Overview

[To Come]

Blog Entries We Wrote

• To see all the blog entries we wrote about this country, please click HERE.

Pictures We Took

• To see some of the pictures we took in this country, please click HERE.

Cities/Areas We Visited

• Bolzano (August 20-22, 2008)
• Lake Como (August 22-25, 2008)
• Piedmont Region (August 25-27, 2008)

Places We Stayed

Bolzano

• Hotel Figl (August 20-22, 2008)

Lake Como

• Villa Tres Jolie (August 22-25, 2008)

Piedmont Region

• Agriturismo Cascina Sant’Eufemia (August 25-27, 2008)

Places We Ate

Bolzano

• Blue Moon Restaurant - great waiter.  Derek had risotto with seafood and Shanna had a salad with grilled shrimp

• Cafe Sportster - Shanna had a salad and Derek had pasta with pesto sauce

• Cafe Europa - in small village in Dolomites; had some bread with cheese

• Paulaner - pizza

Lake Como

• Beccaccino Ristorante - incredible linguine with lobster and fried calamari

• Villa Tres Jolie - great food prepared by owner, Julio.  First night was grilled cheese, lasagna and tiramisu.  Second was risotto and grilled vegetables

• Caffe Vecchio Borgo - in Bellagio, Derek had pizza and Shanna had pasta with red sauce

• Ristorante Albergo Lario - last night, Shanna had great pasta with smoked salmon and Derek had ok penne with meat sauce

Piedmont Region

• Osteria del Vecchio Gallo - in Alba, interesting antipasta with meats and veggies and a fried egg?, turkey with potatoes and small ravioli

• Ristorante a ca ‘d Fantin - cute owner, great Italian couple from Turin, veal, pasta, tons of antipasta

• La Colina - Prosciutto with Melon, ravioli with hazelnuts

• La Torre Ristoro - several antipastas, salmon, gnocchi, small ravioli, lamb chops, panna cotta and “_____ d’Nonna”

Things We Did

Bolzano

• Walked around Bolzano, with its beautifully preserved buildings

• Got a Hay Bath!!

• Discovered the Dolomites and realized we needed to come back here soon

Lake Como

• Walked around the quaint villages along the lake

• Visited the popular tourist city of Bellagio

• Went to the Abbey at Piona

• Rode a slow ferry around the lake

Piedmont Region

• Enjoyed the amazing views of the hilly, vineyard-filled region

• Walked around the town of Alba

• Visited the hilltop town of La Morra

• Watched our hotel owners harvest hazelnuts

• Sample Barolo wine at Cantina Cascina Bruni
• Took a cooking class with Angelino, a great chef who taught us how to make gnocchi, pomodoro and a couple of desserts

Country Facts

• Capital City: Rome
• Currency: Euro
• Exchange Rate: 0.67 Euro to $1 ($1.48 to 1 Euro)