Are you guys tired of seeing my Italy posts? It was one of my longest trips (besides London), so I have a lot of material (and this is without sharing so many photos, and I’m not even writing about Lucca/Milan, because they were quick trips, but still. That’s how much Italy stuff I have). However, I’m just going to keep telling myself that no one is sick of my Italy posts yet, because not loving Italy is something I can’t quite comprehend.
Anyways, after San Gimi, I went over to Venice. I was only there for one night – I actually was supposed to go for two nights, but my mom called me and told me that she recommended that I stay in San Gimi another night, because Venice is absolutely mad crazy busy with tourists in the summer. I’m so glad I stayed in San Gimi another night, although I did still have lots of fun during my night in Venice! I still can’t quite get over staying in a town on top of a giant pool of water – my train went right over it, and then my mom picked me up at the station and we waited like, ½ an hour for a water bus, and how weird are water busses?! After, we walked around Venice for hours looking at pretty masks and all of the buildings. Pro-tip: If it’s June in Venice, the sidewalks will be so packed you literally cannot walk more than a couple steps at a time. If you’re not patient, like yours truly, it’s maddening. A local told me the best time to go would be in late April-early May. Anyone have any tips on this? I’d love to visit again!
Also! If you get a chance to get out at night after all the tourists have gone to bed, Venice is so amazing! I got super lost, ate some ice cream, and saw some of the most beautiful sites. That was by far the best part of Venice in my opinion. After I got back to my hotel, my mom snuck me into the hotel room, and I shared a bed with one of my aunts and my mom. It was a squishy night for sure.
After Venice, we took a train ride over to Milan where we saw the Duomo! So, so gorgeous. Also, we found a really lovely restaurant that we ended up at twice! However, the highlight of the Milan trip was our little day-trip to Lake Como. We took the funicular up to the top of the mountain and ate at the loveliest restaurant, and I had the BEST roast with polenta. Then we took a boat trip around the lake and got gelato, and it was a perfect day! All in all, such a lovely day trip and a nice way to end my stay in Italy!
Some fun things to see in Lake Como/Milan (honestly I wasn’t in Venice very long, and I can’t even remember the name of the only restaurant I ate at. Sorry!)
- Boat Ride – Take a boat ride around the lake – we found the hour long tour was plenty! Then, get some gelato across the street from the boat station!
- Fernicular – the fernicular goes to the top of the mountain in Lake Como and has absolutely the most stunning views and some cute shops! Definitely go if you can.
- Ristorante Bellavista – this restaurant is located on the top of the mountain in Lake Como which you can get to by hiking or taking the fernicular. The beef + polenta dish was amaaaazzzzzininininggg!!!
- Ristorante Il Tavolino – Our favorite restaurant in Milan we went to twice! The waiters were very sweet and got us way drunk on limoncello shots both nights!
- Frank – a nice cocktail bar in Milan! Good whiskey!
xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Creature Comfort by Arcade Fire
I love Venice, I only visit it in less touristic times because although I am being the tourist, I don’t like the other ones too much. 🙂 San Gimi and Lucca are stunning.