Rome | Italy, part 5

Well, this is it. The end of an era...Actually, its just the end of our trip to Italy! 

We ended our Italian adventure by driving from Milan to Rome - this was the longest drive we made, and I feel it is worth mentioning the Autogrill. The interstate system in Italy is a bit different in that its a lot harder to come by a fast food joint for a quick bite right off an exit. Enter, the Autogrill! Truly, this place is amazing! In most cases, the building spans over the highway and will have everything you need, including a cafe if you're looking for a full meal, snacks, gifts, wine, groceries...Autogrill has it all.

We arrived in Rome pretty late at night, but Rome is one of those cities where its impossible to go more than a few blocks without seeing something amazing. This is only amplified at night when all the monuments are lit up, so by the time we had arrived at our hotel, Aleph Hotel Rome, we had our second (or third or fourth) wind and were ready to explore! We walked to the Trevi Fountain and then the Spanish steps before enjoying a nightcap, and finally, crashing.

The next day, never ones to shy away from exploring a city, we walked the mile and a half from our hotel to Vatican City. In my opinion, walking is always the simplest, easiest and best way to explore a city (its healthy too!). We took in all the sites along the Tyber River and arrived at the Vatican Museums in time for our reservation. I know I said it in Florence, but seriously, do not even attempt to go to the Vatican without pre-purchasing tickets. The lines! The pan-handlers! The LINES! Save yourself! I bought our tickets off tickitaly.com and we walked right in, bypassing literally thousands of people in the line!

After leaving Vatican City, we walked a short ways and found a quiet lunch at nearby a restaurant to begin working on our strategy to see as much of the city as possible (we really only had this one full day in Rome). Kyle discovered that Uber was offering a two hour tour for 150 euro, and we decided to give it a shot. If you're ever in city like Rome, where there is so much to see and you only have a short window of time, this is a great way to get around! We were able to see Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Capitale, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and Aventine Hill all within our two hour window! Our driver took us right up to each monument, we hopped out to take pictures or grab coffees, and then we were off to the next sight. We saw as much of Rome as possible at lightning speed, but with a rain storm coming in and a very short amount of time, Uber saved the day!

That evening, we took a walking food tour in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome and enjoyed some of the best food, company and conversation of our trip. Eating Italy came highly recommended and did not disappoint! As part of our Twilight Trastevere tour we enjoyed wine and appetizers in a cellar that dates back 150 years before the Colosseum, sampled Roman street food, went behind the scenes at local bakery and enjoyed the best.gelato.ever.

How else could we end our trip than at a cafe overlooking the colosseum?! * Tip: While, the pictures were amazing, this is actually a huge tourist trap. We had one drink and hightailed it out of there to enjoy a nice meal at a jazz club and cafe just down the street from our hotel called Elegance. Sounds swanky, right?! The staff was so welcoming and friendly, there was great live music, the food was delicious and the people watching...magnifico!

The Real Bellagio | Italy, part 3

Lake Como has been on my travel-wish-list for quite some time and when Kyle and I decided on an Italian holiday, I knew we had to go! In my vacation fantasies I had predetermined we would be staying at a beautiful, glamorous villa, literally right on the lake, with a pool accessorized by fun and colorful umbrellas, wooden boats and even a celebrity or two!

Well, lets just say that all of those criteria are actually harder to find than one would think. I did, however, narrow it down to two fabulous options: Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio or Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Tremezzo, both of which are luxury hotels meeting all of my qualifications (minus the celebrities of course - I would have to leave those up to fate). In the end, we decided on G.H. Villa Serbelloni. As fate would have it, the travel-booking-website-gods were smiling down on me and lo and behold there was a deal available through Booking.com! If you have not yet used this website, I highly recommend you search it before your next trip. They will occasionally offer special deals for luxury hotels at a fraction of the normal price i.e. make my dreams come true! 

As you can see, the hotel was stunning! If you have seen the movie Grand Budapest Hotel, that is what this hotel was like! Originally built as a holiday villa for an aristocratic family in 1850, the hotel has hosted many illustrious guests over the years, including Roosevelt and Kennedy. Situated at the very tip of a peninsula, which juts into the lake, the hotel offered the most amazing panoramic views.

Getting to Bellagio itself requires quite a hair-raising drive through the mountainous lake area. The town, which is bustling with tourists, shoppers and artists during the day, is actually very quiet at night. We spent our first two days in Bellagio simply wandering the tiny streets, eating pizza for lunch and fresh fish for dinner, often enjoying an aperitif at a street side cafe, and partaking in the town's silk shopping. 

Though we were there in mid-June, the weather was on the cooler side, but we still managed to enjoy the hotel pool and the lake. If you look closely at some of the pictures, you can see snow on the very tips of the alps (allow me to name drop one more time...ALPS) in the distance and yes, the water was cold! So, if anyone ever asks...yes, yes I have done the polar bear plunge.

On our third day in Bellagio, we took the ferry to Mandello del Lario to meet our guide for the day, Mauro. I had found Mauro's company, Lake Como Motorbike,  through some research online and Kyle and I were so excited about this adventure.

First, Mauro walked us to the Moto Guzzi museum in Mandello. We were suited up and sent on our way on our Moto Guzzi! We followed Mauro all over the lake, taking the ferry from Varenna to the opposite shore and the town of Menaggio. We then rode through the mountains to Lugano, Switzerland and around Lake Lugano. We came back through the main town of Como, where Mauro showed us around and took us to the home he shares with Federica Campari, a local chef who had prepared an amazing lunch for us. After lunch, we headed to Lecco where we enjoyed gelato before ending our day back in Mandello. The entire experience was absolutely incredible and we could not have dreamed of a better guide than Mauro!

*Tip: The ferry's at Lake Como are the easiest and best way to get from town to town and the ride is stunning! It's a value play too - $16 versus a private water taxi quote of $400. 

We concluded our time in Bellagio with dinner by the lake and Kyle even ordered up a beautiful sunset for desert.