. I have gotten in the habit of bringing home currency that I know I will be using again. In this case, Italy is on the Euro, so I kept extra Euros from our 2023 trip to Tuscany and Umbria, knowing we would be returning to Italy again. As for those Swiss Francs? I spent my last remaining coins on chocolate, of course!
Having written a lot about Italy in my past blogs, I won’t get into any of those topics this time around. I will, however, make a few distinctions between Switzerland and Italy. Take the roads, for example. Swiss roads are excellent and constantly being improved, which isn’t the case in Italy. The trains in Switzerland are also extremely punctual (After all, they are known for their fabulous watches!). In Italy, not so much. How about those restrooms. I had never seen such a nice and clean restroom as the ones on Swiss trains! In Italy, they were often missing a toilet seat, for starters…
Still, there is a reason this was my fifth time in Italy: I absolutely love it! What’s not to love? The country is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly; and the food is amazing! Although, if it’s typical Italian cuisine you are searching for with lots of fresh ingredients (especially vegetables), don’t go to northern Italy; just stick with the south. Northern Italy may be gorgeous, but the climate isn’t conducive for growing a variety of vegetables, so they aren’t the easiest to find. Would you like a beautiful California-style salad? Fuhgetaboutit. A rich tomato-based sauce on your pasta? Nope! Rich cream sauce and meat will appear on your pasta. Even if you order “lasagna with vegetables” like I did at dinner, the vegetables are micro-diced—just a nice little splash of color for interest. You can find plenty of mushrooms, however; they are native to the area, as are white truffles.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
This may have been lacking in vegetable volume, but it sure was big on flavor!
The bottom line? Don’t go to northern Italy for cuisine with fresh ingredients, but DO go for the drop-dead gorgeous scenery!
We began our tour in the Lombardy region in Lecco, along the shores of Lake Como, and 30 miles north of Milan. At less than 50,000 people, it’s a small, less touristy city and easy to navigate on foot.
Our hotel, located across from Lecco, had a beautiful view of the lake and town. Had the skies been clearer, we would have also had amazing views of the mountains beyond.
The view off to the left of our hotel
Following a walking tour by our Italy tour leader, Maria, we had time on our own.
Author Alessandro Manzoni was from Lecco.
This woman kept an eagle eye on the gardener down below watching his every move.
I had never seen such adorable cakes as in this bakery!
Pizzette (miniature pizzas) were a convenient snack-on-the-go.
Next, we took a ferry to the quaint town of Mandello, a picturesque commune of less than 11,000 people. We were treated to delicious gelato before wandering through the town and ending up at the train station for a ride back to Lecco.
Check out this ferry employees badge when he had hair and looked much younger. He has been with the ferries for a long time!
Our first day in northern Italy was so enjoyable—relaxing and lovely!
Getting in and out of Zermatt can only be accomplished by train or helicopter, so we took a short train ride out, and then met up with our bus driver for our transfer to Lecco, Italy, through Simplon Pass. Along the way, we pulled off for a stunning view of the scenery that surrounded us.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
For an al fresco lunch and some free time to explore, we stopped at Lake Orta. The road was so narrow, our driver had to park the minibus, so we could transfer to a local van to continue, requiring two trips for our group of nine and Susy. The town was so charming and photogenic—well worth tackling those logistics.
The following are scenes from this beautiful little town, beginning with the side of the short stone tunnel we walked through, which revealed the next scenes.
Coming up next up: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #9: LOVELY LECCO
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 