Milan, Italy

Milannnno (no not the cookie!) what a great city! It is a hardworking, fashion-conscious, time-is-money city of 1.3 million people. It's a melting pot of people and history.  No doubt about it, Milan is Italy's fashion, industrial, banking TV, publishing and connection capital. After visiting Jordan and I agreed that if we were going to live in a major European city Milan would be at the top of our list. Read along and get all of our fun tips and tricks on what we saw and ate while in this awesome city!

We went to Milan on our trip to Lake Como with our Nona and Grandpa Larry. We drove to the outskirts and took the subway into the city center.  It definitely made me cringe watching Bode grab all the dirty hand rails, but thank goodness for hand sanitizer and baby wipes!

When we got off the subway at Piazza del Duomo we were no longer in quaint little Italian towns: hello metropolitan center! We were in the the big square in front of the cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.   Crowded with people we got lured into feeding the birds

The Duomo is the centerpiece of the square and the symbol of the city, it is the fourth largest church in Europe and let me tell you it is pretty big!

The church has beautiful detail!

One of the most interesting sculptures in the church is this one of St. Bartolomeo, he was a first century apostle and martyr who who skinned alive by the Romans.  He is depicted here wearing his own skin like a robe. 

Bode enjoyed crawling around inside, and standing too!

On the other side of the Piazza is the gorgeous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele- the four story glass domed arcade built during the years right after Italian unification.  It was the first construction in Milan to have electric lighting and is filled with luxurious shops and cafes.

I seriously love the roof

On the ground they have a few mosaics, the most famous being a Torino (the city's symbol). For good luck, locals step on his irresistible little testicles and some say it works better if you spin-two times and it must be clockwise!

~Spin, Spin, Spin~

We went into one of Nona and my favorite stores.  Prada.  With such a fashionable place like this, it's no wonder Prada was founded in Milan.  We went to the first store, and oohed and ahhhed over lots of things we would like (a wallet, hint hint)!

We needed a snack before we could go on any further, so we went to a great find called Pomet.  The service here was top-notch.  When we walked in, they were passing out out appetizers and drinks (as many people say they do) and were very welcoming!

A pomet is a matured pizza dough stuffed with the yummiest of things! We were given a complimentary one to try, before we ordered one of every kind on their menu!

After feeling much satisfied in our bellies it was time to see the most remarkable, exactingly crafted fresco which is one of the ultimate pieces of the Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.  Some good advice that I can offer is book your tickets ahead of time,  we had been eyeing this opportunity for months prior and even then tickets were sold out.  I wasn't going to take going to Milan and not seeing The Last Supper, so we paid a little more, and went on a Viator tour so that we could see the painting. 

The painting decorates the former dining hall of the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie.  The room depicted in the painting seems like an architectural extension of the church.  The disciples form an apse, with Jesus as the altar-in keeping with the Eucharist.  Jesus anticipates his sacrifice, his face sad, all-knowing and anticipating. I wonder if those who ate here in the 15th century thought that one day this would be one of the most famous art pieces in all of history?! 

 Along the adjacent wall:

It came very close to being destroyed during World War II. They protected the painting by stacking sandbags on both sides of the wall held up by scaffolding. The building took a direct hit from an Allied bomb, you can see the devastation below but miraculously the painting survived untouched.

The painting is behind the scaffolding. 

After seeing the Last Supper we got some AMAZING gelato at Chocolat.  If you go to Milan you should go here! This is our runner up to the gelato we had in Venice, and this stuff is so good!  Bode loved it!

He loves the chocolaT

That just about sums our our day trip to Milan.  But before we left we caught some awesome lighting in the Piazza del Duomo for some photos. 

<3

 These boys have my heart, and I love seeing them both enjoying travel as much as me!

 Droolin' wait for it....

Looks like dad got some new hair gel :)

 We took the train back out of town to our car.  Bode was zonking out, taking in all the fun memories and people watching.

"All that gelato...mmmm" he must be thinking

We had a great time in Milan, it's such a cool city and I feel like we only skimmed it.  There is so much to do and see there, we are already wanting to go back!

Lake Como, Italy

If you're looking for a perfect getaway in the early fall I say hit up Lago di Como, which is Italian for Lake Como.  Just south of the Swiss border Lake Como is a getaway to be enjoyed for a few days; it is world famous as the vacation retreat of the rich and famous like George Clooney, Donatella Versace and Sir Richard Branson.  With Grandpa and our Italian Nona coming to visit us in Germany, we made it a hotspot on our list of places to explore together!

Bode loves to travel while grandpa rides with him in the back, because it means snack time of baby keks (some dry German cookie that he loves) and lots of chatting.  These cookies kept him entertained...I may have found one or two soggy ones in his carseat a few weeks later.

We rented a great apartment: "Casa Meraviglia" in Tremezzo. The apartment was perfect, it had three bedrooms, so that Bode could have his privacy and stay in his own room :)

It had a pretty beautiful view of Lake Como

...and just enough cabinets for Bode to explore!

He even got breakfast at the house served on a silver platter

On our first night we had dinner at a local trattoria in town.  Man...Italian food is good for the heart and soul! Jordan was looking at the menu to find justttt the right meal...

 -Cheesin-

 So thrilled to be in Italy is our Nona; with Italian prosecco and grandpa with his compari a they were ready for some relaxation (and so were we)! Cheers

Chow time

 Bode likes anything with tomato sauce, and I don't blame him! He loves to use his fork, and has a refined palate for prosciutto and melon.

After dinner on the first night we went on a sunset stroll through Tremezzo.

You need to have deep pockets and lots of zeros in your bank account if you want to own a house here! These are some pretty luxurious villas I'm talking about, they have the best of both worlds: water views and snow capped mountains.

I mean is this not the most ideal location for sand volleyball?

It's amazing to think that some of these are single family homes.  I almost question if I have left Beverly Hills or not?!?

This photo reminds me of a photo my dad and I took together when we were in Venice years ago together 

No night in Italy is ever complete without gelato.  Its's a good thing our Nona likes dessert, and will never say no to something sweet.  When we hint that we are in need of a sweet fix she catches on quick and is always very supportive.  Bode and Nona shared some stracciatella that put this guy into a trance!

I got lots of lovin

In Italy you better believe that we're eating pizza for breakfast!  That's how we started off day two, and am I glad Italians will make you pizza at any hour of the day!

Our second day was jam packed with fun.  We got our walking shoes on and planned a visit to Villa  Balbianello nearby. I would recommend getting a look into at least one the villas, they are so beautiful!  To get to Villa Balbianello it's a bit of a hike, but totally do-able, and WORTH IT!  We parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up to the villa (there really is no other way to get there unless you go by boat because they don't let you drive up).

Grandpa teaching Bode how to raspberry with his mouth

 These three, always having fun and laughing!

There are two parts to visiting Villa Balbianello: seeing the gardens and going inside.  In my opinion it is the dreamiest of the villas on the lake with beautiful views of Belaggio.  Built at the end if the 18th century you can see lots about its past history, and the exotic vision of its last owner.

The last owner of the estate was named Guido Monzino, who led the first Italian expedition to climb Mount Everest. Some of you may recognize it as the Villa where James Bond convalesces at the end of Casino Royale.

It was interesting getting a tour of his estate, and seeing all his collections from his travels.  Some of us got to be carried, which was pretty 5-star service if you ask me **cough cough** but overall well worth the look inside!

The real masterpiece here is the beautiful view 

Until the house was made open to the public and a road was built the only access for hundred of years was by boat.

 My 3 Boyz

Incase you're wondering where Bode is...

 ...Have no fear, he's right here!

One of the best ways to travel around Lake Como is by ferry.  We caught the ferry in the afternoon to Bellagio to explore the town.

He's probably going to kill me for posting this photo, but I need it for my memories.  Let's see if he even notices that I put it in?!? Working on the chin exercises :) 

Gorgeous view of the lake, on the lake!

We made it to Bellagio! Bellagio is the self-proclaimed "Pearl of the Lake" and is a classy combination of tidiness and Old World elegance. No guide book can do this place justice, so put it away and just stroll around. 

We strolled the alley ways and peeked into all the shops selling ties, umbrellas and nick-nacks.  Nona was thrilled that they had lots of pharmacias so that she could explore the cosmetics (European cosmetics are so nice!). 

We took a stroll into the neighborhood, looking at the luxurious homes- to give you an idea, the Rockefeller's, Madonna and Donatella Versace all have properties in town.  As the sun set we looked at the beautiful lake (Bode was mesmerized see below).

You know our days are not complete without gelato.  We got triple scoops at Gelateria del Borgo before taking the ferry back in preparations for another busy day tomorrow!

If you really want to follow our itinerary straight on the next day we went to Milan for a day trip.  If you want to read more about what to do in Milan, click HERE, but this post will strictly cover Lake Como.  So after the long day of Milan exploring, we took the day to rest and enjoyed a day at the beautiful Villa D'Este. Bode napped upon our arrival to the Villa so we walked the grounds and explored.

Two men and a baby

The grounds are immaculate and beautiful to wander. 

So many people were taking photos around the property, that we had to join in too!  Chin up Lar!

Jordan you are so Italian

Nona got jealous and wanted a kiss too!

What a cute couple 

Maybe I was a bit jealous too...

Bode photos:

Seriously this view is amazing, I could spend a month here or even longer (and I would be complete broke after but that's a whole other story). 

 I want to be in this pool...right...now!

We had some of the most amazing food at their restaurant.  The rump of lamb may have been the most tender Jordan or I had ever tasted.  We had some pumpkin gnocchi, zucchini blossoms, truffle pasta and so much more.  The crepe Suzettes are a hit there and they make them for you at the table! We were feeling well fed, and happy!

Bode enjoyed a taste of everything too

 As we digested a bit Bode found one of his favorite things...water to splash around in~

These boys and their Stan Smiths

On our way back to our apartment we stopped in Como and walked around.  It seemed more like a modern town where you could find just about any store you are looking for...

...and of course, our daily ice cream (for dinner)!

On our last morning we headed to Varenna.  It's just the right place to sit by the lake and relax and enjoy breakfast, since it is a quiet smaller town of only 800.  You can drive all the way around the lake to get there if you want but we took a quick ferry ride! We loved the quite less touristy feel of the town and both decided if we ever get to come back to Como we would love to spend a night here.

This little boy was cheezin

So delicious grandpa wanted to take a bite, I don't blame him

Someone is getting teeth!

Varenna has a winding walkway looping throughout the town, and a pretty harbor flanked by kayaks and restaurants.  It is a great town to visit after seeing the bustling town of Bellagio as it is quieter, smaller and more romantic. 

Off went the motorcycle gang, and we followed suit

We strolled around the medieval cobblestone streets exploring, wishing we had more time here!

We found a great stop for some family photos <3

We had breakfast at the yummiest restaurant Varenna cafe.  They had amazing croissants filled with pistachio!

 Fried eggs and crispy bacon!

Amazing  country style crispy toast with proscuitto, cheese and a fried egg

Homemade fettuccini mushroom pasta, delicious!

Nonas heart was happy eating all the yummy food

On our way back to the ferry we had to make our last Gelato stop for the trip, this one was happy with her amarena and stracciatella :)

While we waited for the ferry Bode and Grandpa had fun at the little park! We had to wear this little guy out before the drive home!

Loving every minute together 

 We headed back on the ferry and back to our car to head home to Germany.  Lake Como far exceeded all my expectations, and the best part was that we got to make memories with family! Such an amazing trip, I can't wait for us to be able to explore again together soon.