Diving in Portofino, Italy

During my trip to Italy, I had been a certified scuba diver for about nine months, so I try to get down as often as possible to reinforce what I’ve just learned because otherwise you can die. No biggie. Plus, I would love to dive in as many seas as possible, so given we were already on the Mediterranean, I had to go in. From the Cinque Terre, we got in the car at 6:00 am to make it to Santa Margherita Ligure by 8:00 am (it was about another two-three hours to Nice). Santa Margherita Ligure is right next to super fancy Portofino…

Bellissimo Bellagio: The Pearl of Lake Como

No town on Lake Como could be more picturesque and tastier than Bellagio. It’s definitely a place to visit if you’re in northern Italy and want a taste of what it must have been like to be an 1880s bored aristocrat doing the obligatory “grand tour” of the continent, like in the novel by Henry James, Portrait of a Lady… but with wifi and suntan lotion and none of that 1800s dying of tuberculosis and cholera.

Lake Como Food Coma Part 2: Baita Belvedere

We went to Trattoria Baita Belvedere Bellagio for our final dinner. We had heard about it from our hotel and a random couple who gave us hiking directions — we actually stumbled upon it at the top of our hike the previous day. It sat high atop the mountain with an awe-inspiring view of the northern part of the lake. We made a reservation, excited to watch the sun set and the lake turn to golden amber as we relished our last meal in Italy.   Except we forgot to heck the weather and the whole day was foggy! No…

New life plan: Get an agriturismo in Emilia Romagna

My new life plan is to move near Borgo Val di Taro, open a small agriturismo, be best friends with Pia and Gianni, have our dogs be best friends and run around our farms together, and invite others to visit with us to enjoy the amazing countryside and food of Emilia Romagna. It’s a perfect life plan.