Saturday night we partied alla Milanese. Well, maybe not but after the soccer match we did go to a bar where everyone was doing Italian karaoke-style sing alongs and drinking Vevue while wearing designer clothes. It was a very fun evening and Sunday morning started late. And cold. Even though we’d just left the Alps after 3 weeks we were freezing walking around in Milan on Sunday. We had an American style brunch in the Naviglio district and then walked to the Duomo. If we had more time and it was a little warmer we would have spent more time wandering around the Naviglio district because it has really cool shops and there was an antiques market going on.The Duomo has both a museum and the church. We wandered around the museum and looked at the assorted treasures of the church then explored the Duomo itself which is massive and very beautiful inside. The entry fee also includes an elevator ride up to the roof so we walked around the roof and checked out the view too. It’s interesting because we’ve both been in office and apartment buildings taller than the Duomo but for some reason being up on the roof with all the spires and scaffolding gives a sense of vertigo.

We headed to the castle after the Duomo but after a pit stop at a lovely bar called Van Bol e Feste to have a snack and warm up we decided to wrap up our sight seeing and go back to the apartment to relax before dinner. Christine, Nate, Jeff and Karen walked around the castle grounds and we ran a quick errand before meeting back at the Airbnb. Also, kudos to Nate and Christine for finding an awesome rental in the Milan- great location on Via Savona near many shops and restaurants and a super cool loft layout.

For our last supper we decided to splurge and go to Langosteria, a very chic seafood restaurant that was amazingly declious. Afterward we grabbed gelato depsite the cold.

This morning we said goodbye to Jeff and Karen who were on their way to Rome, where by the way, the airports were closed this morning due to a freak snow storm that is blanketing Southern Italy! We heard it took them quite a while to make it to the Eternal City. We helped Nate and Christine to the airport as they had graciously agreed to take all of our ski stuff back to California for us. After saying goodbye to them we went back into Milano and picked up our new rental car.

It was sad to say goodbye to our friends, we had so much fun this week and it was awesome to share the experiences together. We can’t wait for Anna and Matt to meet us in Rome in a few weeks! If anyone else wants to come and see us, shoot us a note, we’d be happy to have you!

From Milano we headed south to the Italian Rivera and Genova. At first the drive was a little repetitive, the area surrounding Milano is quite industrial and grey but as we crossed back into Piemonte and then into the foothills of the Appennini mountains that run north-south and seperate Liguria from Piemonte the scenery became very stunning. The  Appennini are not as dramatic as the Alps but today were covered in a light dusting of snow and dotted with very picturesque little towns, castles and old churches. Coming down into Genova is a bit of hairy drive; there is a ton of commercial truck traffic to and from the port and the roads are narrow and windy. But wow, coming through the tunnels and having the pink and gold houses from the city appear before and below you with the sea beyond is incredbile. We dropped down into the city and Dave had to navigate the city streets all the way to our hotel which was a bit complicated with the limited traffic and pedestrian zones. We ended up going in a few big, chaotic, congested circles around the downtown trying to figure out how to get to our hotel before finally just parking the car in a public lot and walking a few blocks with our suitcases. Since we hadn’t eaten anything all day this wasn’t a very fun moment. Especially when we got to the hotel and realized that it was actually a small bed and breakfast that was locked up tight. Luckily the building where the B&B is located had a very nice doorman who agreed to watch our bags so we could go next door and grab sandwiches and a much needed (and deserved) glass of wine for Dave after all the crazy Italian city driving. The sandwich place is called ‘Signor Kiwi’s’ and they had a few really good veggie options.

Even after lunch the hotel doors were still closed so Dave waited with the bags while Sara went to get an Italian SIM card. Finally we were able to get ahold of the hotel owner to come and let us in because a very nice lady from the building offered Dave to call him directly. Once settled we set out to explore the historic center of Genova which reminds us of Porto, Portugual, the old quarter of Barcelona and a little bit of Venice and Naples. It’s really beautiful with pink and yellow palazzos squeezed in tight around tiny piazzas and also a little gritty which makes it interesting. Everyone we’ve met here was at first a little standoffish but then once engaged, very lovely and extremely welcoming.

Tonight we are off to do the Lord’s work and eat tons of pesto (Genova is the birthplace of this green gold which also happens to be Sara’s favorite food in the whole world) and also maybe some ravioli with walnut sauce which is another local speciality. We even read that Genovese cuisine is particularly vegetarian friendly because there isn’t much land in Liguria for cows or pigs to graze. YAYA!

Footnote: The restaurant where we are in Genova is called San Matteo Osteria. It was right next to our hotel and run by a very nice family, I think their last name is Migone. They also run the attached wine store next door and gave great recommendations for local wines and also Italian wine in general.