It has been a looooong time since I posted. Well, I’m back and here to talk about our 2023 summer trip to Italy!
We hadn’t been on an international vacation since 2012 – which was before our son was born. And, the pandemic didn’t help things. However, we were itching to do something big and decided on Italy.
3 Days in Venice
- We stayed at Hotel Nani Mocenigo in the Dorsoduro area. We stayed in Dorsoduro years ago on our first trip to Venice and really like the area. The hotel was great, and had an amazing little courtyard in the back.
- Mask making at Tragicomica – this was a great time and we really enjoyed it
- One of the highlights was a rowing lesson with Row Venice. Simply awesome.
- We did a 3-hour guided walking tour that included admission to St. Mark’s Basilica.
- Beware the MOSQUITOS! Seriously, I got eaten alive even though I had brought spray.
5 days in Sirmione (town on Lake Garda)
- We stayed at Hotel Continental which was great. It’s a little walk from the center of things, but doable. We enjoyed the breakfasts here and the pool.
- We did a cooking class through Cesarina.com. We had a driver take us to a women’s home where she showed us how to make a frittata, tagliateele, sauce, and strawberry tiramisu. This was my personal favorite activity we did!
- We took the Castles with Tasting boat tour through Garda Tours. Another great experience as the boat drove around the lake, past various castles, with a stop in Bardolino for a wine tasting. My son even got to “drive” the boat a bit on the way back.
- Of course we saw Scaligero Castle and the Grottoes of Catallus – both great!
- Best meal of the trip (after the cooking class) was at Tavernetta Maria Callas. They even have a (limited) kids menu.
1 day in Milan
- We stayed at Hotel dei Cavalieri which was centrally located. The breakfast here was very good with tons of options.
- We pre-booked tickets to see the Last Supper – highly recommend
- We saw the Doumo (exterior only)
