Italy

Bruges.

Posted on by lisadnovak

 December 2024

Thoughts.

I’ve had it in my head to visit Bruges for some time. The promise of my favorite food groups – beer, waffles, beer, chocolate and french fries – tucked all into one cozy place has lurked in the depths of my mind. We lured one of my oldest pals Simon and his family to meet us there. The actual moment of reuniting was my absolute favorite part: in the middle of the very festive Bruges Christmas Market complete with sausages and beer in the sun. The perfect Belgian moment. 

That said, Bruges was really (really) crowded and while its fairytale scenery resembles a movie set, the hordes of people made it feel like an adult Disneyland. If there’s an off-season, that’s when I’d go.

Stay.

  • In the center. We stayed outside the city center at the Radisson. It was new and nice enough. But with the uncertain weather, I wish we were a little closer to the action to easily pop in and out to take a break in the room.  

Eat. Drink.

  • In the Mood – dinner in the park. Swanky setting, vaguely surly service. But a nice non-touristy option in the park for an adults dinner. 
  • Bourgogne des Flandres. My favorite brewery tour. Why? Because the very cool brewery tour also had a very cool kids scavenger hunt. Everybody wins.
  • De Halve Mann. Also a cool tour but admittedly we may have been on the verge of beer-ed out by then. Definitely worth the visit; has a nice restaurant for food after.
  • Beerwall. Ridiculous bar with what felt like 10,000 beers. 
  • FritBar. I never found the fries of my dreams in Bruges. But this place offered plenty of fried fun for the mounds of potatoes with themes. And approximately 20 dipping sauces.  
  • Carpe Diem Bakkerji. Delicious quiches and all of the other carbs. Eat inside for maximum breakfasting. 

 Play.

  • Chocolate Workshops. Sweetest highlight. The kids loved making truffles and we got to learn about Belgian chocolate making. 
  • Boat Tour. Have to. It’s the best way to see the canals and a handful of the 80 bridges in the town!

Milan.

Posted on by lisadnovak

November 2024

Thoughts.

First take away: when one of your dearest friends invites you to Italy, say yes. Second take away: if one of the options is Milan, say yes! Neither of us had ever visited before, and to be honest, it’s never been on my list. I assumed it would be too urban and lack a certain Italian charm. I was completely mistaken. Milan is elegant, stately and exciting. Watching the world march by in Prada was a delight. And because I was with my most foodie friend Elizabeth, we ate and drank like queens. In between, we walked miles a day just taking in the fall colors and light. I’m so grateful to have had this time with her.

Stay.

  • Senato Hotel Milano. The hotel location was great, and the hotel was comfortable and had a nice breakfast. But- I’m sure there are a number of nice places.  

Eat.

  • Da Giacomo. Fantastic seafood restaurant in a stunning setting – those hues of green! – and great vibe. If you go, tell Teo the waiter we said hi. And then promptly order the shrimp tartare and tagtelli dish. This was also the scene of my 2nd (marvelous) of 2 tiramisus.
  • Al Coniglio Blanco. Delightful lunch outside by the canals in the Navigli district. I never realized Milan had canals, and yet this area has a distinct Venice-ish vibe. Their zucchini blossoms were one of the best things we ate on the trip.
  • Zia Esternia Sobrillo. Deep. Fried. Pizza? How have I not heard / sampled / reveled in this before? Fantastic. A must do.
  • La Gioia. The people watching = as good as the food. Great scene even at 10pm, but by 12 we got kicked out only to learn the restaurant turned into a club (Gen X not invited).
  • Ciacco Lab. We confirmed that one should never go to a gelato place with ice cream piled in mounds, only those with tin covers hiding the deliciousness! Get the pistachio.  
  • Panini De Santis. A cozy panini spot with 30 types of pressed sandwiches and a friendly waitress. 
  • Campario in Galleria. I loved this old-world bar spot focused solely on Campari drinks. A mini Negroni heaven on Earth.  

 Play.

  • Villa Necchi Campiglio. Visiting this villa was my favorite activity on the trip. It demonstrated the distinct art deco design found in Milan, mixed with much of the traditional northern Italian architecture. Both the villa and grounds were rich in color and light. We happened to be there at the same time as an autumn gardening festival which was lovely. 
  • Teatro alla Scala. Elizabeth is one of my go-to culture dates and we decided to regale in the 2024-2025 ballet season premier. The performance was paralleled only by the beauty of the theatre itself. You can tour La Scala even if you don’t see a performance. 
  • Triennale di Milano. A beautiful design museum set in Parco Sempione. The Fiorucci exhibit was my favorite. On your way, stroll through the Castello Sforzesco.
  • Cementerio Monumental di Milan. We stumbled upon the cemetery while on a run and were in awe of the crypts and sculptures covering the grounds. Worth a stop.
  • BIVIO Milano. It’s not Milan without miles of shopping. I am not a vintage person, but this shop had some high-end gems.
  • Last Supper Museum. My one regret is I didn’t make it to this museum to see Davinci’s last supper, due to my lack of planning ahead. Next time.

Berlin.

Posted on by lisadnovak

June 2024

Thoughts. 

I’ve heard Berlin described as gritty, cool, and international. There’s a tension underlying the starkness and beauty of the architecture, the people, the graffiti, and what’s left of the wall. It was hard not to feel like everything had meaning, which made it feel important to see and understand.

Spending time there with friends — from Berlin as well as the Bay Area — also added a level of warmth and familiarity that deepened our experience beyond being tourists at Checkpoint Charlie.  It didn’t hurt we were also there for the European Futbol Championships, and Germany beat Denmark while we were there. Every cafe had a TV on the sidewalk with locals pouring onto the streets to watch, adding such great energy to the city. Berlin, we will be back. Just next time don’t lose our luggage.
 

Stay. 

Eat.

  • Cafe am Neuen See. My favorite place in Berlin. It has all of the things – nature, beer, great food and music. It’s situated in Tiergarten Park where I plan to spend more time next time. 
  • Cafe Restaurant Jolesch. Fantastic schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn – like a cross between a Dutch Baby pancake and bread pudding. In Kreuzberg neighborhood which I really liked. 
  • Van Loon Restaurant Boat. Great place for fish and chips on the canal. We walked the canal at night after dinner, what a cool vibe. Next time I’ll bring beers to the Admiralbrucke Bridge and get lost in the crowd. 

Play. 

  • Berlin Third Reich & Cold War Walking Tour. This tour was essential to our Berlin experience because of the sites, but moreover because of the knowledge and passion of our guide Georgia. When we travel, I understand the basic history of most places, and know I can refresh myself by reading or listening to an audio guide. But, this tour offered a poignant and important reminder of the sobering and highly relevant history that played out on the very streets we walked on. I can’t recommend this enough. 
  • East Side Gallery. A 1km stretch of the Berlin Wall painted by street artists after German reunification. Moving, beautiful and intensive reminder of the division that appeared in the city practically overnight. 
  • Solarwaterworld Hafen. Took a 2.5 hour solar boat tour on the River Spree with friends. It was a great way to see the city from a different angle.

Sicily.

Posted on by lisadnovak

April 2024

Thoughts. 

Para mi, Sicily was long-standing bucket list, long before The White Lotus made Taormina an American tourist hot spot. We only had a long weekend so we limited ourselves to one corner of the island. We focused on Cefalu and Palermo – super easy to fly into and get around, even if one lands at 11pm and realizes they forgot to bring their driver’s license while at the car rental kiosk 😉 

Our base was Cefalu, with one night in Palermo. Cefalu is a delight – touristy but not overly so, great food, beautiful beaches and rocky cliffs. It’s small and easy to get around. Palermo is gritty, loud and fun as hell. We were marveling that Sunday evening at 10pm seemed livelier than a midday workday.

I would keep the same itinerary with the time we had, but with any more days, we would have traveled around more of the island. I craved time in the mountains and would have loved to see Mt Etna. But there isn’t a better way to soothe oneself than with mountains of arancini. Sicily, we will be back.

Stay. 

  • Cefalu / Casanova Suites. Delightful family-run b&b on the coast with a pretty balcony where they serve a delicious breakfast. We stayed in the family room. Highly recommend, and if you do stay there, let me know first! 

Eat.

  • Cefalu / Rossorubini Enoteca. Great wine bar on the main street with delicious bruschetta. We went twice we liked it so much.  
  • Cefalu / Sfrigola Cefalù. It may be a chain, but this is delicious arancini. Admittedly, there was no bad arancini in our Sicilian daily arancini binge. 
  • Castlebuono / Fiasconaro. Panettone that even the Pope loves?
  • Palermo / Cannoli & Co. You pick the filling. You cannot go wrong.  
  • Palermo / Nni Franco U Vastiddaru. Great sandwiches, long lines to prove it.

Play.

  • Cefalu / Rocco di Cefalu. Hike up the mountain to explore old ruins.
  • Cefalu / Jeep tour. Tusatrophy excursions in Madonie National Park. Visited Castlebuono
  • Palermo / No Mafia Tour. In-depth tour on the history and modern day take on the Mafia. 
  • Palermo / Quattro Canti. The heart of Palermo is marked with four beautiful sculptures at each side of the intersection. Stroll in any direction and you’re inundated with shops, bars, bachelorette parties and every street food you can imagine. I liked Colori del Sol for beautiful textiles. 

Venice.

Posted on by lisadnovak

December 2023

Thoughts. 

I last visited Venice in 1999 and fell hard. What’s not to love about a city of canals? Today, Venice is just as lovely, especially for Christmas and especially when no one else is there. Somehow our timing worked perfectly and we had it practically to ourselves. A few times we looked around some of the biggest tourist sites and were the lone wanderers. I was worried I’d miss my Delaware family too much over the holidays, but we made a point to seek out festive restaurants and activities. Venice delivered.

Stay.

  • Hotel L’Orologio. Simple, contemporary and on the water. I liked it but you can find another place that is just as nice.

Eat.

  • Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi. Cicchetti is Italian tapas. Coming from Spain, I felt vaguely snooty about the prospect, but I think the Italianos have us beat?
  • Farini. Pizza standing on the street. Always.
  • Cantina Do Spade. Ciccetti again. This is the way to eat.
  • Rosticceria Gislon. Cool spot where you sort of yell and point at things in a case you want to eat.
  • Hotel Danieli. Beautiful restaurant in an old world Venetian hotel overlooking the water.

Play.

  • The Futbol. David and Milo watched Venezia play. And bought the requisite scarf I then usurped.
  • Doge’s Palace / Bell Tower. We did a Palace tour, nothing to write home about but good to learn from a knowledgable local. I definitely recommend a guide of some kind. Then climb the tower! This was spontaneous because there was no line, but get advance tix.
  • St Mark’s Basilica. Visited for Christmas Day Mass (en Italiano) and noted the uneven tiled floors warped by the rising water.

The Dolomites.  

Posted on by lisadnovak

December 2023

Thoughts. 

We entered this trip knowing very little about skiing in the Dolomites. Skiing in this part of Italy is such a different scene – super fabulous (more fur than I’ve seen in a lifetime in Cortina alone), super laid back (no one else was on the slopes until what seemed like midday?) and super delicious food you wouldn’t expect (with a heavy German influence). We first spent a few days in Alta Badia at the NaturHotel which was wonderful. It was situated right near the lifts, served delicious food and the staff truly took care of us. 

After we moved to Cortina and I was less enamored. It’s the site of the Winter Olympics in 2026 for the second time– the first being 1956. Part of it was the lack of snow, and part of it was that it was Christmas / New Year’s with little value to be found. The people watching made up for the disastrous hotel at least. But I’d say if you have a chance to ski in Europe, we’ve enjoyed ourselves far more in Austria and France.   

Stay.

  • Miraval NaturHotel / Alta Badia.
  • Hotel Mirage / Cortina. I am only writing about this place because it was terrible. Please do not be fooled by the number of stars! 

Eat. 

  • Rufugio Lagazuoi / Alta Badia. Any restaurant you need to take a cable car to is a good restaurant to me. The views from the top of Lagazuoi were incredible   and we had the chance to hike around to peer into WWI hideouts. 
  • Il Vizietto di Cortina / Cortina. Cozy date night spot with good pasta chased by complimentary grappa.  
  • Ristorante Pizzeria 5 Torri / Cortina. decent pizza
  • Il Ponte / Cortina. Decent pizza and worth mentioning because Milo’s pizza had fries on top. 
  • Baita Fraina Enoteca / Cortina. We finally experienced “the scene” in Cortina. And it’s definitely a scene inside and outside. Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, there was a throng of people outside drinking vino…  
  • Bar Caffe Sport / Cortina. This place was more relaxed than Baita Fraina but equally as jam packed inside and out. 

Play. 

  • Dolomiti Superski Pass. Highly recommend this pass thanks to its versatility and relative affordability (for skiing).  You have access to an entire series of mountain chains that seems to go on forward. And on that note…
  • Sellaronda. I still can’t believe we did it. Or rather, that I – as the current worst skier in the family – made it. The Sella is a famous 40km+ ski circuit in South Tyrol where you circle the Sella group in one day. It was a bluebird day with the kind of winter adventure I had no idea my kids were ready for. Highly recommend.