Italy - June 2022

Dodds Clan Lake District

For Keith's dad's 80th birthday celebration, the Dodds family (all but Boone) did a two week trip to Italy - a week in the Lake District and then another week in Parma, Cinque Terra, Pompeii and Rome.  Graham flew into Chicago on Friday midday, came to our house, had lunch (cheese and crackers) and then we went to the airport together where we met up with the rest of the Dodds clan who flew in from Dallas.  Our flight left after 9pm and it took close to 9 hours to get to Milan.  We flew business class along with Keith's parents with the rest of the family in coach.  After we had our dinner on the plane and a few glasses of wine, we both slept until about an hour before landing.  

Once at the Milan airport, it took about an hour to get through passport control - the line was quite long.  But the worse part is that it took over an hour and a half to get the rental cars - apparently their system did not like the fact that Keith had booked two cars under one name and it turns out that while we booked a 9-person van, they did not have anything near that size and was going to give us three cars.  With 9 of us total and lots of luggage, we needed quite a bit of space.  We ended up getting one smaller car from Avis (where we originally booked) and a 9 person van from Europcar that Shawna ended up getting by walking across the hall and renting one on the spot.  We finally got on the road around 3:45pm and got to Gignese in the Lake District around 4:30pm.

Accommodations

Gignese VRBO - The town of Gignese is about 15km up the hill from Stresa which is one of the main towns on Lake Maggiore.  We got a seven bedroom, five bath house with a pool and beautiful views of the valley and lake below.  The house was quite large, very clean, and worked well for our size family.  There was a ping pong table in the basement that the kids used quite often.  While it said there was air-conditioning, only one room had it but we didn't need it as it was quite cool at night.  We had breakfast here each morning and Graham also cooked a wonderful dinner of pasta, asparagus and watermelon salad.  On our second day, we returned to the house late to find out we had no water - turns out the whole town didn't have water due to an electrical problem.  We stayed two nights without water and gave up and found another place.  The owner felt terrible and only charged us for one night.

VRBO

View from house

Porto Valtravaglia VRBO - We found this place last minute since our original place didn't have water and we stayed two nights (we needed three nights but it was only available for two).  Located on the other side of the lake and right across from the lake, this place is a three-story house that seems like it is in a cartoon with many colorful and secret rooms.  The first floor had two bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room.  The second floor, which we never used, had another kitchen, dining room, and living room.  And the third floor had four bedrooms, most of which had single beds - we stayed in the one room with a double.  There was a pool in the front and table tennis in the back.  Graham cooked another dinner here - sausage and raclette with potatoes - yum!

Laundry drying at second VRBO!

Parma Hotel (Star Hotel du Parc) - We stayed here one night about 1 km from the city center.  Typical large, European style hotel - rooms were bigger than expected, clean, and had AC and running water!!!

Cinque Terra Hotel (Hotel Margherita) - This hotel is located in the old part of Monterossa - we stayed here four nights on this trip and had stayed here when we went to Italy with Kim and Tom in 2008.  We each got our own room with a balcony.  The room was small but not too bad, very clean and had great AC - the only downside was the bed was uncomfortable.  We had breakfast included which we had every morning - eggs, bacon, continental items, etc.  

Hotel Margherita - Cinque Terra

Pompeii Airbnb - We found this place in a town about 30-40 min away from Pompeii - the only house that could fit our group that was somewhat nearby.  We only stayed one night.  The exterior of the house was great with a really nice pool and garden.  However, while the interior was very clean, it was dated, a bit dark, had no AC and we also had no hot water for our shower.  They also had not supplied us with towels so Shawna had to convince them to bring us some.  The owner was very nice and tried to fix things as soon as we reported them but we would not stay here again.  

Pompeii Airbnb

Rome Airbnb - We got a 5-bedroom apartment near the Colosseum.  The place was spacious and decorated very colorful.  The AC was only in the common area but we had ceiling fans in each bedroom.  The main complaint here was that it was a bit noisy outside so we could not keep our windows open at night.

Activities

Lake District

We arrived at our house on Saturday early evening.  We got settled, went for groceries, and then walked/drove into town for dinner.  The place we wanted to go to was booked so we found another spot but that place only took cash so we then had to find an ATM to get cash.  After dinner, we returned to the house and we all crashed as we were quite tired from the trip.

On Sunday, we thought it was going to rain all day but we lucked out and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon.  We drove into Stresa and booked a private boat to take us to the three islands of Isola Madre where we toured the gardens and palace, Isola Superiore (aka Pescatori) which is quite cutesy and is where we had lunch, and Isola Bella where we toured more gardens and another palace.  While all of the islands were beautiful, the last was the best with beautiful gardens.

Lake Maggiore

Isola Superiore

Isola Bella

Kandersteg

On Monday, we drove about 45 minutes and then took a train to do a day trip to Kandersteg.  The kids had really liked it when we went there three years ago so decided to do a mini-reunion tour.  We hit all of the hot spots - gondola to Oeschinensee, lunch at the lake, mountain coaster rides, boat ride along the lake (where the Josie and Owen dove in for a quick second - quite cold), walk to the Scout Center and dinner at Rudihaus!  It was a gorgeous day - sunshine, a bit chilly but nice and beautiful views!  We got back home around 10pm - long day but worth it!

Mountain coaster

Scout Center

Oeschinensee

Boating on the lake

Lake District

On Tuesday, we drove into the cutesy town of Cannobio and walked along the waterfront and then went to a nearby grotto where we had an amazing lunch.  After lunch, we drove back to Cannobio to rent paddle boards but the place was not open.  So we walked around a bit more and then headed back to the house to let in the technicians to take a look at the water; however, when we arrived, the owner had messaged me that they were already in the house (had climbed through a window) but had not found a problem in the house. So they were checking nearby pipes to see if there was a problem in the aqueducts.  That evening, we just stayed home and had a light meal of cheese and crackers.

Lunch at the grotto

On Wednesday, we had to change houses so we packed up and drove an hour to the second house on the other side of the lake.  After getting settled, we drove north to a campground and rented paddle boards for a little over an hour.  The lake was very calm so it was easy to paddle.  

On Thursday, Keith, Margaret, Josie and Owen went to a water park in Locarno while the rest of us drove up to Valle Verzasca where we walked around the beautiful gorge with a river so clear you could see the bottom and walked around the medieval looking town.  We had lunch here as well.  Quite picturesque.  We all met back at the house, cleaned up, and went out for a nice dinner.

Valle Verzasca

Parma

Since we could only get the second house in the Lake District for two nights, we needed one more night somewhere before we went to Cinque Terra so we decided on an impromptu trip to Parma which helped to split up the drive.  It took about three hours from the lake.  Once we arrived, we checked into the hotel and then walked into the city center to have lunch and meander the streets.  There are lots of cute alley ways and beautiful buildings.  That evening, we had dinner at a food truck festival that was occurring in the park - everyone got their own dish and then we sat at one of the picnic tables to eat.

Food Truck Festival

On Saturday, we did a food walking tour for three hours which was really good and informative.  Our guide was a 'level two' Parmesan sniffer where she could smell the cheese and tell us the different smells - like what kind of grass the cows ate!  On the tour, we stopped at a cafe for a coffee and a couple of sweets, a salumeria (Salumeria Garibaldi) where we tried a few different prosciuttos, ham, and salami, a restaurant (Panino D'Artista) where we tried a flight of parmesan (18, 24 and 36 months aged) and a few types of pasta, and a gelato place (Ciacco).  After our tour, we drove to Cinque Terra.

Parma Food Tour

Cinque Terra

We arrived late afternoon on Saturday and had to unpack the car at the roundabout at the top of the hill of Monterossa and then had to lug all of our luggage to the hotel which thankfully was not too far away.  Keith and Margaret parked our cars along the road since there was no room left in the parking garage.  After we checked into the hotel, we walked around the town a bit and then showered and went out for dinner.

Monterossa

On Sunday, we hiked to the towns of Vernazza and Corniglia, walking around each of the towns and having lunch in Corniglia.  It took us a little over two hours to hike to the first town and about 1.5 hours to hike to the second.  The trails between the next two towns were closed due to mud slides so we could not hike the entire five towns.  After lunch, we took the train back to Monterossa and some went swimming with others resting before dinner.  

Vernazza

Hike on Cinque Terra Trail

On Monday (Josie's birthday), we were supposed to hang out at the beach in the morning and then kayak in the afternoon but it was quite windy (our kayak tour was even canceled) so we took the train to Vernazza and walked around some more.  We then took a train to Riomaggiore where we had lunch and then to Manarola where the kids, Graham, and Margaret swam in this protected area and a few of them also jumped into the ocean from some pretty high rocks!

Vernazza

Swimming in Manarola

On Tuesday, we took the train to Santa Margherita where we met up with Linda and David (Linda is a cousin of the Dodds family) who was also visiting in Italy.  We walked from the train station to Portofino, a beautiful, high-end ocean side town, stopping along the way for the kids, Margaret and Keith to swim in the ocean. The walk to Portofino took about an hour - we had lunch here and then took a boat back to Santa Margherita and train back to Monterossa.  

Portofino

Pisa / Pompeii

On Wednesday, we had a very long drive (7 hours) to Pompeii so we got an early start, leaving around 8:30 am.  When Keith and Margaret got the cars for us to pack up, we learned that someone had side swipped the van and the driver side mirror was completely broken! We stopped about an hour away in Pisa to take the obligatory silly photos - it was more impressive than we had remembered (both Keith and Shawna had been there separately in 1998).  We stopped again for lunch outside of Florence at a great pizza place.  We finally got to our AirBnB about 6:30 pm. 

Pisa

On Thursday (Shawna's birthday), we did a three hour tour of Pompeii which was fantastic - our guide was quite informative and we got to see areas (including a new museum) that we did not see the last time we were there in 2018.  We went inside one of the spas, and saw houses of the rich, middle class, and poor, shops, bars/restaurants/bakeries, and the red light district where you could pick your sex position from a menu of painted positions on the wall.  After the tour, we had lunch at one of the cafes right across from the site.  

Pompeii

Rome

After touring Pompeii, we then drove the 2.5 hours to Rome where we checked into our apartment and then had to return the cars which was an adventure! We tried to return them both at the train station (nearest to our apartment so we did not have to go all the way to the airport) to find out, after driving up seven flights and scrapping the van even more, that they would not take the van there.  So Keith dropped off the car and then hopped in with us to return the van at a location in the burbs - luckily and unknown to us - we had insurance on the van so we did not have to pay for any of the damages.  Margaret was ecstatic, to say the least, to finally get rid of the van!

Colosseum

On Friday, we did a 2.5-hour tour with Marina Vandenberg (she came recommended by the guide in Pompeii) of the Colosseum and the Forum.  Our guide was funny, trying to make the kids laugh by re-enacting parts of the stories she told us.  After the tour, we walked to Trevi Fountain and had lunch nearby and then some of us walked to the Pantheon where we did a quick view inside.  We then got a yummy gelato and walked 30 minutes back to the apartment to rest up before dinner.

Forum

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon

On Saturday, we did a 2.5-hour tour with Marina of the Vatican - visiting the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel. There were so many people there that it was hard to enjoy the experience but it was cool to see the Vatican again.  After the tour, we walked around the main market and then went to the square to see St Peter's Cathedral and the window where the pope addresses the audience for masses.  After lunch, some of us (Margaret, Keith, Shawna and the kids) went to the Catacombs of St Callixtus and did a 45 minute tour - it's the largest catacomb in Rome where at one point over 500K people were buried and also where some of the popes were originally buried.  They have since removed the bones as tourists were taking them so we only saw the spaces where some were buried.

Vatican

On Sunday, we all left for the airport early as we had mid-morning flights.  Graham, Keith, and Shawna were on the same flight to Chicago while the rest were on a flight to DC connecting to Dallas.  The Chicago crew got home around 1pm but the rest got stuck in DC for one night and flew out Monday morning so it was a long trip for them.  All in all, it was an amazing trip, filled with fun activities, funny stories, and fond memories together!

Restaurants

Lake District

Osteria delle 3V - Located in Gignese, this restaurant is quite cute with copper pots hanging from the ceiling.  We had dinner hear, sharing a charcuterie appetizer, prosciutto and mushroom pizza, and a pasta with sardines.  The pasta was a bit too fishy for us but the rest of the meal was good. 

Ristorante Italia - Located on Isola Superiore, this is a great place with plenty of outdoor seating.  We had lunch here and shared wine, smoked pink trout carpaccio, caprese salad and the grilled perch with butter and sage for an entree.  The food was fantastic.

Ristorante Grotto Sant'anna - Located near Cannobio overlooking a grotto that fed into the river.  We sat outside and had an amazing lunch of pasta, salad, trout and pork along with some really good wine. Best meal of the trip thus far!

Albergo del Sole Pizzeria - Located in Porto Valtravaglia on the lake, we had lunch here - pizza - pretty good.

Pasticceria Dei Portico - Located in Porto Valtravaglia right next to our VRBO, we had breakfast here twice - great pastries and coffee.

Grotto al Ponte - Located in Valle Verzasca, this was a tiny place that only served cheese, charcuterie and bread but had nice views of the river.  

Ristorante Tiffany - Located about 15 min north of Porto Valtravaglia and right on the lake.  We had dinner here - great food and views but unfortunately the service was not the best.  We shared the trout appetizer, a pasta dish, lamb for entree and cheesecake for dessert.

Tiffany Restaurant

Kandersteg

Berghotel Oeschinensee - Located on the lake, we had lunch outside on the deck. We shared the charcuterie plate and the spaetzle with sausage.  

Ruedihus - Our favorite restaurant in town - it's a very cute, traditional Swiss chalet.  We had an early dinner here before we got the train back.  While we were not really hungry, we still managed to share a cheese fondue and rosti.  Yummy but we were quite full afterward. 

Ruedihus

Parma

Bar Caffe Cavour - We had a late lunch here - pizza and caprese salad.  Nothing spectacular.

See places we went on the food tour above.

Cinque Terra

Tosca Bistrot - A great bistro on the main street of Monterossa.  We had dinner here two nights - sharing mussels and capers salad and pasta.  Very good.  

Ristorante La Posada - A great restaurant with outdoor seating and nice views in Vernazza.  We had lunch here after our hike.

Enoteca da Eliseo - A wine bar on one of the side streets in Monterossa.  Keith and Shawna had a glass of wine here before dinner.  

Pizzeria La Smorfia - A great pizza place located on the side streets in Monterossa.  We had dinner here one night, sharing a pepperoni pizza.  

Bar Centrale - We had lunch here in Riomaggiore - not the best place but it was the only one that could take a group of our size by the time we were ready to have lunch. 

Porto Roca - This restaurant is part of a hotel on the cliff in Monterossa.  We had dinner here one night with nice views of the ocean below.  We shared a yummy lamb dish.  

On the walk to Porto Roca

Ristorante Pizzeria da Nicola - Located on the square in Portofino, we had lunch here - really good pizza. The waiter was also quite funny.  

Enoteca Internazionale - A wine bar located on the main street of Monterossa.  We had a few glasses of wine here before dinner.  

Rome

Mercato Centrale Roma - This is a food court in the train station this is quite good.  We each go our own food and then sat together and had a couple of beers with dinner.  Shawna had a yummy burger and Keith decided to treat himself to the 'best and most expensive' steak.  

Il Ristoro dal Patriota - We had lunch here, sitting outside, near the Trevi Fountain.  We shared mussels and prosciutto with mozzarella.  

Antico Arco - Shawna had reserved this place to celebrate our joint birthday.  We sat outside and had a wonderful meal - sharing the amberjack tartare for an appetizer, the ravioli for our second course and the lamb for our entree.  Definitely the best meal of the trip!

Obica - Shawna and Keith had gone here during our prior trip to Rome so we went back for lunch, sharing the mozarella tasting for the table and a cacio Pepe pasta for our entree.  Yummy food but a bit noisy. 

Trattoria Vecchia Roma - We went here for our last dinner of the trip and oh boy what a mistake.  It was crazy noisy and the food was not the best.  We were so surprised as it had great reviews.  We did have a funny waiter though!