Milano

My last day and a half was spent in Milan. I was able to share a taxi & train with Kristen & Diego (who were traveling on to Switzerland). We were the last ones to leave the villa which resulted in some creative miming and rudimentary english/Italian communication skills with our air bnb host. At one point, I was trying to explain that I was the only one left in the main house and the other two were in the small guesthouse and at the end he goes "your name "OnlyOne'?". 🤦🏼‍♀️ come on Susan, communicate better! Hahaha. 

I also left my waterbottle there. Le sigh. 

Florence train station was pretty easy to navigate, but the delays on the train were annoying (and caused K & D to miss their connecting train!!). I love myself a solid European train ride, so I just put on my music and watched the scenery for 2.5 hours. 

I successfully navigated the Milan metro with a suitcase in tow to head to my hostel at Yellowsquare Milan. I splurged and got myself a private room for the first time in a hostel. I enjoyed sharing rooms Lauren on this trip, but man, it was fantastic to get some space all to myself. ;) Not to mention AC and an ensuite. 

I was ravenous after the journey and got a quick little snack called "Trapizzino". It's originally from Rome and was visioned as a type of pizza street food. Think of it like a pizza taco. It was perfect. Crunchy bread, delicious eggplant. Just👌.

I had very little energy but the hostel had an English language stand up comedy show that I decided to check out. 2 glasses of wine and a lot of laughs later ended my evening. 

The next day I explored Milan solo. Something about walking in a European city made me feel both romantic and nostalgic for my time living in London. I took the metro and a bit of a walk to get to the "Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci"... or the National Science and Tech museum. Milan is HOT (38 degrees in the afternoon) so I thought a cooler museum would be a good use of my time.

It really was a random museum. There were things like a replica of an old pharmacy, the world's first tortellini machine, a section on space, an area on telecommunication, Volta's first battery, giant ships and airplanes in full size, and a whole wing about Leonardo Da Vinci. 

It showcased a history of his life alongside replicas of his machines. Unfortunately a lot were reproductions, as I think more of the original documents (if they still exist and are available to the public) are housed in his museum in Florence.

A replica of a Da Vinci flying machine

There were some cool art exhibits, like one where you spoke into a microphone and it kicked out the word as a visual representation, and another called "Socio Cromie: 100 Anni in 25 colori". I really liked this one, as it appraled to the modern history nerd that I am. Each piece had a colour associate to a different movement or moment in time. Such as a shade of white for "White collar" (1911 - indicate the start of business class workers), a light brown for the "Brown Shirts" (1921 - first paramilitary member of the Nazi party), or a golden colour for the "Ballon d'or" (1956 - award for the euro footballer of the year). It went all the way to the "Red Zone" in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

History in colour

After the museum, I grabbed a panzo as a snack and headed to Via Torino, a shopping area near the Duomo. I browsed the air conditioned store, determined to score some less expensive Milan fashion. Well guess what they had there... a primark! Primark is like the British version of Old Navy/H&M and of course I found some cute items there. You can take the girl out of Lewisham but not the 'sham out of the girl. 😅

I then went to meet up for a walking tour I found on Guru (tour website). One of those "pay what you want tours". The guide was great, but I was fading fast. I only lasted for half the tour, but saw an old hospital that is now a university, learned some things about the Visconti family (Milan's version of Florence's Medicis) and a bit about the Duomo. 

Some highlights that I can remember:

- The statue at the top of the Duomo is made out of gold and protects the city of Milan. There was a rule that nothing could be higher than her. But you know that didn't stick, so now if a building is higher than the Duomo, it has a replica of the statue at the top of it. 

- Saint Ambrose, one of the patron saints of the city, is often depicted with a whip in his hand in statues which indicates his "assertiveness".

- Mythology states that the patriarch of the Visconti family killed a dragon/snake thing that was eating children. He became a hero to Milan. All around Milan are pictures of the snake eating a child -- it's even on the Alfa Romeo logo (that's not a red tongue sticking out of the snake 😉). 

I left the group tour at the Duomo which is hella impressive. It took 600 years to build and you can tell. One regret I had was not going inside. Ah well, a reason to return!

Duomo 

I got back to the hostel and was reunited with Rob for dinner (he had done his own solo day exploring car museums). I was craving gnocchi so we used some impressive detective skills (google), found a highly rated one about 30 mins away and headed to it. 

Restaurant Da Oscar did NOT disappoint. It was packed but we luckily grabbed the last seat inside. Surrounded by pictures, chatt italians and even some framed Mussolini quotes (still can't get over that) - we shared some wine, good convo, and amazing caprese & gnocchi (possibly my fav meal I had). A random accordion player and his trombone friend popped in to serenade the few tourists in the restaurant which was a nice surprise. 

We decided to grab a cocktail before heading back and unfortunately missed the last metro. We ordered an uber and in a very miscalculated step, ordered another drink at a new bar while we waited. We made the uber, but drank our drinks in about 2 minutes. 🙈🍹

I left Milan the next morning. The flight home was stressful because Air Canada was a complete shit-show, but my luggage and I made it back in one piece. Arrivederci Italy, thanks for all the memories you've given me.

CIAO BELLA. 

3 Days in Tuscany

The next few days in Italy were spent in Tuscany, under that hot Tuscan sky. We were lucky though, no raiders were present (... that's a Star Wars joke I've been waiting to make it all trip, haha). 

Through sheer Tetris skills, we were able to fit all 14 of us plus luggage into 4 cars. So grateful I didn't have to take a bunch of trains/busses to get to Tuscany and instead shared a car with Theo, Samar, Diego and Kristen. Thanks!!

The ride was about 3.5 hours, with a stop for gas (how are the gas station cappuccinos better than any regular ones in Canada?!) and then lunch at Eataly! So glad I went all the way to Italy to eat at a restaurant they have in Toronto 😅. My pasta took a million years to be made but in the end, it was one of the best "highway dining" experiences I have had. 

Diego introduced me to a new game that entertained us back seaters for the rest of the trip - the movie game. Alternating between movie and then an actor/actress in that film with no repeats, you try to stump the other people. My kinda game. Kudos to John who later on at the villa one evening gave me a run for my money with his mad movie skillz! 

We arrived in Poggibonsi, a small town about an hour away from Florence in the late afternoon and I was blown away by our air bnb. It was a villa, with gorgeous backgrounds of vineyards and Tuscan hills and a beautiful pool to ourselves. I swear, this has been the fanciest trip I've ever been on.

Our Villa

Churches, Swords and Fooooood

Today we visited the abby of Saint Galgano, an old church which houses the original "Sword in the Stone". I only knew of the Arthurian legend but apparently it was derived from this one (ah, cultural appropriation). In this story, an Italian knight (Galgano) decided to denounce his murderous and violent ways and become a good, peaceful and religious man. He sheathed his sword in a rock in defiance so that no more violence would be shed. He then helped poor/sick people and became a Saint. The end. More or less. 

It's a sword and it's in a stone

We entered into the cathedral portion first and walked around the ruins in awe. We even saw a group of scientists/archeologists who were doing an excavation outside the building. We walked up a giant hill (inappropriate footwear strikes again!) to see the small church where the sword is. 

The main church 

Next, we visited the town of Siena. It's a gorgeous sand coloured town surrounded by the Tuscan countryside. We grabbed lunch with a view and wandered the town for a bit. Gelato was obviously had (ginger & honey, mixed berry).

After lounging at the pool and refreshing ourselves, we headed to dinner in Poggibonsi. While some were super amped for their MASSIVE steaks, I was blown away by a charcuterie board and some delicious cheese ravioli. After we stuffed ourselves, gelato was obviously had (strawberry). 

San Gimignano, Wine & a Home Cooked Meal

We needed a sleep-in morning, but we rallied and Lauren and I joined up with Theo and Samar to check out the walled city of San Gimignano. I had been there once before back in my 2010 Italy trip, so it was nice to wander the streets again. We bought a few souvenirs, felt it was too crowded with tourists and left after about an hour or so. Gelato not had.

The streets of San Gimignano 

After naps and pool hangs, we headed off to a wine tour. This was my favourite part of the trip so far. It was at a gorgeous agrotoruismo (Matt had stayed there before) and we sampled four of their wines alongside some cheese, olives, meats and breads. I ended up purchasing my two bottles of wine to bring home from here, as well as some amazing homemade olive oil. 

<wine tour>

Theo, who is a personal chef, treated us to a home-cooked meal for dinner. Nick, who is apparently an undiscovered charcuterie wizard, treated us to one gorgeously large and impressive spread. Both were super delicious and we were so grateful for it!

We took it easy the rest of the night (more or less) as we were all shuffling off to different destinations the next morning. I am so glad to have met and bonded with this group of people. I was quite nervous joining up with people who were paired up and already friends (thanks covid induced social anxiety), but it turned out that we all meshed so well (and not everyone knew everyone like I originally thought). Everyone was able to bring something to the group and people were so kind and accepting. Sometimes you get lucky with people and this was definitely one of those times. I'll never forget the laughter and good times with this crew, thanks Matt & Laura for bringing us all together. 💕✌️

A Wedding in Italy!

It's been a long time comin', this trip to Italy. Originally planned for June 2020, my friend Matt was getting married to his Italian fiance, Laura. Well, we all know what happened in 2020 and thanks to Covid, the wedding was delayed for two years. 

But we made it! The journey over was not ideal with the Canadian airports being a mad mess of delays, luggage worries, an 8 month old as a seat partner for the red eye, and unfortunante digestive issues ("it's not a trip til Susan ____"), but we eventually made it. Only about 5 hours later than planned. 

I was traveling on the same plane as Matt, Laura and Matt's parents so I luckily scored a pick up in Milan by Laura's family and we drove to the small town of Erba, near Lake Como. 

The wedding and the next three days was spent at Castello di Casiglio, a castle in Italy! It dates back to the 1400's. It's served noble families and the bourgeoisie of the area. And now it serves us. :)

After dealing with jetlag, the next morning we spent exploring Lake Como. We stayed in the Duomo area of Como, helping friends buy new suits and dresses whose originals had been lost in transit. We met up with Nick and Rob who had joined us from a pre-italy trip to Switzerland. Then, we all enjoyed a drink in the shade of the basilica (most had the classic Aperol Spritz but my heart belongs to anything that has guava in it so I got a mixed cocktail).

The Duomo, or the Basillica de Como was gorgeous, even moreso on a quick glance inside but we decided to forgo the admission fee and take a walk down by the lake instead.

Lake Como is located in the shadow of the alps and we walked a bit around the area where a lot of small yachts were moored. There is a reason George Clooney loves this place. After a walk about and seeing the outside of Volta temple (in honour of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the electrical battery) we headed back to the castle hotel for pool time.

That night, Matt and Laura hosted a welcome dinner at a pizzeria nearby and I called an early night for myself to prep for the wedding the next day!

Lauren - my bajan bestie, and I slept in next the day and further enjoyed our lack of wedding responsibilities by hanging poolside most of the day until the big moment arrived.

The wedding was absolutely 💯 Bella. Laura's dress was the perfect embodiment of an Italian fairy tale princess with detailed embroidery on the bodice, intricate lacing and a back to die for. They got married outside under the Italian sun and I won't lie, a few tears were shed.

The aperitivo was served after with aperol spritzes, bubbly, and a kiwi cocktails to go around. The meat, seafood and cheese platters were amazing with most of my attention spent on the latter. This girls heart is betrothed to the dairy industry in Italy I think. 

The dinner (and later, dancing) was held in the basement area of the castle and the decor was medieval boho chic. Our table was a fun bunch and it was great getting to know more of the "friend group" of the trip. Meals and speeches commenced. 

However I do need to bring particular attention to the delicious and slighty crazy vegetarian option of roasted vegetables, potatoes and an entire baked brie. It was amazing and just what I love, but probably not great for my gut later haha.

We went outside for cake and then returned to end the night with dancing to a ridiculously close-minded DJ intent on refusing to play our requests. Closing the night, we ended up by the pool with beverages and as many limoncello wedding favors as our little arms could carry.

The next day was a hungover relaxing on by the pool with an amazing evening dinner (beat risotto with creamy cheese, ice cream with fresh blueberries, and of course, red wine) to end our time at the Castillo. Onwards to our next adventure, an air bnb villa for the friend group in Tuscany.