Our Italy trip...
...or how dh drove 2,000 miles in 10 days through 315 tunnels on the narrow, twisty, crowded, mountain roads of Switzerland and Italy.
We just returned from our longest trip yet since living in Europe – 10 days in Italy, with a stop over in Luzern, Switzerland on the way. My oldest sister and her husband flew into Frankfurt to join us. We spent a couple of days in Germany before we started our trip, visiting an Easter Egg market in Luisenpark in Mannheim on April 1 – the flowers in the park were incredibly beautiful and it felt like spring.
We headed out on Monday, April 2 for Luzern to visit my sister’s former exchange student and her family there. The drive was rainy and, although we stopped at a great Auto Grill for lunch, not as spectacular as it was on the return trip in the sunshine. We had a wonderful visit, a terrific tradition Swiss dinner of Raclette cheese and vegetables and a great time touring Luzern on Tuesday. But, we had to drive all the way to Venice on Tuesday, so we left Luzern by mid-afternoon. The drive through the mountains and around the lakes was lovely, every view more breathtaking than the next.
We arrived at our hotel in Noale on Tuesday evening and were pleasantly surprised at how large and beautiful the rooms were. We each had a suite, really, with a separate living room and kitchenette. We spent 4 nights in this hotel, so it was great to have so much room, plus a good breakfast each morning. On Wednesday morning, we walked to the train station to take the train into Venice. What an experience it was taking the city boat down the Grand Canal. I found it fascinating to wonder why people chose to live in Venice, where travel was so difficult and logistics seems very complicated. We saw boats full of everything – cases of water bottles, construction debris, fruits & vegetables, as well as tourists. If something needs to be somewhere in Venice, it goes by boat.
We caught a free water taxi ride to the island of Murano on Wednesday morning. We were ushered into a glass blowing demonstration and then toured an exclusive shop – where my dh bought me a beautiful Murano glass bead necklace and matching earrings – an early Mother’s day gift. We all did some souvenir shopping and then had an outdoor lunch in a courtyard. Although it was windy in Murano, the weather continued to be beautiful.
We headed out on Monday, April 2 for Luzern to visit my sister’s former exchange student and her family there. The drive was rainy and, although we stopped at a great Auto Grill for lunch, not as spectacular as it was on the return trip in the sunshine. We had a wonderful visit, a terrific tradition Swiss dinner of Raclette cheese and vegetables and a great time touring Luzern on Tuesday. But, we had to drive all the way to Venice on Tuesday, so we left Luzern by mid-afternoon. The drive through the mountains and around the lakes was lovely, every view more breathtaking than the next.
We arrived at our hotel in Noale on Tuesday evening and were pleasantly surprised at how large and beautiful the rooms were. We each had a suite, really, with a separate living room and kitchenette. We spent 4 nights in this hotel, so it was great to have so much room, plus a good breakfast each morning. On Wednesday morning, we walked to the train station to take the train into Venice. What an experience it was taking the city boat down the Grand Canal. I found it fascinating to wonder why people chose to live in Venice, where travel was so difficult and logistics seems very complicated. We saw boats full of everything – cases of water bottles, construction debris, fruits & vegetables, as well as tourists. If something needs to be somewhere in Venice, it goes by boat.
We caught a free water taxi ride to the island of Murano on Wednesday morning. We were ushered into a glass blowing demonstration and then toured an exclusive shop – where my dh bought me a beautiful Murano glass bead necklace and matching earrings – an early Mother’s day gift. We all did some souvenir shopping and then had an outdoor lunch in a courtyard. Although it was windy in Murano, the weather continued to be beautiful.
After wandering Venice more in the afternoon, we took the train back to Noale for a delicious dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant, a little past 7 p.m., the lights weren’t even on. We thought they were closed, not realizing until much later in the week that Italians generally eat much later in the evening. Our food was fantastic and we even took a picture of the girls at the pizza oven before heading home exhausted to our beds. Thursday was more of Venice, starting with the Accademia art gallery, after a long wait to get in. We strolled over to Piazza San Marco and left dh and dds#1&3 feeding the pigeons while dd#2, my sister, brother-in-law and I went into the Bascilica di San Marco. After more strolling through Venice, it was back to Noale that night for another great dinner and a walk through the ruins of the castle there. We also started to notice that restaurants were not only empty at 7:30 or 8 p.m., but even when other guests started arriving, very few were women.
Friday morning, we drove west about 1 ½ hours from Noale to Garda Lake. Dh dropped dd#1, my sister, brother-in-law and me off at Sirmione while he took dds#2&3 to Gardaland, Italy’s largest amusement park. Again, another beautiful day with incredible views from the castle in Sirmione, as well as the boat we took across Lake Garda to Desenzano. The amusement park crowd had a great time as well and we all got in the car to drive back. However, we took a detour and stopped in Verona for a quick visit to “Juliette’s house,” balcony and all. We had a lovely dinner at a sidewalk café next to the ancient ruins in Verona before driving back to Noale for one last night in the hotel.
Saturday morning, we were up fairly early and on the road south to the Marches area of Italy. We made a stop along the way to put our toes in the Adriatic Sea and have a delicious lunch in Senigallia. Then we continued on through some of the most beautiful scenery yet to the small town of Arcevia. Our hotel was literally on the top of the mountain, requiring lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns to reach. But the view was lovely once we got to the top.
We chose Arcevia because this is the area of Italy from which my BIL’s mother emigrated to the US in 1910. We armed ourselves with a sheet of Babel fish translated phrases, hoping to find someone who remembered her family or perhaps knew of any of the relatives who had not left the area. The woman at the front desk of our hotel told us of a small shop in the town square that was owned by a couple with the same last name, so we headed there right away, hoping they were still open on the Saturday afternoon before Easter. Luckily they were, although they spoke no English and my sister had only had the most basic lessons in Italian. When we determined as best we could that they were not the same family, we headed out through downtown Arcevia. Dh found a beautiful old monastery that housed the tourist information office, which was also open. While the woman there didn’t speak much English, she was interested in our translated questions and proceeded to show us the buildings vast art collection of a local artist named Bruno d’Arcevia. Although it was interesting art, we were trying to get her to tell us where we could find a cemetery that might help us to trace some of the family. While we were there, though, we found a book on the even smaller town of Piticchio, which is part of the Arcevia area and what my BIL’s grandmother listed as their hometown on the ship manifest at Ellis Island. So, my sister bought the book, which is entirely in Italian, and we headed out to Piticchio.
Driving through this area of the country was simply breathtaking. Each little valley led to a hill with a castle or fortress or incredibly old village of some sort. When we made it to Piticchio, it really took the cake. The whole village was 43 houses within the walls of the ancient castle, a step back into the Middle Ages. While strolling through the cobblestone streets, we stumbled on a small café for a drink. My BIL showed his sheet of phrases to the men in the café (always men again) and one literally grabbed his arm and took off. My BIL rode with the Italian-speaking old man and we followed in our car as he took us to three different places looking for relatives. While we didn’t seem to find anyone, we did find a restaurant for dinner, the Piccolo Ranch.
When we said goodbye to our travel guide, we went into the Piccolo Ranch for another delicious dinner. At one point, Angelo Sgreccia, the owner, came to our table and read the translated sheet we carried everywhere. Although he didn’t speak much English, he told us that Bruno d’Arcevia would come to the restaurant at 9 p.m. to meet us. When he arrived, he quickly confirmed that he and my BIL were 2nd cousins, sharing a grandfather on the Bruni side of the family. We had a wonderful evening, listening to his stories of the family, his own life as an artist with galleries in New York, LA, at Ohio State University and the recent sales of his paintings in Russia. He autographed calendars he’d made for the ranch for each family and gave my sister & BIL a signed book of his art as well as his address in Rome, phone numbers and email address. He bought our dinner and toasted us with the special grappa of the owner, who also turned out to be a cousin of my BIL’s on the other side of the family. It was an incredible day.
The next day, Easter Sunday, we drove back to Piticchio and attended services in the small church there. Although it was all in Italian, it was very interesting. We were supposed to meet up with Bruno d’Arcevia after 1 p.m. to go with him to the University of Ancona and see the mural he’s working on there. However, we called all afternoon with no success. So, we decided to drive to Ripalta, the very small village where the Bruni ancestors were supposed to have lived. Again, we found a group of men at the café, showed them our translated letter and found no one who spoke English. We had just about given up when one of them made a cell phone call and said someone would be there in 15 minutes. So, they invited us into the café, bought us all a drink and we waited, although we didn’t know who was coming. It turned out to be Gianni, another Bruni relative, a 1st cousin to Bruno d’Arcevia and 2nd cousin to my BIL, as well as his son Matteo. Gianni is a businessman with excellent English. He actually travels often to Chicago and Frankfurt for the same housewares conventions that Dh goes to. It was wonderful to find another link to the family and more information for the family tree. Again, everyone was incredibly gracious and helpful, even with limited communication.
Friday morning, we drove west about 1 ½ hours from Noale to Garda Lake. Dh dropped dd#1, my sister, brother-in-law and me off at Sirmione while he took dds#2&3 to Gardaland, Italy’s largest amusement park. Again, another beautiful day with incredible views from the castle in Sirmione, as well as the boat we took across Lake Garda to Desenzano. The amusement park crowd had a great time as well and we all got in the car to drive back. However, we took a detour and stopped in Verona for a quick visit to “Juliette’s house,” balcony and all. We had a lovely dinner at a sidewalk café next to the ancient ruins in Verona before driving back to Noale for one last night in the hotel.
Saturday morning, we were up fairly early and on the road south to the Marches area of Italy. We made a stop along the way to put our toes in the Adriatic Sea and have a delicious lunch in Senigallia. Then we continued on through some of the most beautiful scenery yet to the small town of Arcevia. Our hotel was literally on the top of the mountain, requiring lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns to reach. But the view was lovely once we got to the top.
We chose Arcevia because this is the area of Italy from which my BIL’s mother emigrated to the US in 1910. We armed ourselves with a sheet of Babel fish translated phrases, hoping to find someone who remembered her family or perhaps knew of any of the relatives who had not left the area. The woman at the front desk of our hotel told us of a small shop in the town square that was owned by a couple with the same last name, so we headed there right away, hoping they were still open on the Saturday afternoon before Easter. Luckily they were, although they spoke no English and my sister had only had the most basic lessons in Italian. When we determined as best we could that they were not the same family, we headed out through downtown Arcevia. Dh found a beautiful old monastery that housed the tourist information office, which was also open. While the woman there didn’t speak much English, she was interested in our translated questions and proceeded to show us the buildings vast art collection of a local artist named Bruno d’Arcevia. Although it was interesting art, we were trying to get her to tell us where we could find a cemetery that might help us to trace some of the family. While we were there, though, we found a book on the even smaller town of Piticchio, which is part of the Arcevia area and what my BIL’s grandmother listed as their hometown on the ship manifest at Ellis Island. So, my sister bought the book, which is entirely in Italian, and we headed out to Piticchio.
Driving through this area of the country was simply breathtaking. Each little valley led to a hill with a castle or fortress or incredibly old village of some sort. When we made it to Piticchio, it really took the cake. The whole village was 43 houses within the walls of the ancient castle, a step back into the Middle Ages. While strolling through the cobblestone streets, we stumbled on a small café for a drink. My BIL showed his sheet of phrases to the men in the café (always men again) and one literally grabbed his arm and took off. My BIL rode with the Italian-speaking old man and we followed in our car as he took us to three different places looking for relatives. While we didn’t seem to find anyone, we did find a restaurant for dinner, the Piccolo Ranch.
When we said goodbye to our travel guide, we went into the Piccolo Ranch for another delicious dinner. At one point, Angelo Sgreccia, the owner, came to our table and read the translated sheet we carried everywhere. Although he didn’t speak much English, he told us that Bruno d’Arcevia would come to the restaurant at 9 p.m. to meet us. When he arrived, he quickly confirmed that he and my BIL were 2nd cousins, sharing a grandfather on the Bruni side of the family. We had a wonderful evening, listening to his stories of the family, his own life as an artist with galleries in New York, LA, at Ohio State University and the recent sales of his paintings in Russia. He autographed calendars he’d made for the ranch for each family and gave my sister & BIL a signed book of his art as well as his address in Rome, phone numbers and email address. He bought our dinner and toasted us with the special grappa of the owner, who also turned out to be a cousin of my BIL’s on the other side of the family. It was an incredible day.
The next day, Easter Sunday, we drove back to Piticchio and attended services in the small church there. Although it was all in Italian, it was very interesting. We were supposed to meet up with Bruno d’Arcevia after 1 p.m. to go with him to the University of Ancona and see the mural he’s working on there. However, we called all afternoon with no success. So, we decided to drive to Ripalta, the very small village where the Bruni ancestors were supposed to have lived. Again, we found a group of men at the café, showed them our translated letter and found no one who spoke English. We had just about given up when one of them made a cell phone call and said someone would be there in 15 minutes. So, they invited us into the café, bought us all a drink and we waited, although we didn’t know who was coming. It turned out to be Gianni, another Bruni relative, a 1st cousin to Bruno d’Arcevia and 2nd cousin to my BIL, as well as his son Matteo. Gianni is a businessman with excellent English. He actually travels often to Chicago and Frankfurt for the same housewares conventions that Dh goes to. It was wonderful to find another link to the family and more information for the family tree. Again, everyone was incredibly gracious and helpful, even with limited communication.
We left the café for a small farm type of restaurant, where we jumped into the end of the Easter Sunday dinner. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel in Arcevia for a little down time to play games and relax. Monday morning, we were up and on the road early, trying to beat the traffic that would be crossing the mountains in central Italy on that holiday.
We drove from Arcevia to Genoa, stopping in Pisa to see the leaning tower. The tower itself is quite beautiful, as are the other buildings in the piazza. Unfortunately, the area around the tower is filled with hawkers selling belts, purses, toys, souvenirs, and other junk, making it crazy to walk through and very loud. We took our pictures, bought some trinkets and got back on the road quickly.
A friend of the family lives in the Genoa area and had arranged our hotel for us, which we arrived at late Monday afternoon. After making arrangements to meet her at 8:30 for dinner, we had a little time to rest, read and for the girls to play more games. Our hotel was right on the boardwalk in Arenzano, which was lively and filled with tourists, restaurants, shops and gelaterias. We had a great dinner with our friends and made plans to meet early for a tour of Portofino.
Again, Portofino amazed me with the beauty of the land. It’s not a big town, so we walked up to the castle and were thrilled with the view. We took lots of pictures, bought postcards, some t-shirts and gifts, and headed back to Genoa for lunch. That afternoon, we walked through Genoa, saw the revitalized waterfront and visited Europe’s largest aquarium. Everyone got a chance to pet the rays and see the dolphins, before we headed back to the cars to drive to a great pizza place for dinner. After incredible pizza, the best of the trip in my opinion, we said our good-byes and returned to the hotel. Wednesday morning, we were up and out early, ready for the 8-hour drive back to Frankfurt.
Frankly, there wasn’t a part of the trip I didn’t enjoy immensely – everything was incredible. I saw some beautiful places, both the incredible curiosity of Venice, the shoreline of Genoa and Portofino, the hilltop fortresses of Arcevia, and the mountain beauty of Luzern. I could have spent the time taking gorgeous pictures, if I had the talent and a better camera, but at least the ones I took will remind me of the beauty I saw.
Of course, we had incredible food everywhere we went. I will forever be spoiled by the fresh pastas and incredible risotto, never mind some good tiramisu and great lemon gelato. I will say that the lunches we had in Venice were not of the same quality of the food we had everywhere else and the cost was definitely higher – it’s just such a tourist trap. We had some great Proseco, which we discovered dds#1&3 like, but not dd#2. We had some good wines along the way, of course, and even a taste of lemoncello and grappa – neither of which made a good impression on me, but then, I’m not much of a drinker.
The hotels were all nicer than I had expected them to be, although certainly the one in Noale was by far the best and the one in Genoa was by far the noisiest. Everyone we met was very friendly and happy to help, even though we didn’t speak much Italian and they might not speak much English. Like everywhere else, the tourist areas in Venice and Genoa had many more English speakers than the small towns near Arcevia. But, the villagers certainly went out of their way to help us, even if we didn’t understand them.
We drove from Arcevia to Genoa, stopping in Pisa to see the leaning tower. The tower itself is quite beautiful, as are the other buildings in the piazza. Unfortunately, the area around the tower is filled with hawkers selling belts, purses, toys, souvenirs, and other junk, making it crazy to walk through and very loud. We took our pictures, bought some trinkets and got back on the road quickly.
A friend of the family lives in the Genoa area and had arranged our hotel for us, which we arrived at late Monday afternoon. After making arrangements to meet her at 8:30 for dinner, we had a little time to rest, read and for the girls to play more games. Our hotel was right on the boardwalk in Arenzano, which was lively and filled with tourists, restaurants, shops and gelaterias. We had a great dinner with our friends and made plans to meet early for a tour of Portofino.
Again, Portofino amazed me with the beauty of the land. It’s not a big town, so we walked up to the castle and were thrilled with the view. We took lots of pictures, bought postcards, some t-shirts and gifts, and headed back to Genoa for lunch. That afternoon, we walked through Genoa, saw the revitalized waterfront and visited Europe’s largest aquarium. Everyone got a chance to pet the rays and see the dolphins, before we headed back to the cars to drive to a great pizza place for dinner. After incredible pizza, the best of the trip in my opinion, we said our good-byes and returned to the hotel. Wednesday morning, we were up and out early, ready for the 8-hour drive back to Frankfurt.
Frankly, there wasn’t a part of the trip I didn’t enjoy immensely – everything was incredible. I saw some beautiful places, both the incredible curiosity of Venice, the shoreline of Genoa and Portofino, the hilltop fortresses of Arcevia, and the mountain beauty of Luzern. I could have spent the time taking gorgeous pictures, if I had the talent and a better camera, but at least the ones I took will remind me of the beauty I saw.
Of course, we had incredible food everywhere we went. I will forever be spoiled by the fresh pastas and incredible risotto, never mind some good tiramisu and great lemon gelato. I will say that the lunches we had in Venice were not of the same quality of the food we had everywhere else and the cost was definitely higher – it’s just such a tourist trap. We had some great Proseco, which we discovered dds#1&3 like, but not dd#2. We had some good wines along the way, of course, and even a taste of lemoncello and grappa – neither of which made a good impression on me, but then, I’m not much of a drinker.
The hotels were all nicer than I had expected them to be, although certainly the one in Noale was by far the best and the one in Genoa was by far the noisiest. Everyone we met was very friendly and happy to help, even though we didn’t speak much Italian and they might not speak much English. Like everywhere else, the tourist areas in Venice and Genoa had many more English speakers than the small towns near Arcevia. But, the villagers certainly went out of their way to help us, even if we didn’t understand them.
We can’t wait to go back to Italy sometime in the future and see Florence and Rome, and maybe more of Tuscany and the southern parts of Italy. Dd#1 wants to go to Bologna with her father sometime to eat their pastas, since he’s raved about it so in the past. And I can’t say as I blame her –we’ve never had better pasta than we did everywhere we went in Italy. All-in-all, it was a perfect vacation – even the weather cooperated. It just couldn’t have been better.
posted by Barb Deane @ 3:45 PM
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