Varenna September 21st Today we pack and get ready to leave for our last day in Italy. We have both described our thoughts about leaving tomorrow on the train to Switzerland as being able to see us with our faces pressed up smushed against the window as we depart. However we have promised ourselves to make the most of it! I have repacked our bags with our warm clothes on the bottom and our warmer clothes including mittens… yes MITTENS on the top! We have e...

Wednesday September 20, 2017 This morning is the first morning that we got to wake up an hour later as we were meeting our guide in our own hotel and not moving on today so the extra hour certainly felt like a luxury… which ironically was in one of the most luxurious places we have visited! After a quick breakfast we met our guide Allesandra in the lobby for 9:30 and off we went. Our first stop was the ferry ticket office where we bought our seats for the...

Lago di Como Farewell to Verduno today as we pack up once again and head towards Lake Como. Although there were several stops we had planned along the way through the Piedmonte region the weather being unexpectedly lovely and warm so we changed our direction to head straight for the lake. We had a simple breakfast, popped into the winery to say Arrivederci to our host in the winery and to buy a bottle of the wine we had enjoyed in Cal Da Re our first ni...

Monday September 18, 2017 I knew I wanted to get up early again this morning to make the most of the day so I asked Grant to set his alarm for 7. For those of you who get up at 5 and think 7 is sleeping in, let's talk again when it is 1 am and I'm still wide awake typing and reading wishing I had your body clock!! I specifically asked Grant to change his barking dog alarm to something more peaceful so that I could rise more gently. Imagine my surprise wh...

Milan Day 3 Sunday September 17, 2017 Another early start today as we travel to the region of Verduno, Piedmonte. For those who enjoy their wines you might be more familiar with the names Barolo and Barbaresco as this area is famous for their production. However, in our grand touring style we have a few stops planned along the way. After a quick breakfast (eating very light as we know what is coming later on!) we packed up our belongings ("how can we make su...