Labor Day on Lake Como, Milan & Verona

You know if Bryan gets off for a holiday weekend, we are spending it somewhere new! This time around, we are headed back to Italy! We team-wrote this blog post, so the first half is written by me (Katie) and the second part is by Bryan! I'm sure you will be able to tell when the authorship swaps!

Friday, August 29: Travel Day & The Last Supper

Il Caravaggio International Airport: Milan Bergamo Airport

Friday morning started a little slower, allowing us to get in extra puppy snuggles before our flight to Milan. While sitting in the airport lounge awaiting our flight, we realized that I may have trip-planned a little too aggressively this time around... our flight landed in Bergamo Airport at 3:40 pm, while we had reservations for a tour of the Last Supper at 5:30 pm. That all sounds good, until we realized that the Bergamo Airport is an hour outside of the city center!

As soon as the plane touched down, we sprinted off the plane and found the shuttle bus that would take us to the city center. As we neared the bus's drop-off point, Bryan ordered an Uber, and we ran to meet our driver!

As our Uber navigated the city, we watched the minutes tick by. The Last Supper tour tickets requested that we show up 30 minutes early to meet our guide...we hopped out of our car and ran inside at 5:28 pm, tossed our luggage in their lockers, and barely made our tour!

The Last Supper Museum

Yeah... I may have cut that one a little too close for comfort! But hey, we made it! As our heart rates returned to a normal rhythm, we listened as our guide introduced one of the most famous paintings in the world.

We learned that Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper in several installments between 1495-1498. Most of the time, fresco paintings have to be completed quickly; traditionally, the artist adds colorful pigments to the wall while the plaster dries. Since Leonardo worked at a much slower pace and needed to work on the painting during several visits to Milan, he tried out a new-for-its-time technique using tempera paint.

Unfortunately, the new technique allowed for moisture to come between the wall and the paint, damaging the famous work. Over time, artists have tried to "restore" Leonardo's famous wall painting, but it appears much more dull and "cracked" than I expected!

The painting is located in what used to be the dining area of the church's convent. In 1652, the monks carved out a doorway smack dab in the middle of the painting to give them a shortcut from the kitchen to the lavatory....I guess they didn't think Jesus' feet were as important as the speediness of relieving their bowels.

During WWII, a nearby bombing also caused damage. This painting has been through it all! But luckily for us, it is still surviving. If you look closely at Jesus' left temple, you can see a small hole where Leonardo da Vinci hammered a nail to attach a string. He used this string as a guide as he created a masterpiece known for having perfect perspective. As we moved around the room, the painting seemed to move with us- always drawing the viewer's eye back to the center point: Jesus.

Oh, and a lesser-known fact: there is another painting in this food hall. On the opposite wall is a painting of the crucifixion. Giovanni Donato da Montorfano's Crucifixion was painted as a true fresco painting and is in much better condition than its counterpart across the hall!

After our tour of the painting, we figured we should see the inside of the famous church that houses the Last Supper. Honestly, it was a little underwhelming, after all that we had just witnessed!

As we made our evening plans, neither of us realized how spread out Milan really is! Compared to other Italian cities we have visited, Milan is the least walkable. The Last Supper is a nearly 45-minute walk from our hotel and the central train station, so having dinner along the way was a must!

Miscusi

During our evening stroll across the city, we headed to Miscusi for dinner! This pasta restaurant was delicious; Bryan enjoyed his favorite Carbonara pasta, while I opted for a fresh pesto pasta. When in Italy, you drink like the Italians, so we shared a pitcher of house red wine.

Caffè Leonardo

Further into our walk back to the hotel, we needed a break from lugging our backpacks across the city, so we made a stop at a wine bar! I love how the Italians serve tapas with their drinks, similar to Spain! This time, we enjoyed a few chips with our wine.

Day one is in the books! Now it's time to get some rest before our early morning tour tomorrow!

Saturday, August 30: Lake Como

Our day began with rumbling tummies, so Bryan picked out a nearby coffee shop for a quick bite to eat. Senza Nome Coffee & More was a great spot to grab a small breakfast of coffee and sandwiches.

Then it was time to meet our tour guide for the day at Piazza IV Novembre, right in front of the city's train station! Eventually, we boarded one of those trains and made our way north towards Lake Como!

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta - Duomo di Como

We had a little bit of free time in Como before our boat tour began, so Bryan and I enjoyed walking around and exploring this lakeside city.

Como's main cathedral has a side entrance known as "the frog door," where you can find a small frog carved along the decorative archway. Legend has it that this frog is actually a sign of the high flood waters that devastated the city after a horrible storm hit the lake area. The legend says this relief sculpture is actually a petrified frog that died during the famous storm.

Others say this frog was carved into the doorway as a reminder of the metamorphosis that humans go through when they accept Christ, much like a frog metamorphoses from a tadpole. Either way, you can recognize this frog's location on the entryway because of its dark coloring from everyone rubbing it for luck as they enter or exit the church.

Como Ferry Terminal

At 11:10 am, we joined our tour guide in line for our afternoon on Lake Como! As we made our way around the lake, our guide was quick to point out some of the famous villas along the waterway. The first one we spotted was Villa Erba, which was used in the filming of the Ocean's 12 movie. On this particular Saturday, Villa Erba was also preparing for a massive wedding, filled with 50+ people running around and delivering flowers, and setting up the venue!

The next recognizable venue was Villa Oleandra, owned by the one and only George Clooney. We learned that Clooney fell in love with the Lake Como scenery and purchased this villa in 2002 for $10 million from the Heinz family (yep, the ketchup company!) Since then, a mere 23 years later and this home is valued at $100 million, so I guess this was a good investment spot for George!

Another famous George also found fortune along Lake Como- this time it's George Lucas. Villa del Balbianello was built on the site of a monastery in 1787, but is most famous for being the lake retreat where Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker get married in Star Wars: Episode II– Attack of the Clones.

Our boat tour lasted for two hours, so we had plenty of time to take in the stunning landscape and enjoy a fresh Aperol Spritz in the sunshine!

I mean, there's a reason the film industry has taken over Lake Como! It's picture-perfect!

Ristorante La Punta

Eventually, we ported in the lake-front town of Bellagio, where Bryan and I enjoyed a lovely lunch at Ristorante La Punta. I enjoyed the chef's special pasta, and Bryan tried the local cuisine of fish with rice. Together we split a half bottle of wine from a local vineyard located farther up on the lake!

After lunch, we explored the small town of Bellagio. If you are wondering why the town's name sounds familiar, it's because a wealthy man, Steve Wynn, was so inspired by his visit to Bellagio that he decided to name his Vegas casino after the Italian town!

Varenna

Later in the day, we took another short 15-minute ferry to the nearby town of Varenna! This town reminded me of our cruise port in Montenegro and the beautiful landscapes along the Adriatic Sea!

Varenna Bon Bon La Gelateria

When our guide mentioned Varenna's famous ice cream shops, Bryan was quick to direct us to Bon Bon La Gelateria, where we each enjoyed a lovely bite of gelato!

Al Barilott bar tabacchi

As we made our way back towards the port, we passed a wine bar and enjoyed a glass while sitting along the small alleyways of the city. This was a great way to end our time on Lake Como!

Berberè Pizzeria Centrale

When we made it back to Milan, it was time for a bite to eat, and Bryan voted for pizza! Together we ate our fill before ending our evening with a glass of wine back in our hotel room.

Sunday, August 31: Verona & Lake Garda

Now it's time for an author swap! Bryan here:

The next morning came even earlier, with an 8 am meet-up for our tour to Verona & Lake Garda. Since it was an early morning, and it was Sunday, most cafes were closed, so we decided to grab a coffee and a sandwich from McDonald's!

Scaliger Bridge: Ponte di Castelvecchio

After a long two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to Verona, we finally made it! Our first stop was the Scaliger Bridge, a beautiful brick bridge built in 1354!

Arena di Verona

Our next stop of the day is the Arena di Verona, built in 30 AD; it's one of the largest standing Roman amphitheaters!

Brusco Panini

For lunch, Katie and I were craving some great Italian sandwiches like we had in Florence, so we grabbed the Meditteraneo & Romeo sandwiches from Brusco Panini.

Osteria La Mandorla

There wasn't a ton to do or see in Verona, so in an effort to waste some time before our meet-up before leaving town, we decided to grab a couple of glasses of wine at Osteria La Mandorla.

Casa di Giulietta

Now, the main attraction of Verona is the House of Juliet. The setting for Shakespeare's most famous play, Romeo and Juliet, is Verona, Italy, and this house is suspected to have inspired the courtyard and balcony from the play. Funnily, Shakespeare never visited Verona, so it makes you wonder how he was able to describe the setting with such great detail...if you ask Katie, it's because he's not the true author of the play. (She says to check out Jodi Picoult's new book By Any Other Name if you are interested in this theory!)

Lake Garda

Following our visit to Verona, we made our way to Lake Garda. First thing on the docket was a short boat tour around the town of Sirmione! With the clear water, the Italian Alps in the distance, and the beautiful castle ruins, this place was incredibly picturesque. The teal waters were shockingly blue for a freshwater lake!

Banchetto del Limone

Following the boat tour, we had a little bit of free time. Our tour guide stated that the town was well known for its lemonade and gelato. Conveniently, right next to the port was a stand that sold some incredible lemonade. Katie loved it so much that we got one while walking around the city, and then had to return to the stand for a second cup before we left!

Cremeria Bulian

After our lemonade stop, we made our way to Cremeria Bulian for a giant scoop of the "Romeo" and coffee ice cream!

La Piccola

Following ice cream, we were feeling a little sleepy, so we grabbed some double espressos before making our way back to the bus to head back to Milan.

San Siro Stadium: Stadio San Siro

Quick little flashback to the night before, Katie and I are walking to dinner after our Lake Como tour, when I hear multiple car horns blaring and people yelling. Instead of thinking of the crazy Milan traffic, my mind immediately goes to, "Are these people screaming and cheering for their fútbol team?" So I check my phone to see if one of the two major Milan club teams is playing this weekend while we're here! So after a short sales pitch to Katie, I bought us tickets to the Inter Milan vs Udinese game!

Now, back to our Sunday evening: Following our 11-hour tour to Verona and Lake Garda, we made our way over to the world-famous San Siro Stadium. This 75,000-seat capacity stadium opened in 1926 and has hosted nine World Cup matches (1934 & 1990) and four UEFA Champions League Finals (1965, 1970, 2001, & 2016).

With an 8:45 pm kickoff, Katie and I were set up for a late evening! This is our fourth fútbol game while in Europe; we attended the Spain vs Scotland UEFA Euro Qualifier in October of 2023 and two Olympic matches in July 2024. Although Inter Milan ended up losing 2-1 to Udinese, the atmosphere was incredible and made Katie and I hungry to attend more games in our limited time remaining in Europe.

Check out our videos from the game!

Monday, September 1: Milan & Back Home

GustaMi Bakery

After checking out of our hotel and storing our luggage, it was time to grab some breakfast before our 2.5-hour-long walking tour! Near our meeting point was GustaMi Bakery, where we enjoyed a pizza focaccia, and a prosciutto croissant.

Duomo di Milano

Our first stop on the tour was the Duomo di Milano, the third largest cathedral in the world! (That would be behind St. Peter's Basillica in the Vatican and Sevilla's Cathedral back near home!)

Locals believe that Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the designer and sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, was inspired for his design by the La Legge Nuova statue seen on the front of the Cathedral. See if you can spot it below!

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Our second major stop of the tour was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II, the largest shopping arcade in Italy. This four-story shopping gallery was built in 1877 and is home to the flagship locations of Armani, Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Katie couldn't care any less about the shopping options, but she did take notice of the four mosaics at the center of the shopping area- one representing each of the four main "areas of influence:" Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia!

Piazza degli Affari

One of the more amusing stops of the tour was in the Piazza degli Affari, where a large hand statue can be seen giving the middle finger to a former Italian Fascist building. I don't think much explanation is needed for that one!

Palazzo Imperiale romano di Massimiano

We also made our way to one of the few remaining Roman ruins in Milan. In 286 AD, Emperor Diocletian moved the capital of the western Roman Empire from Rome to Milan due to its better strategic location to defend the empire's northern territories from barbarian attacks. Given Milan's rich Roman history, there are very few remaining Roman ruins, and like most of Italy these ruins are found when the big cities dig down to build parking garages.

Madonna del Grembiule

One of our final stops on the tour was the Madonna del Grembuile. Milan was heavily bombed during WWII, and in the aftermath of one of the bombings, this small painting of Mary and Jesus was discovered. Even though the remainder of the church was destroyed, the city chose to leave the painting up!

Tin Bòta

Immediately following our walking tour, we grabbed a beer at Tin Bóta while reseraching to see where we wanted to eat!

Come 'Na Vorta - Pasta e Vino Milano

For lunch, we took our walking tour guide's recommendation and visited Come 'Na Vorta. Katie enjoyed a tomato and sausage pasta, while I enjoyed carbonara and we left beyond full!

Il Caravaggio International Airport: Milan Bergamo Airport

Following lunch, we grabbed our bags from the hotel and made our way back to the Bergamo Airport. Nothing like a little one-hour bus transport to get the digestive system working on that packed lunch.

We landed in Sevilla around 10 pm and made it home close to midnight.

While Milan may not be our favorite Italian city, it did give us the chance to visit the coveted Lake Como, which is a must-visit! This trip was a quick 3-day visit, but we filled our time with soccer, some literature love at Juliet's Balcony and plenty of Italian food and wine!

Stay tuned for our next big trip as we explore the Baltic states. Thanks for tuning along.

Cheers,

Katie & Bryan