~Carmen This past summer we were able to check off a major bucket list destination—VENICE!  In totally, we spent 9 days in Northern Italy, 5 days in Milan and the surrounding area (See 5 Days in Northern Italy) and the other 4 days in the Veneto Region, which includes Venice & Verona, Italy. To really experience......

~Carmen Verona may be best known as the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but it is much more than that.  One of northern Italy’s most captivating and romantic cities, it is filled with cobblestoned streets and beautiful piazzas.  Its city center has many Roman ruins (only Rome has more), and thanks to Caesar Augustus,......

~ Carmen Murano and Burano are two popular islands in the Venetian Lagoon off of the northeastern coast of Italy.  The most popular island being Venice (Read How to Spend 2 Days in Venice).  The lagoon provides a calm barrier between the Adriatic Sea and the Italian Coast.  From Venice, you can easily reach these......

~ Carmen Venice is one of those destinations that people either love or hate.  I’ve heard friends say that it was beautiful, romantic, and a-trip-of-a-lifetime.  I’ve also had friends who thought it was too crowded, smelled bad, and overpriced.  My honest opinion is that Venice is all of the above.  However, for me its romantic......

~Carmen Northern Italy has always been high on our bucket list.  This summer we were able to spend a couple of weeks traversing this historic and beautiful part of the world.  The first 5 days of our trip involved using Milan as a home base and taking several day trips to other prime Northern Italy......

~Carmen Cinque Terre (meaning Five Lands) is a group of 5 colorful, picturesque towns off of the northwestern coast of Italy.  This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was made an Italian National Park in 1999.  Cinque Terre can be explored over the course of a week, but you can hit the highlights......

~Carmen Lake Como (Lago di Como) is Italy’s deepest lake and third largest.  With a setting at the base of the Alps, it is considered by many to be Italy’s most beautiful lake.  It is shaped like a large upside-down Y, with its meandering shoreline dotted with exquisite 19th-century towns and villas.  Because of Lake......

~ Carmen Bergamo is an eastern Lombard town located about an hour’s drive (1 1/2 hours by train) from Milan.  Situated at the foot of the Orobie Alps, it is a baroque and Renaissance lover’s paradise.  Divided into Upper and Lower Town, there’s something to do for everyone.  One step on the ancient hilltop of Città......

~ Carmen Once know as Mediolanum, Milan was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402 AD.  Although Florence, Rome, and Venice get more adulations, Milan is the second most visited city in Italy (Rome is #1), and the 24th most visited city in the world!  It was called the “New Athens” during the......