5 STUNNING DAY TRIPS FROM

(that Aren’t Lake )

Lake Maggiore. Photo by Eleonora Albasi on Unsplash

BY THEA DUNCAN DOING Page 01

5 STUNNING DAY TRIPS FROM MILAN

(that Aren’t )

Italy is filled with countless stunningly beautiful cities, towns, villages, and hamlets. As soon as you find the prettiest place you’ve seen, you realize the next town over has something even more special to offer. In Italy, there’s a place to visit to match just about any style or preference. It’s really just a matter of finding the right place for you.

I’m giving you a few of my favorite suggestions that aren’t Lake Como, because I want to offer you the insider’s guide, not just places everyone knows (nothing against Lake Como of course: it’s famous for good reason). From Milan these places will take you about an hour – maybe two. Think of this list as a starting point for adventures outside Milan, with a few suggestions for places that you may or may not have heard, or places you might not have considered

Photo Credits

Above: Certosa di by Antonio Sessa on Unsplash

Right: Arena by Danique Dohmen on Unsplash BERGAMO (CITTÀ ALTA)

Bergamo Città Alta (high town) is a picturesque medieval hamlet (smaller than a village) that sits perched upon a high hill. So stunning, that Bergamo Alta’s wall was recently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with a chain of landmarks leading to Venice). Looking down from the elevated hamlet, you can see the red tiles on the roofs of the buildings in the “new” Città Bassa (low town) below, as well as the lush, green canopy surrounding high town’s elevated space.

Inside its city walls, Bergamo has lots to offer. From the old Meridian, located under the Palazzo della Regione; the stunning, can’t-miss Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, featuring rich architecture and stunning mosaics; the curiously-shaped, centuries-old Baptistery; and the storied Duomo, showcasing Renaissance masterpieces. And that’s just naming a few of the beautiful sights you’ll find here.

HOW TO GET THERE

BY TRAIN There’s a regional train that runs between Milan and Bergamo about every 30 minutes. The train ride last around 50 minutes, and takes you into the new town. Once there, you’ll have to take the main road, Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, up to Bergamo Città Alta. From Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII you can take Bus No. 1, the funicular, or a 10-15 minute, slightly steep walk to the top. BY CAR If there’s no traffic, it’s a mere 50-minute drive from Milan to Bergamo Alta, using the A4 highway. Since you can’t park within the walls of the high town, once there, you can try your luck with the paid meters directly outside the city wall, park in the new town and take public transportation, or w alk up to the old city.

---- Da Mimmo (Bergamo Alta): This family run restaurant, opened by Mimmo Amaddeo and his wife, Lina, in 1956, is known for its commitment to offering great service, and delicious, high-quality, fresh food, crafted from choice local ingredients. You’ll find wood-fired pizzas and an extensive selection of other Italian dishes on the menu. ristorantemimmo.com - Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, 17

Pasticceria Cavour 1880: This historic café is part of the association Locali Storici d’Italia, a nonprofit that recognizes some of Italy’s most historic and prestigious places. Besides offering superb-quality sweet and and salty treats, the space has been recently updated to add additional floors to host guests, while maintaining its historic charm (like the antique paintings on the walls). davittorio.com/caffe - Via Gombito, 7 PARMA

Parma is another small Italian city that I absolutely adore. Parma’s Food Valley, the area’s gastronomic capital, is what a foodie’s dreams are made of. Many of the delicacies that we commonly associate with Italian food are from this region: think Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan cheese), Prosciutto di Parma (dry-cured ham from pigs fed Parmigiano-Reggiano whey), and fresh egg pasta.

So yes, Parma is absolutely worth visiting for the food, but this darling city also offers stunning architecture. While sightseeing, make sure to visit the nearly 1,000-year-old Parma Cathedral that sits directly in historic old town, and is steeped in artistic masterpieces, as well as the legendary Parma Baptistery, with its stunning frescoes and paintings,located next to the cathedral. The majestic, wooden Teatro Farnese is also worth visiting. This historic theater was built in the 1600s, but drastically damaged during WWII; it has since been restored and is a magnificent sight..

The city outskirts also house the world’s largest labyrinth, Labirinto della Masone. The spectacular design was grown using about 20 species of bamboo and 200,000 plants. Visitors can discover an art collection, activities, music, and exhibitions on site. HOW TO GET THERE

BY TRAIN You typically can get to Parma by train in less than 1.5 hours. There are regional and high speed trains that will connect you directly from Milan and runs every hour and sometimes more depending on the day. I generally prefer the high speed trains because they are newer, cleaner, and tend to run on time. Parma does have a nice exception a special regional train (# 2987) that only runs like twice a day and makes limited stops, pretty clean, and usually on time (since it starts and ends Milan/Parma respectively. You can purchase your train tickets online for both the regional and high speed trains to Parma from ItaliaRail or TreinItalia. Italo also offers a train speed train plus bus service to Parma. BY CAR Parma is just a 90-minute drive from Milan city center. Fortunately, you’ll get fairly close to Parma’s city center without having to worry about the restricted, residents-only streets, but beware, those streets are monitored by video cameras ---- La Prosciutteria: Vanusa, my dear friend and a personal chef, recently moved to Parma. She introduced me to this food boutique. Located on one of the main pedestrian streets of Parma, La Prosciutteria is gosh-darn visually appealing, with its dark wood shelves housing bottle upon bottle of local wines, the row of prosciutto crudo (dry-cured ham) that hangs from the ceiling of the store, and the marble trim framing its refrigerated food display. Not just good looking, La Prosciutteria sells a selection of high- quality products, like Parmesan cheese made from non-GMO grass- and hay-fed Red Cows, a particular breed that produces less milk, but whose specific qualities make the milk more suitable for aging. La Prosciutteria will vacuum-pack just about anything you request, which is great for travel. silvanoromaniparma.com/la-prosciutteria - Via Farini, 9/c

Gallo D’Oro: Its name means Golden Rooster; this restaurant serves up dishes authentic to Parma and its surrounding areas in a traditional setting – think dark wood tables, covered with white fabric table cloths. I particularly suggest their torta fritta, a surprisingly light fried dough, and, of course, their superb selection of cured pork products.gallodororistorante.it – Borgo della Salina, 3 PAVIA

While relatively unknown outside of Italy, Pavia has played an important role in Lombard and Italian history; as a battleground, a once-leading city, and home to a storied university. Originally a settlement of the Papiria tribe, it was conquered by the Romans in 200 B.C. In fact, centuries later, it still maintains its Roman fortified-city plan, with a network of streets and crossroads designed for the movement of soldiers. From 625 to 774, it was the capital of the Longoardi Kingdom. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, even captured Francis I, the French king, here.

Located in the region at the mouth of the Ticino River, the city was once famous for its many towers – some estimate they once numbered in the hundreds; these towers were how powerful families of the time demonstrated their wealth. A good bulk of the remaining towers stand near University of Pavia in Piazza di Leonardo di Vinci. Speaking of the university, it’s a big deal, one of the oldest universities in Europe. Founded in the ninth century, its alumni include Christopher Columbus and Alessandro Volta (the inventor of the electric battery).

Pavia is also worth visiting for Certosa di Pavia, a massive religious complex that is one of the most notable from the Renaissance period. Although I know I say this a lot about churches and architecture in Italy, this pavilion is truly breathtaking. HOW TO GET THERE

BY TRAIN You can connect from the central station in Milan (Stazione Centrale) to Pavia every 15-20 minutes on some days, and every 30 minutes on others. The direct train takes just under 30 minutes and lets you off just east of the University. You will then want to take another train or bus into the city center. If you prefer to walk, it will take about 15 minutes. If your first stop is Certosa di Pavia, you will switch trains, since it’s quite north of the city. Get your train tickets at ItaliaRail or Trenitalia. BY CAR Pavia is a quick one-hour drive south of Milan using the highway A7.

---- Pasticceria Vigoni: Dating back to 1878, Pasticceria Vigoni is the oldest pastry shop in Pavia. It’s famous for investing la torta paradiso (Paradise cake) which among other things, won the gold medal at 1906 Milan International World Fair! In case you’re wondering Paradise cake is a type of pimped out sponge cake made with the zest of oranges, lemons, and vanilla. tortavigoni.com - Corso Strada Nuovo, 110

Avolo: This café/restaurant puts together sandwiches that will blow your mind. Sandwiches made with octopus, steak tartare, freshly sliced black truffles, porchetta (herb-roasted pork), agretti (Salsola soda – a salt-resistant plant native to the Mediterranean basin, that I like because it tastes sort of like spinach, but looks like green straws). Avolo also has vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. You get it; not your run-of-the-mill sandwich shop. And because this is Italy, yes, you can get a glass of wine with your meal. alvolopavia.com - Via Giacomo Parodi, 3 STRESA

Stresa is considered the pearl of Lago Maggiore (Lake Maggiore). It’s a very small town filled with villas belonging to Italian and European nobility, 5-star hotels, like Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, where Hemingway once stayed. Stresa’s tranquility and beauty has lured writers and artists since the 1800s. You’ll definitely want to check out one of Stresa’s most famous sights: Villa Pallavicino, a stunning, formerly private residence, and its surrounding gardens and wildlife habitat.

Just a stone’s throw away are can’t-miss islands, including: the Borromean Islands (named after the Florentine family that once owned all of them) and Isola dei Pescatori (the only continuously inhabited island in the chain). HOW TO GET THERE

BY TRAIN There are direct trains to and from Stresa and Milan Stazione Centrale (Central Station), just about every hour. The train ride lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, and costs about $10 (about 8.60 €). You can buy your ticket from ItaliaRail or Treinitalia.

BY CAR I t will take you about 90 minutes to get to Stresa by car from Milan, if there’s no traffic. Located northwest of Milan, you’ll probably want to take highway A8 to get there.

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Osteria Mercato: It pretty much goes without saying that I’d love a place that claims “Happiness is Homemade”. True to its word, this restaurant serves up beautifully executed, modern Italian cuisine. The menu doesn’t have a gazillion options, but it’s really well thought out, so there’s something for everyone: pasta, meat, seafood, and even vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. osteriamercatostresa.com - Piazza Capucci, 9

Il Vicoletto: The word, vicoletto, in Italian means little side street. So it’s quite an appropriate name for this restaurant off the beaten path, the kind of place a local usually has to tell you about to find. The restaurant serves up traditional local and Italian food: appetizers made with lake fish, spaghetti with seafood, gnocchi with meat ragu… Add the fact that it’s in a quaint homey setting with middle of the road prices. You may just love it, like so many others do. ristorantevicoletto.com - Vicolo del Pocivo, 3 VERONA

I absolutely love Verona. To me, it represents a quintessential Italian city. Not too big, not too small, and it has all you could want in terms of access to stores, shops, and entertainment. I love the fact that it maintains many of the characteristics of Italian life, like how people will still do the passeggiata. Passeggiare in Italian means to walk slowly and leisurely. In small-town Italy, many people leave work and school and passeggiano on the main streets. They stop to have an espresso or a glass of wine at a local café and then continue walking, sometimes hand-in-hand (yes, even straight men do this) chatting. Being a small city or town, they’ll almost certainly encounter another local they know, with whom they’ll stop to chat with before continuing on.

Besides being able to witness this lovely cultural tradition with your own eyes and take part, you also can view Verona. The streets of the city center are lined with perfectly maintained two- and three-story buildings. There’s also the huge First Century Amphitheater worth visiting any time of year, but over the summer it comes to life with open-air concerts and operas. HOW TO GET THERE

BY TRAIN Verona is directly east of Milan. There is a train every hour that leaves from Stazione Centrale (Central Station) in Milan. You can get tickets as low as 12 €, one way, if you take a regional train (about a two- hour ride). On the other hand, the fastest route is on the high-speed train, which takes just over an hour (so faster than driving). The cost of the high-speed train, works sort of like a plane ticket (the prices change depending on several factors, like class of service and flexibility of the ticket). That said, prices start at about 25 €. You can purchase high-speed tickets from Trenitalia (the national carrier), Italo (their main competitor) or ItaliaRail (a third-party website that puts them together).

BY CAR Verona is a quick two-hour drive east of Milan, using highway A4. Verona is also just an hour and 20 minutes from Venice, so it also makes a great “pit stop” on your way to that unique Italian city on the water. ----

Bottega del Vino: This historic wine bar and restaurant was opened in 1890. A designated Association of Historic Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes of Italy location, Bottega del Vino oozes charm and history. Plus, more than a century later, the food is still divine and the wine selection superb. bottegavini.it - Vicolo Scudo di Francia, 3

Caffe’ Vittorio Emanuele: Go to this restaurant café if you’re looking for historic glam. Founded in 1895, here you’ll find numerous dominating chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, and waiters decked in traditional, crisp white shirts sporting black vests and ties. The menu, with options like caviar, culatello ham, black truffle ravioli, plus a few Italian traditional desserts, like tiramisu, exudes classic luxury. ristorantevittorioemanuele.com - Piazza Bra, 16