Is it the pasta? The pizza? The Pope or the Piazzas? It could be the Tuscan hills or the wine. Or astounding artwork and ancient monuments at every turn. Of course, it could be that daily scoop of Gelato! Whatever the draw, Italy never gets old for us.
Reflecting on our travels, we've visited Italy more than any other country. In fact, we've stayed in 28 Airbnbs and several hotels in 27 cities, from Tirano on the Swiss border to Lecce on the southern tip, and on a road trip around Sicily.
We returned this past October to enjoy a month of travel. We visited two of our favorite cities, Florence and Bologna, and discovered a musical mecca and some beautiful, uncrowded seaside destinations as well.
Arriving in Tirano after a beatiful train journey from Chur, Switzerland.
I'll start in Tirano, the end destination of the famous Bernina Express train journey over the Swiss Alps. The journey begins in Chur, Switzerland, and takes you on a breathtaking ride over the mountains. When we disembarked in Tirano it was pouring rain, and we needed to find the Hotel Bernina. It was a little confusing since our room was in a separate building.
Where are we? This is similar to our Egyptian Suite at the Hotel Bernina in Tirano.
And those rooms were themed. We'd chosen The Egyptian Suite without really thinking about it. "Where are we?" But we got back on track once we had a soul-satisfying lunch of Risotto, a soothing glass of Chianti, and our first slather of Gelato. Italy!
Cremona was full of beautiful architecture, violin-themed shops and gifts, and talented street musicians.
We didn't linger because we were excited about our next destination - Cremona, home of Stradivarius and the Violin Museum. We both enjoy classical music, and one of our favorite books was The Violin Conspiracy, but what drew us to this city was a podcast on NPR about how the town of Cremona chose to become as silent as humanly possible for five weeks so that the precious notes of the original Stradivarius instruments in the museum could be recorded for posterity.
The restaurant of our hotel offered a direct view of the Duomo.
We checked into the charming Hotel Duomo on the main square, a short walk from the museum. The entire town is easy to explore on foot, and the violin vibe is everywhere. There are many festivals and concerts throughout the year celebrating stringed instruments,, and the street musicians were amazing.
Our first day was spent visiting the impressive cathedral, taking in the market, and dining on slabs of pizza. The second morning, we toured the museum. It was fascinating! There was so much to learn about Stradivarius and his peers, the history of violin-making going back 400 years, and the music composed for strings of that era. We also attended a special performance in the museum's intimate concert hall, where a professional performed on Stradivari chosen from the collection. It was magical.
You can immerse yourself in history and beautiful music at the Violin Museum. It was a wonderful experience.
Onward to Bologna, a city that captures you the minute you stroll through one of the dozens of covered walkways called Porticos. These connected passageways allow you to walk anywhere in the city under cover - for a combined distance of six miles! We settled into our Airbnb private room in a 1970s building. It wasn't glamorous, but it was comfortable and within walking distance of everything we wanted to see.
Just one of many Porticos, or covered walkways, that cover Bologna. They were designed as extensions of homes and university buildings so that student housing could be added on top. When first built, they had to be high enough for a horse and carriage to pass under.
Bologna is a "college town" with all of the funky coffee houses, dark bars, and hang-outs you'd find in any city occupied by students, and it's been that way for 800 years. There is a fantastic market in the city center surrounded by narrow, tangled streets filled with a mix of closet-sized restaurants, specialty food shops, and booksellers. And even though we've been here before, we took a free walking tour because the history of this city goes deep, and there is always something new to learn.
You can eat very well in Bologna - often at student prices. It is also the home of Mortadella, a delicious form of Bologna studded with chunks of fat and pistachio nuts.
After a string of two-night stays it was time for a break. We headed to the Tuscan coast to a quiet seaside town called Porto Santo Stefano for an entire week of R&R. Our original destination had been Sorrento, but we'd watched a Facebook post by Rick Steves, who said it had become saturated with tourists and lost some of its charm. It's ironic since he started the trend with his enthusiasm over the Cinque Terre.
So, instead of starting with a specific city in mind, we used Airbnb to find a listing in an area that captured our interest. That led us to the charming, laidback village of Porto Santo Stefano, where mega-yachts wade amongst humble fishing boats.
Our view of the waterfront from the villa - and an extraordinary rainbow. Perhaps a sign we were meant to stay here!
If you've followed us for a while, you know that we look forward to meeting our Airbnb hosts. In fact, one of the criteria when choosing a listing is whether the reviews mention a host being particularly engaging or helpful. We hit the jackpot in Santa Stefano. We rented an entire apartment in Santo Stefano, but it was part of a larger, historic villa where our host, Julia’s delightful 80-year-old mother Pamela, lives with several cats. Between Julia and her mom, we were well looked after, starting with a ride from the bus station to the villa.
Pamela picked us up in her tiny Fiat, which had a broken window, a dangling side mirror, an interior debris field, and several stuffed animals, including more than one moose on the dashboard.
Somehow, we stuffed our luggage in the trunk and squeezed into the backseats before she channeled Mario Andretti and took off up the winding (and thankfully short) road to the house. No explanation of the car damage necessary!
Our view from the villa was ever-changing. We watched storms approaching, spectacular sunsets, and boat traffic of all types.
Boats of all types and sizes shared the two harbors. There is also a ferry line that runs to the outer islands.
The balcony in the garden was the perfect perch for a morning espresso made in the Moki.
Julia arrived for the weekend. She shared the villa's history, which was built by her famous great-grandfather, Giovanni Maria Viti, in 1927. Viti was a musician, sculptor, metal artist, and designer. The home sits high on a hill overlooking the village and became a gathering place for the glitterati of Italy's pre-war art world. During WWII, when most of the port was bombed, The residence survived because, at the time, it was the sole structure on that hill, so it was not worth targeting. After the war, the house underwent many renovations, resulting in three different living quarters - but much of the original charm remains, especially on the grounds.
The original villa sat alone on the hillside. Now, it is surrounded by other homes and apartment buildings.
We moved on to Orvieto, a classic hilltop town reached via funicular, for a two-night stay. We rented a nice, but simple Airbnb, in the center. The host's 12-year-old daughter spoke excellent "California-style English" since her father is American. She gave us the full run-down on the apartment, what to see, and where to eat.
Orvieto is famous for it’s namesake wine, and it’s amazing Duomo. It’s also scattered with tiny lanes where you’ll find tiny wine bars.
The highlight was a very affordable and generous tasting of a local vintner's wines through Airbnb Experiences. We sat in the courtyard of the family restaurant in the shadow of the magnificent Duomo di Orvieto , sipping wine and counting our blessings! On our last night, we enjoyed a romantic dinner at Osteria Mama Angelina to celebrate our 46th Anniversary.
Happy 46th Wedding Anniversary!
Our next adventure would be in Florence with our daughter Mary and our three grandchildren, ages 10, 12, and 14. We arrived two days ahead of them and had a great stay in a part of the city we hadn't explored before, the delightful neighborhood of Gavinina and Gazullo.
It was an uncrowded residential oasis, and a bus beelined straight to the center if you didn't care for the half-hour walk (in the rain). The Residencia Cecchi was self-check-in, so we found our way inside. There were no humans to be seen, but a very friendly cat greeted us.
Our hotel in Florence was unique in how you checked in, but really very nice. As was the cat - who was the only one to greet us!
The hotel is part of a renovated 400-year-old structure. It was very nice, with big rooms, luxury products, and an excellent breakfast facilitated by an enthusiastic staff person named Lucy. Her job was to check guests out and then head to English class. Otherwise, the hotel remains unstaffed, although a caretaker lives in the building and there is a 24-hour phone number you can call in an emergency.
We took a fascinating Guru Free Walking Tour, called Best of Florence, Medici, Art, and Gastronomy. Our guide, Alessandro, lived in our neighborhood, so he recommended his favorite local spot for dinner that night. We didn't have a reservation, but when we mentioned our guide's name, the owner reluctantly put us in a tight corner and told us we had only ninety minutes before he needed the table. The meal was delicious, and we dabbed our napkins for the last time right at minute eighty-nine. There was a line out the door as we left.
Mary and the kids would be arriving the next day to spend three nights with us in a large Airbnb close to the train station, so we arrived early and ensured everything was set for their arrival. Other than five flights of stairs, it was perfect.
Our four-bedroom Airbnb in Florence, where our daughter and three grandchildren would join us. It was perfect.
We had some time before meeting an acquaintance for lunch, so we set off. As we gazed at the David on the Piazza della Signoria, several young people surrounded us, yelling, "Stop thief!" Two of them grabbed a woman, and two others grabbed us! We weren't sure what was happening, but apparently, the woman had attempted to get into my purse. The twenty-somethings were all plain-clothed Carabinieri, who had spotted the attempted theft. They asked us to come to the station and make a statement about this attempted robbery, but since we hadn't lost anything and had a lunch date, we tried to decline. But they were earnest about the importance of our cooperation, and it would only take ten minutes because, without it, they couldn't hold the suspect. So, off we went. It took almost an hour (of course), but it was such an enjoyable exchange with these kids that we didn't mind.
All the kids in tee shirts were the undercover “cops” who spent their days trying to rid Florence of pickpockets. They are dedicated to their work - and we just loved spending time with them, even though the circumstances were awkward.
Our lunch date waited, and once we were done with her, we raced back to the train station to meet Mary and the children. We got everyone settled, and Mary and I made a quick trip to the grocery store. As fate would have it, my phone was stolen from my purse! ****!
This might be the most memorable statue for the kids. It’s also the one I was gawking at when the attempted robbery took place.
We did everything one does in Florence with kids: a gelato and pizza-making class, observing art and architecture, a walking tour, and eating gelato as often as the grandparents allowed. They seemed impressed— I guess we'll find out in ten years.
From there, we took a train to another coastal city called Sestri Levante for three more days of togetherness. This seaside village is an uncrowded gem, at least towards the end of October.
The public beach in Sestri Levante in October was quiet and picturesque. In Summertime, it’s hard to move through the crowds.
Our Airbnb was a hodge-podge, but there was room for everyone, and it was in a great location. The kids could cross the street to the park, find the beach, and visit their favorite gelato spot without supervision. It was warm enough on the first day for everyone to swim - after that, it was only for the bravest kids. So we played games, cooked together, and ate at every opportunity.
The kids loved our Robinson Caruso-style Airbnb.
Our Airbnb was like a tree house. Jacques found the Gelato of his dreams … and daughter Mary blending in nicely with the street art.
I especially enjoyed musing over the Trompe l'Oil facades on many of the buildings in the town center. Was that a real balcony? Are those stones real? Wait—that's an actual window! Most of the town looks similar to the colorful buildings clinging to the cliffs of the Cinque Terre, but in this case, many of what look like "real" brick and stone buildings are not!
Not all of these windows are real!
Two examples of the Trompe 'l’oil painting on the buildings of Sestri Levante. It was often hard to determine what was real! The second row of windows from the bottom are all painted!
Again, during the bombing of this part of Italy in WWII, Sestri Levante was targeted because it was an important port. As a town with few resources for reconstruction, corners were cut by plastering over the replacement walls and then painting them with realistic "faux" finishes—a technique perfected in Genoa in the 15th century. This approach was so successful that it is ongoing and is one of the reasons tourists visit.
It was a joy to share some Italian Time with these three.
Gregoire, our intrepid son-in-law, drove from Paris to meet us for our last night. The next day, the family piled into the car and set off for Venice. We then headed to Milan to catch a flight to Seattle and our temporary home in Edmonds, Washington.
Our Senior Nomads travels have slowed a bit, but in 2024, we still visited some fabulous places in six countries, including some new places and some old favorites.
We wish you a Happy New Year and that you travel well in 2025. Thanks for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
The Senior Nomads
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