Italy vacation, part 2

Dear readers, the summer is almost over. Most students are back in school at this time or getting ready to start soon. My younger one starts this Monday and my older one starts next week. Hope the summer break has been relaxing and enjoyable for everyone. If you have been reading my earlier posts, you may know that we took two out of country vacations this summer. We traveled to Calgary in Canada to meet family and then we flew to Italy. In my travel post one I wrote about our Canada trip which you can read here- https://dawnandhope.com/canada-vacation-2022/. In my next travel post I wrote about visiting Rome, Vatican City, Florence and Pisa- https://dawnandhope.com/italy-trip-to-rome-vatican-city-florence-pisa/. This is the final travel post about our summer holidays, sequel part two of our Italy vacation. Here I will cover our final leg of the Italy trip visiting Cinque Terre, Venice, Milan and Lake Como. So read on.

Part One of Travel

We first reached Rome in Italy and really enjoyed the food, architecture, rich culture, hustling streets and touristy feel. Vatican City was stunning in it’s own special way, and Sistine Chapel is a must-visit. Florence has its own charm and so does Pisa. We enjoyed the sunset at Piazzale Michelango, and the lovely Piazza del Duomo in Florence. While visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa we also stopped at Sienna and San Gimignano. Now read on about the second leg of our Italy trip.

We took a train leaving Florence and went to La Spezia. The accommodation here was great too. I have to thank our kids for finding great stays throughout this vacation. It was a newly renovated apartment which was spacious, well-lit and very comfortable. We did not use the kitchen in any of our stays as we used outdoors dining options at every place we visited. Our train was in the morning of July 3 at around 10 am and the train ride was 2.5 hours. We walked on the riverfront at night after dinner and it was relaxing.

Cinque Terre

The next day, out trip was to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a string of five old fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region, which until recently were linked only by mule tracks and accessible only by rail or water. There are 5 lovely towns in Cinque Terre-Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Monterosso is the largest of the five coastal villages, having the largest and most beautiful beach, Vernazza is a small fishing village with great views from beach to hills, Corniglia is located in the middle with no beach access but nice views, Manarola is a charming and romantic place built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level, and Riomaggiore has a great beach and beautiful sunset view. Cinque Terre is listed as UNESCO world heritage site as a cultural landscape. They have beautiful beaches and breathtaking views from hills! You can hike, take a boat or train between these towns. Since we were visitors we chose TrenItalia and the train journeys were very convenient, comfortable and enjoyable. Our first stop was Monterosso and it has the most beautiful beach among the 5 or so we read. Both kids spent close to 3 hours in the beach, while my husband and I walked around, exploring, and snacking. To learn more, visit their official website here.

Venice

We spent a day in Venice on July 7! Venice is also known as city of canals, floating city or city of water and is built over 118 islands. We found Venice charming and a lovely city to explore. Kids did quite a bit of shopping, including buying souvenirs. Venice is famous for its water canals, gondola rides, beautiful bridges, busy streets, architecture, arts and carnival celebrations. The Venice grand canal is two and half miles long. We learned that gondolas have to be black in color by law, it takes a lot of work to become a gondolier and the word ‘ciao’ had originated in Venice! It is said that Venice hasn’t really changed since Napoleon’s time and maintains its all time beauty. There are more than 400 bridges and the churches and architecture are beautiful!

Lake Como

The last destination of our Italy vacation was Lake Como! We took Lake Como, Bellagio And Varenna ferry ride. Lake Como is one of those places you should visit, which is why several celebrities have homes here including George Clooney and Richard Branson. It has made appearances in movies such as Ocean’s Twelve, Casino Royale and Star Wars.

According to their official website Lake Como is also known as Lario, and is the third largest Italian lake. Lake Grada and Lake Maggiore are the two largest lakes in Italy. Lake Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe with a depth of approximately 410 meters (448 yards). Lake Como has one of the most picturesque scenarios in the world. It is located at the foot of the Alps mountain and thousands of tourists visit it every year. Lake Como is of glacial origin, dating back to the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago and is famous for its ‘Y’ shape. It is near the border of Italy and Switzerland and surrounded by mountains. It is also home to some of Northern Italy’s most charming and regal villages. It’s often touted as one of Italy’s most beautiful locales and is home to some of the country’s most impressively luxurious villas. Visit lakecomotravel.com for more information and to plan a trip!

Milan

Our last stay in Italy at Milan which was for 4 nights was at a brand new condominium which we had booked through airbnb. It had 2 bedrooms and 2 separate bathrooms over 2 floors and hence a great living experience on a vacation stay. Milan is a city in the northern Italy, and hence it was a total different experience staying here. Milan is internationally recognized as one of the world’s most important fashion capitals, but it also has a wealth of interesting museums and things to see and do. For more information visit their official website here. We spent the last day in Milan and did some shopping and sight seeing. Things to visit in Milan includes Milan Cathedral, called Duomo di Milano in Italian, a striking castle, museums and art galleries. We had fun shopping and eating while exploring Milan on foot.

Wrap up

To wrap up our Italy trip we visited many places including Rome, Vatican, Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Cinque Terre, Venice, Milan and Lake Como. It is difficult to chose our favorite but I would love to go back to Rome and Cinque Terre. In addition Vatican was magnificent, Florence was charming, Pisa’s leaning tower was breathtaking, Venice was beautiful, Milan was full of architecture and fashion, and Lake Como was stunning! Italy was a wonderful travel destination for us as a family.

Dear readers we would love to hear from you. Have you visited any places in Italy? Did you do any summer travel? Do share your recent travel place or any you are planning to visit next.

Related posts:

Canada vacation 2022

Italy trip part 1