25th Anniversary - Lugano, Switzerland

For the one full day that we planned to be in Lugano, the weather forecast called for rain. Boo. We decided not to change our plans and hope for the best. It rained a bit as we left the apartment but didn’t last too long. By the time we reached the base of the funicular, the rain had cleared and the skies were simply overcast. 

We hopped on the funicular and started our ascent up the mountain. We shared a car with a couple from the United Kingdom. Come to find out that he used to make small scale models for the movies "Wallace and Grommet" and "Chicken Run". As we reached midway on the mountain, Chris and I exited the first funicular. That’s where you pay for the ride up the mountain. 16 Swiss Francs each. Spendy. 

From what we had read and seen in pictures, the view from the top of Mt. Bre was spectacular. We missed out on that view as clouds filled the sky. There were two restaurants at the top of the funicular, but it was still earlier in the morning so we poked around a bit and then started hiking down the mountain toward Gandria. 

We were glad to be walking down the mountain and not up. With the steep descent, lots of rocks and steps, recent rain, and lots of fallen leaves, it was a bit slippery. I twisted my ankle on my way down but it didn’t seem like too big of a problem. 

Once we reached the bottom of the mountain, there was an olive walk and the cutest village. I had to stop and take pictures a lot. We walked from Gandria back to Lugano and grabbed a Mediterranean wrap to eat at the park. It was fun for some people watching time. 

We didn’t have too many plans for the afternoon and chose to take the ferry to see the lakes and stops along the shores. My foot began to hurt A LOT as we finally stopped walking and sat on the ferry. I took some ibuprofen and could tell when it began to start working. 

With Mediterranean for lunch we didn’t go too far astray with Persian food for dinner. We sat on the street patio and enjoyed falafels and chicken.

25th Anniversary - To Lugano, Switzerland

Our last morning in Monterosso. I slept in until 9 am and Chris dozed another 45 minutes. 

We should be pretty much adjusted to Italy time now. 

Kristen and Misha were flying to Utah to visit Amy for the weekend. They left a text that they were able to park and then land in SLC safely. They’ve traveled to the airport with us plenty of times, but this was their first time parking and making their way to the airport, through security and onto their plane on their own. 

We were able to check out a little later this morning at 11 am, but still had a lot of time before our 12:45 pm train to Milan that continued on to Lugano in Switzerland. Chris and I wandered around Monterroso a little more on the streets we hadn’t yet visited and then returned to the flat to pick up our stuff (Francesca kindly allowed us to leave our stuff). 

The view from our Airbnb

With suitcases in tow, we walked back through the tunnel toward the station. We had a little bit of time and stopped for lunch at Bar Lo Spontino. Paninis and water frizzante (soda water). So many carbs. 

I took a few more pictures while we waited. 

We arrived at the train just a minute before it arrived. We may have got on at carriage #5 but should have been on #7. We switched seats when we realized our mistake. 

Our train sped up the coast for three hours to Milan where we switched to a train to Lugano, Switzerland. We arrived at the train station in Lugano around 5:30 pm and had massages scheduled at Thai Spa of Lugano. You have to be really comfortable with your body when getting a Thai massage because they cover and uncover and climb up on the table with you! They worked mostly on my legs, but I would have loved more attention on my neck and shoulders. Still it felt good and was a nice treat for Chris to plan. 

We walked through the upscale shopping area to get to our next Airbnb about a 1/2 mile away. The host’s greeter, Martha, met us with the key. She didn’t speak any English but through gestures, we were able to figure out how to get in and out of the apartment. It was nice with upscale art decor. Perfect for our two night’s stay. 

We set off to find a restaurant and were happy to find Domino Pizza & Pasta Store. When the waitress tells you that the pizza is personal size, just know that two “persons” could eat it and be fine. We also ordered a delicious caprese salad, zucchini casserole and pasta bolognese. Too much food. 

Wanting to get a some milk and yogurt for breakfast, we went in search of a market. Most were closed for the evening so we settled on a convenience store at a gas station. Surprisingly they had what we needed.

25th Anniversary - Hiking in Cinque Terre

We didn’t get the earliest start this morning. We were planning to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. It would have been much easier at six am that’s for sure. Less crowds, less heat, and less humidity. 

The signage at the beginning of the hike made it clear that hiking in flip flops could result in a fine. The family of four in front of us, three of whom were wearing flip flops, turned around at the pay station to avoid being fined. Now it was just all of the older, out of shape tourists that we began to pass one by one. 

The narrow path was not easy with steps going up from the very start. We walked for 2.2 miles with an elevation gain of 705 feet, stopping every so often to snap a few pictures.

It was hot and sweaty and we were dripping in sweat by the time we reached Vernazza. 

The hike took about an hour and a half. We hiked past little homes and terraced farms of olive trees along the way. The views of Vernazza were pretty awesome as we got closer. The colorful homes, the boats, the people swimming…all fantastic. 

We were happy to find a little piece of shade to rest for a bit. Chris sat and enjoyed the view while I explored with my camera. And then gelato… 

From Vernazza, we took the train first to Riomaggiore (the last of the five villages), then worked our way back to Manarola and then to Corniglia. Corniglia was higher up on the cliffs without any direct access to the water. We hiked up the stairs to the small village instead of waiting ten minutes for a bus. There were ~378 stairs up the side of the cliff. 

The towns in order along the coastline of Italy

Monterosso

Vernazza

Corniglia

Manarola

Riomaggiore

The towns were all somewhat similar. Colorful, but oh so crowded with locals, tourists, and cruise passengers. 

We took the train back to Monterosso where we freshened up a bit and then met Guiliano at 6 pm for a sunset cruise along the coastline to see all of Cinque Terre from a different perspective. Normally Guiliano hosts up to 8 people on his boat, but Chris and I were his only passengers for the evening. Guiliano shared tips along the way and we got to ask questions about life in Italy. 

Giuliano used to be a fisherman, but when Cinque Terre was made into a National Heritage Site, fishing close to the shore was no longer allowed. He now works from about May to September giving boat tours and then travels for the rest of the year. It was after 8 pm when we got back to Monterosso. Prime dinner time. 

We found that there were a lot of people already having dinner and many waiting in line for the next tables. We finally found a place and took our place in line for about a 45 minute wait. The restaurants in the town take turns being open every other night. The one we had wanted to visit, Trattoria de Oscar, recommended by Giuliano was closed so we ate at Ristorante da Ely. It was around 10 pm by the time we finished eating. Our Airbnb was just steps from the restaurant, so we were happy to crash soon after.

25th Anniversary - Monterosso

I’m pretty sure I could have slept a lot longer than 6:15, but we had to leave the hotel early for an 8 am train to Monterosso al Mare in Cinque Terre, Italy. Chris and I enjoyed an early breakfast at the hotel. They got my "egg white only" omelet correct without any problem or miscommunication. I made my own muesli from granola, seeds, and yogurt. 

We walked back to the Milan train station with our bags in tow and hopped on the train on track 17, carriage 4 for our three-hour trip. 

We got off the train at Monterosso al Mare in Cinque Terre (five villages). This destination has been on my bucket list for a number of years. We exited the train station with our bags in tow and walked right out to the waterfront area of the "newer" section of town of Monterosso. I couldn’t help but take pictures as we walked along. 

 

To get to the old town section of Monterosso, we walked through a tunnel with the throngs of other people arriving in Cinque Terre for the weekend. It was a less than ten minute walk from the station to the Airbnb at #48. 

When we were making arrangements for our trip, Chris and I found an Airbnb in Monterosso. Our host, Francesca, said that she would meet us there early so that we could drop off our luggage and then go exploring.

I watched an older gentleman deliver flour and groceries as Chris and I waited to connect with Francesca. The man simply tucked the paper bag of groceries into the wrought iron of people’s front doors. 

Turns out, Francesca lived in the apartment directly below our Airbnb, which also happened to be right off the main road and in the heart of the small town. We looked out the window to the South to Via Vittorio Emanuele street and to the north onto Via Roma street. 

While the location was ideal for many reasons, the only drawback was the noise level, as we would come to discover at night and in the morning when trying to sleep.

The Airbnb itself was charming with a living area, one bedroom, a kitchen and a newly refreshed bathroom. Perfect for the two of us. We also were given beach towels and an umbrella to use. 

We stopped at Tosca Bistrot for lunch. Chris had pesto pasta. Pesto was invented in the Cinque Terre area. I had sea bass pasta.

From there, we wandered around the town to explore, checked out the beach, and decided to grab the beach towels and umbrella for a little beach time. It wasn’t a sandy beach, but the tiny rocks were just easier to clean off.

There weren't many public beaches in the area. The sections of beach with colorful umbrellas and beach chairs were privately owned and you had to rent a beach chair if you wanted to enjoy that part of the beach. There was a small section of public beach not too far from our Airbnb that we were happy to enjoy.

We took a little dip in the Mediterranean Sea and spent a lovely afternoon enjoying the warm weather. Chris had been watching the weather prior to leaving for Italy and everything he found indicated rain and cooler temperatures. Not so. It was about 80° and sunshine. Apparently it rained earlier in the day, but was perfect for the rest of the day.

For dinner, we found Ristorante Belvedere. You had to make reservations in advance to be able to sit right next to the beach, but we still had a good view. The bugs were a bit of a nuisance. Chris enjoyed spaghetti bolognese and I had sea bass again, the catch of the day. We shared.

After dinner we walked (hiked) up to a statue of St. Francis of Assisi. The sun was mostly set.

25th Anniversary - Milan

I dozed a bit after the dinner service and then slept more deeply until the flight attendants woke us up for the morning breakfast service. The food was so so—yogurt, fruit, poached eggs with mushrooms, and a roll. I ate all of it except for the roll. 

After the breakfast service, we only had an hour until we landed in Milan. I remembered to charge my watch and my phone so that it would last me through the day in Milan.

We landed around 1 pm Milan (8 hours ahead of Denver time). We texted the girls, but knew they wouldn’t be up for awhile yet. It didn’t take long to get through immigration and then with nothing to declare at customs, we found the train station and boarded the train for Milan.

Milan is 45 minutes by train away from the airport. We stayed at the Hilton Milano (we stayed there maybe 5 years ago when I joined Chris for a work trip to London, Italy and Spain). Chris had told the hotel that we were staying for our 25th anniversary.

They left us this cool folded towel arrangement of swans. 

After dropping off our bags, we set out to explore and took the train to first stop. I had made reservations for us to view The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. If you go, be sure to book your tickets in advance. They sell out otherwise. 

We needed to arrive 30 minutes early for our tour, so after checking in and picking up our tickets, we went in search of an ATM for a little cash. 

Cool double decker bike.

We joined up with our guided tour of The Last Supper. To maintain a bit of quiet and reverence, our guide used a mike that broadcast the tour as he spoke to each of us through headphones. 

The room housing the painting was temperature controlled. We were allowed 15 minutes on this tour to view the painting which had been painted on one wall in the dining hall of the monastery at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. 

Years ago, the monks created a doorway in the same wall that partially removed some of the painting. The wall was later closed back in but the bottom of the painting now has an arched doorway in it. 

Da Vinci created the painting with the intent that the first window on the left in the room would act as a light source. The window is now kept covered to keep the painting from deteriorating in the sunshine. The church was bombed in World War II, but the monks created a sandbag wall that miraculously protected the painting when many of the surrounding walls were destroyed.

I waited patiently for all of the other people on our tour to move, but I had to be quick in taking pictures as the next tour group was preparing to come in.

During our tour, Chris and I also visited two small gardens and the chapel of the monastery. I always love to see the the ceilings and marvel at the ability to create such beauty without the modern tools and construction methods of today. 

After leaving the chapel with the end of our tour, we continued walking around until we came to Sforza Castle. It was built as a fortress during the 14th century and is among the famous landmarks of Milan.

The castle currently is home to one of the best museums in the city. What was once a mote around the fortress was now a grassed in area. We walked into the castle which was being prepared for a concert. We heard music as the workers were doing sound checks. 

It wasn’t too far from the castle to reach the Duomo of Milan. I’m not a big fan of the gothic style of the cathedral, but being able to see it in person is pretty amazing. 

The piazza surrounding the duomo was packed with tourists and pigeons. Lots of people were posing with the pigeons. The pigeons were happy to flock around anyone willing to feed them. 

We listened to part of a Rick Steves Audio Tour, but it was too late in the day for us to actually take the tour inside the cathedral.

We walked down a double arcade next to the Duomo. The Galleria, a covered area which was used as a shopping area when it was built, is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery still in use today. It houses high end shops such as Rolex, Chanel, Prada, etc.

Walking through the length of the gallery, we exited on the opposite end into a small courtyard home to a big statue of Leonardo Da Vinci. Across the street from the statue was the famous opera house Teatro alla Scala or Scala Theatre. 

Chris and I were pretty hungry at this point and finally found a so so restaurant for dinner. Upon returning to the hotel, we found that the staff had left us dessert and Prosecco. We enjoyed the dessert.