Category: musings

Autumn in Italy – Varese

Published on by Amparo's travels & musings2 Comments

Visiting Varese

Hi!

How are you?

A couple of days ago, we took a little trip to Varese which is a city in northern Italy known for its art-nouveau villas and parks. It’s about an hour from Milan by train if you’re travelling from Milano Centrale station.

In Varese, we visited the beautiful baroque Estense Palace gardens which used to be the summer residence of Francesco III d’Este, Duke of Modena e Governor of Lombardia. The Duke was so enchanted with Varese that he begged the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to entrust it to his rule. His request was granted. The gardens behind the villa were inspired by the grounds of the royal residence of Schönbrunn (a must-see if you visit Vienna).

OPENING HOURS

Open: all year
Opening times: variable
Admission: free

After visiting the gardens, we headed to Monte Sacro; a UNESCO world heritage site.

Campo dei Fiori Regional Park – Sacro Monte

Campo dei Fiori Regional Park is home to the 17th-century Sacro Monte di Varese complex. It includes the Via Sacra, a 2km uphill path that passes 14 frescoed chapels on the way to a sanctuary.

At the very top, there’s the small village of Sacro Monte with stunning views over the lake and mountains.

One of my favourite things in the village was the Casa Museo Ludovico Pogliaghi. Pogliaghi was a painter, sculptor, architect and set designer. His most famous piece is the central door of the Duomo di Milano, an incredible work of art not to be missed. You can see the original piece in plaster inside the museum.

Duomo di Milano door

OPENING HOURS: From mid-March to mid-November: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 10 am – 6 pm  //  From June to August: Friday night opening: 6.30 pm – 10.30 pm  // The museum opens during the week for groups and guided tours, reservation needed.

TICKETS: Full price ticket for the museum € 5 // Combined ticket (you can visit the three main museums in Sacro Monte di Varese and it lasts 6 months) € 12 // Reduced ticket (kids 4-12 years and groups): € 3

Lunch at Hotel Colonne

For lunch, we found a lovely restaurant with stunning views, where we had a six-course tasting menu by Michelin-starred Silvio Battistoni (Executive Chef). The food was excellent and the service was impeccable.

Each dish is a reflection of Chef Battistoni’s creativity, guided by his passion and sensations. Sommelier Nicole Cavalieri works closely with him to choose the accompanying wines. With each course, Chef Battistoni and Sommelier Cavalieri’s creations provide guests with an evening of truly edible delight at Colonne Hotel Restaurant.

— Albergo Colonne

After an amazing lunch, we rolled out of the restaurant and did a little more exploring before heading home as it was still raining.

Here are a few more photos from Sacro Monte.

Hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.

Until next time!

Little moments of joy.

Published on by Amparo's travels & musings2 Comments

Milestones, learning to ride a bike.

old bicycle infront of a window.

Do you remember the first time you learnt to ride a bike without the help of those little wheels attached to the back wheel? 

I remember the moment I was given my “big girl” bike and feeling so excited to learn to ride it but failing over and over again. I almost gave up and threw the bike to the ground in frustration, running inside the house not wanting to see the damn thing again. A few words from my parents, a little breather and I gave it another go. When I finally got the hang of it, there was no stopping me. Pure happiness and so proud of myself. I remember thinking, HA! I did it! I can do anything now!

Today, I watched as a kid learnt to ride his bike for the first time. His mum encouraging him, pushing him along and letting go as he grew more confident. Camera in hand, not wanting to miss a single moment; her smile as big as anything. The little boys face said it all. Pure happiness. The best thing about all this? the neighbours that were watching him from their balconies; they cheered him on when they saw him wobble and applauded and congratulated him when he finally managed to pedal all the way round the patio without falling. What a brilliant thing to see. I hope he never forgets this moment.

Hope this made you smile.

I would love to hear about your first time riding a bike. Or is it something that you’re learning to do now or are yet to do? Scroll to the end to leave a comment.

Take a look at my previous posts if you enjoy my writing.

Venice, the floating city

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400 bridges connecting 118 little islands to form the beautiful city of Venice. No wonder it’s known as the city of bridges! Every step, every turn leads to another bridge. How long do you think it would take to cross them all?

Venice was one of our last stops on our month-long road trip across Italy last year. It’s as if Venice knew and it welcomed us with the darkest of storms. We hid in a nearby cafe and almost gave up. People were running trying to find shelter; street vendors replaced selfie sticks with umbrellas and the plastic ponchos were out in full force. This was not your typical storm… just as quickly as it had started it disappeared and with that most of the tourists as well! 

There are so many beautiful places to see and I will list them below, but the most important thing when visiting Venice is to wander. Forget about maps and itineraries for an hour or two and just wander the streets of Venice. I recently came across a quote by Ella Maillart that says ‘One travels to run away from routine, that dreadful routine that kills all imagination and all our capacity for enthusiasm’. Enjoy getting lost for a little while.

Now, if you are limited on time and only have a day to explore the city, here are my top places to visit.

Piazza San Marco

This is the heart of Venice and where you will find some of the most famous buildings in the city.

Campanile di San Marco

First stop, Campanile di San Marco. The views from the top are incredible and can be reached via the lift.

Basilica di San Marco

Next stop is St. Mark’s Basilica. This is probably one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. More than 8000 square metres of mosaic cover the walls, vaults and cupolas of the Basilica. The extensive use of gold in the background of the mosaics and the ever changing light that streams through the windows of the Basilica make it an incredible sight. Make sure to head up to the balcony for a brilliant view of the Piazza San Marco and to see the stunning sculptures that decorate the Basilica.

Doge’s Palace

Once you’re done at the Basilica head over to the Doge’s Palace but be warned the queues to enter are quite something so get there early.

Doge’s Palace

Bridge of Sighs

Next to the Doge’s Palace you will find the Bridge of Sighs which got its name from the cries and lamentations of prisoners who were transported from the Doge’s Palaces’ criminal courts to the prison just over the bridge.

Stroll along Riva degli Schiavoni and enjoy some lunch or a ‘spuntino’ whilst you enjoy the view of the waterfront.

Ponte di Rialto

Now let’s head over to Rialto Bridge, grab a gelato on your way there at Gelatoteca Suso. Ice cream here is delicious! The Rialto Bridge is especially beautiful at sunset so you might want to come back later but be prepared for large crowds. 

Follow the signs to Rialto

If you like visiting churches you came to the right city, there are so many to choose from and you will find dozens along your way. 

Murano and Burano

If you still have time or have more than one day, make sure to visit the islands of Murano and Burano. You can access them via water bus from Piazza San Marco as well as from Fondamente Nove.

Murano

The island of Murano, is best known for its glass and you can take a tour of one of the factories as well as go to the Museo del Vetro (glass museum). When buying glass items in Venice make sure it has the official ‘Vetro Murano Artistico’ trademark, always try to support local businesses.

Burano

Next is Burano which you will have probably seen a million times on social media and for good reason. The colourful fishing village of Burano is famous for its beautiful lace but more than anything you will have heard about Burano due to its incredibly colourful houses. The origin of the colourful houses is unknown but some say it was to help fishermen returning from the sea. Due to the heavy fog, fishermen had trouble recognising their homes and so they decided to paint them with different colours which I guess makes sense but I’m not sure how true this is. Either way, enjoy this colourful and cheerful island and make sure to eat at one of the local fish restaurants.

Getting around Venice

Venice is small enough for you to be able to walk to all the main attractions and if you’re tired you can take a Vaporetto (water bus) which is always fun.

Where to buy tickets

AVM/Actv tickets can be purchased from the following sales channels:
•    Venezia Unica point of sale throughout the historic center of Venice and on the mainland 
•    authorized retailers
•    automatic ticketing machines at the main AVM/Actv public transport arrival terminals and waterbus stops
•    AVM Venezia Official App 
•    on line on www.veneziaunica.it
•    on board waterborne services 

If the weather is bad or your time in Venice is very limited, then you can buy a ticket valid for 75 minutes for €7,50 or a time-based travel card which allows free circulation on all the ACTV vaporetto lines around the city and to the lagoon islands, as well as free circulation on the urban Mestre and Lido land-bus and tram lines (except for travel with origin or destination at Marco Polo airport – see the official ACTV fares for full details) and use of the People Mover:

  • 20,00 € – 1 DAY TRAVELCARD
  • 30,00 € – 2 DAYS TRAVELCARD
  • 40,00 € – 3 DAYS TRAVELCARD
  • 60,00 € – 7 DAYS TRAVELCARD

Where to store your luggage

There are luggage facilities at the three main transport hubs in Venice. You’ll see the sign Deposito Bagagli which are the luggage storage offices. Piazzale Roma – across from the ACTV office and next to the People Mover station.

Enjoy your trip to Venice!

Hope you enjoyed this blog post, give it a like/ thumbs up if you did or leave a comment. 

Have an amazing day!

Monday Musings

Published on by Amparo's travels & musings3 Comments

It’s a warm spring evening, just past golden hour and a light rain has started.

A light breeze plays with my hair; the humidity making it curl and stick up wildly. I love to sit out on the balcony and watch as the sun goes down. More than anything, I love the smell of the rain. A little feather lands on my notepad as I am scribbling away incoherent thoughts accompanied by thunder, church bells and the sudden crash of a crate falling somewhere nearby makes me jump.

Passers by start running for shelter as the rain gets heavier and heavier and I watch as my neighbours rush to put their laundry inside the house before it all gets ruined. I continue to sit and watch as the streets become empty and the rain turns into hail; all of this in the space of 10 minutes! two minutes later the skies clear.

Whenever it rains like this, I can’t help but smile because it reminds me of this one particular day, during a holiday visiting family in Colombia. I was around 8 I think; I remember it was raining so much! I remember tilting my head back and letting the rain fall down my face and thinking how odd it was that the rain felt so warm. It was the first time I had ever experienced tropical rain. I can’t remember whose house we were in, but I remember the small concrete tile patio surrounded by plants and feeling incredibly happy, there was so much excitement in the air. It is one of the happiest memories I have with my cousins. Playing in the rain barefoot; the endless laughter, splashing and silliness. Pure joy. I remember we had this little set of tin pots and plates which we filled with mud and mixed with rainwater that was by that point up to our ankles. We didn’t have a care in the world. All that mattered was that we were together, having the time of our lives.

Hope that my little ramblings bring a smile to your face and make you think of a time you felt as happy as I did that day in the rain. I would love to hear about it too if you don’t mind sharing 🙂

Welcome to my travels and musings blog!

Published on by Amparo's travels & musings3 Comments

Ciao! ¡Hola! Hello!

photo taken in Sardinia

Welcome to my new blog!

As I get asked quite a bit for advice on travel, I thought I would bring back my blog and share my favourite Italian travel spots as well as travel guides from around the globe.

And of course some foodie favourites! Ok, maybe a lot of foodie favourites.

I moved to Milan last year at the start of the pandemic and was lucky enough to have a couple of weeks of exploring Milan and the surrounding areas before we were all thrown into a never ending episode of lockdowns, self isolation and social awkwardness.

A year later, another mid-pandemic move, this time to Monza and things are starting to settle down a little. As we are now able to travel to other cities within Italy (hurray!!) and news of international leisure travel from the UK opening up soon as well as talks of “green passes” and “vaccine passports” for EU countries, things are looking a little brighter.

So, what do we need to do to prepare for holidays going forward?
For those of you that have not yet had the vaccine, proof of a negative Covid test result is required before departure (no more than 48 hours prior to your flight). You will most likely get tested again once you arrive at your destination. Always check each individual country’s rules as these may vary and factor in the extra costs of PCR and rapid antigen tests as well as hotel quarantine costs if required. Check the Foreign Office advice for the most up to date information on your chosen destination. A quick google search will get you onto the right page.

As more people receive the vaccine, rules will most likely change so keep an eye out for updates! In the meantime, you’ll find travel guides, maps, restaurant and cafe reviews and much more here on my blog and on my instagram account.

And so the adventure begins!