Rick Steves: Best of Italy

October 13, 2017 - October 29, 2017

Welcome to our online scrapbook for our Rick Steves' Best of Italy Tour!

We spent 17 action-packed days trekking all over the glorious country that is Italy.

We had 25 other fabulous tour mates + our knowledgable tour guide Sarah + our charming bus driver Adrian.

We had been trying to make this trip happen for a few years, and we finally pulled the trigger to book the trip in early 2017. As I started to plan the trip, I was overwhelmed with all the details for transportation, lodging, museum tickets, etc. So then I started to research the best tour groups for European tours and Rick Steves was recommended to us by multiple friends.

After settling on the tour we wanted to take, we were both then left to request three weeks off work. This wasn't as much of an issue for me, but since Mike is a tax CPA, he has certain months where traveling is out of the question. After Mike got the okay to leave the fall busy season a few days early, we booked the trip and our flights and then the countdown began to take-off day.

OUR ITINERARY

Pre-Tour

Milan, 1.5 days

Best of Italy Tour in 17 Days

Varenna and Lake Como, Days 1-2
Dolomites, Day 3-4
The Iceman and Venice, Days 5-6
Florence, Days 7-8
Pisa and Cinque Terre, Days 9-10
Tuscany and Siena, Days 11-12
Assisi, Wine Tasting and Hill Town Italy, Days 13-14
Rome and the Vatican, Days 15-17

Post-Tour

Rome, 1.5 days

CLICK HERE for full details of the tour

Click here for list of hotels, restaurants, and more from our trip.

(map is from Rick Steves' itinerary)

Milano

October 12, 2017 - October 13, 2017

We left San Francisco on October 11, 2017 to fly to Milan. We landed here on the Oct 12th and took it pretty easy on this day. Milan was not part of the Rick Steves tour, and so we read up on Rick's tips from his tour book and took ourselves on a walking tour after checking into one of the hotels recommended by Rick.

We went to go see the Duomo, unfortunately arriving too late to go inside. Instead we admired the beauty of the facade and then walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat. We ate our first Italian pizza and I had my first of many scoops of gelato. We then walked back to our hotel room hoping to sleep off some of the jet lag.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to see Leonardo di Vinci's The Last Supper as part of the first group of the day. After the painting took our breath away, we headed back to the hotel to gather our bags to get on our train to Varenna to meet up with our tour group.

Note re: tickets for The Last Supper: check the website for tickets often. Tickets are supposed to be released a couple months in advance, but for some reason the October tickets were delayed. They also go on sale at 9am Milan time - which meant staying up for me until midnight in San Francisco to get the tickets. BUT it was worth it! The photo below does not do it justice.

Varenna - Lago di Como

October 13, 2017 - October 14, 2017

After staring in awe at the beauty of the lake while on the train, we arrived and grabbed a taxi to drive us to our hotel. When we arrived, I could not believe the view we had of the expansive lake from the balcony of the top building of the Hotel Eremo Gaudio.

Here we did our best to lean the names of the other 25 tour group members over wine, cheese, and crackers. Joanna got two buddies on this trip - Chris and Mary Jo. While Mike found his buddy Gerry, who happens to also live in Edmonds where Rick Steves himself resides. After the tour intro meeting, our guide took us on an orientation walk of Varenna (in reality, we all just followed her blindly as she went to buy our ferry tickets for the next day). We then disbursed for dinner on the lake, where I had my second scoop of gelato.

The next day, Mike and I rode the ferry around the lake before getting off at the town of Tremezzo. We walked to Villa Carlotta and Griante and then caught the ferry to Bellagio where we had lunch and my third scoop of gelato (sensing a theme yet?). We then did a little souvenir shopping and walked out to the punta spartivento and enjoyed the views on the beautiful October afternoon.

That evening may have been the highlight - we walked over to our dinner hosted by Chef Ferruccio, where his adorable grandson Giovanni was our server. We feasted on Italian meats, buckwheat pasta (pizzoccheri), grappa!, and limoncello. After seconds (or maybe thirds) and lots of wine, we all rolled ourselves back to the hotel to get a little sleep before heading out the next morning for our second tour stop.

Photo provided by fellow tour mate Alaine

Photos on this row provided by fellow tour mate Mary

Verona

October 15, 2017

We made stop in Verona on our way to the Dolomites. This was a special stop since our guide Sarah resides here when she's not wrangling tour members. We spent a lovely afternoon with our local guide Isabella, learning that the oldest arena in Italy is actually located here in Verona, and not in Rome. We visited Sarah's favorite neighborhood bar and tasted the local wine and snacks. After lunch, we headed out to our final destination of the Dolomites.

The Dolomites

October 15, 2017 - October 16, 2017

This was the biggest "wow" moment of the tour for me. Before booking this tour, neither of us knew this part of Italy existed. Here we got a little relaxation and hiking in before seeing Venice and Florence. We also ate like royalty - each night here we were treated to five-course meals by Chef Walter.

On our free day here, half the group went on a leisurely meadow walk while the other half explored the "Witches Benches" trail. With stops at huts along the way to fuel our hikes before returning to Hotel Seelaus to rest up before heading out the next morning to Venice.

Photo provided by fellow tour mate Gerry

Photo provided by fellow tour mate Mary

Photo provided by fellow tour mate Vince

Bolzano

October 17, 2017

Before Venice, we made a quick morning stop in Bolzano to visit Otzi the Iceman and explore the town for lunch. Otzi is estimated to be 5,300+ years-old and is being preserved at South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. We were in luck on this day as the market was open while we were in town.

Venezia

October 17, 2017 - October 18, 2017

Our first day in Venice was magical. As we arrived, there was fog rolling in while we rode the vaporetto into the city. After checking into our hotel we got a quick walking tour to Piazza San Marco before finishing our night with a starlit gondola ride and a fish dinner (the dinner where Sarah found out just how much this group of 27 could drink). A few of us also learned the meaning of "basta!"After dinner, I went on the search for my next cup of gelato, which I found at in the middle of Piazza San Marco.

Our second day in Venice started with a back streets tour of the many alleyways with our local guide Elisabetta. We visited Franco, who taught us all about the craft of making wooden forcolas and their importance to the gondolas in Venice. The walking tour ended with entry into St. Mark's Basilica where we were able to experience the magnificence of the Basilica as they turned the lights on. As the lights slowly got brighter, the gold mosaics inside sparkled to life.

The rest of the day we spent on our own getting lost in alleyways and searching for local places to dine for lunch and dinner. A few in the group even got to experience the Opera, which was happening just a few steps away from our Hotel Mercurio.

Firenze

October 19, 2017 - October 20, 2017

We arrived in Florence and hit the pavement right away. We got a quick bite to eat near our Hotel Accademia, then started our walk to the Accademia Gallery to stare in awe at Michelangelo's David. After taking in all 14 ft. of David, we headed to take in a flash art demonstration by Caterina. A few tour members took home some amazing oil paintings that we were able to witness the creation of within a few minutes while drinking prosecco. The middle photo of the first row below is Caterina creating the painting we now have hanging in our home. After the flash art, we headed to dinner where we all discovered Mike's favorite three-cheese gnocchi and cinghiale.

Our second day in Florence started bright and early at the Uffizi Gallery where we split into two groups to experience the artwork from artists such as Botticelli, da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt. We then headed back to the Duomo where we climbed both Giotto's Campanile and Brunelleschi's Dome. We then met up with a few tour members outside the gelateria outside our hotel to walk to dinner at La Cucina del Garga, where I think I had my favorite pasta of the trip: tagliatelle of the "magnificent" with orange and lemon zest, mint, and parmesan in a creamy brandy sauce.

This is the point of the tour where Mike and I realized that we should never leave Scott and Claire's side, since we were constantly running into each other while we were exploring the various cities on our own time.

Pisa

October 21, 2017

We made a brief pit stop in Pisa to check out the Leaning Tower and some of us were even lucky enough to experience hearing one of the employees at the Baptistry sing and hear how amazing the acoustics are in the round building. We grabbed some lunch and some souvenirs, and then were off to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre

October 21, 2017 - October 22, 2017

This was the two days I was looking forward to the most when we booked this trip. All of our friends who had traveled to Italy all raved about the beauty of Cinque Terre. I must say, I was not disappointed at all. There was a chance of rain while we were here, but the rain came during the late evening while we were sleeping, and we had a beautiful dry day to explore the different towns that make up this part of the Italian coastline. Rick's vineyard walk is definitely not to be missed. Unfortunately the winds were too strong while we were here, so most of us didn't get a chance to ride the ferry to see the towns from the water.

Our group was split between two hotels, and Mike and I got lucky enough to be in the Hotel Villa Steno... with its many steps to reach the hotel. I have to say the climb was worth it and definitely necessary after how much pasta, gelato and wine we had consumed up to this point of the tour.

The highlight of this stop for me was the pesto made by Felicity at the Hotel Pasquale. I definitely had seconds (and maybe thirds) of the delicious pesto lasagne. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the pasta since I devoured it too quickly.

The next morning before leaving this dream of a location, we finally got a group photo!

Florence American Cemetery

October 23, 2017

Sarah surprised us all with a stop at the Florence American Cemetery where hundreds of American soldiers who served during World War II were laid to rest. One of our tour mates was even able to have a staff member find out where a family member of their's was buried as they also served the in the US Military and were buried overseas.

It was an honor to be able to pay our respects to these brave soldiers and learn a little more about the US' involvement in WWII.

San Gimignano

October 23, 2017

On this jam packed day, we also made a stop in the small hill town of San Gimignano, which happens to be where our charming bus driver Adrian lives when he's not driving around a bunch of rowdy Americans throughout Italy.

We got tour of the Duomo here plus tasted some world famous gelato from from Gelateria Dondoli. Then we were off to our final destination for the day, Siena.

Siena

October 23, 2017 - October 24, 2017

At last, we arrived in Siena to watch the sun set against the tower in Piazza del Campo while we met our local tour guide Annalisa. She told us stories about the Palio Race and the seventeen different contradas of Siena. This evening, our tour group became honorary members of the Selva Contrade and were served a magnificent homemade meal by the members of the social club.

Our second day in Siena was just as busy as the previous day. Our morning began bright and early with Massimo. He taught us all about the art of stained glass, and a few of us also bought some glass jewelry from his shop as well. Then we were off to meet up with Annalisa again for our tour of the Duomo. We were lucky enough to see the amazing stone and marble floors before they were covered up with carpets.

To finish off our last evening in Siena, Mike climbed the tower in Piazza del Campo with our tour mate and my buddy Chris, while I went for a long overdue run at the Fortezza Medicea. We then met up with a few more tour members for four courses of of pasta at Trattoria La Torre. Again there are no photos of the pasta since we all devoured it within minutes of it hitting the table, but I did manage to slow down enough to get a picture of my dessert.

Assisi

October 25, 2017

After leaving Siena, we stopped in Assisi to have a little lunch. Most of us ended up waiting in line at the Rick Steves' recommended deli. I had probably the best porchetta sandwich ever there. We then met up with our local guide Marco, who took us on a tour of St. Francis' Basilica. He explained to us the stories that Giotto was telling in the frescos inside the Basilica. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside the Basilica.

Orvieto

October 25, 2017 - October 26, 2017

"The calm before the storm". Our stop at the Altarocca Wine Resort in Orvieto was a nice break before we headed to our final destination of Rome.

Our first night consisted of playing with the winery dogs, wine tasting, and a four-course dinner. Our host, Emiliano, gave us a tour of the resort and talked to us about their wine making process. Mike and I also purchased a few bottles of their wine to have shipped back to us as souvenirs.

The next day, Mike went into Orvieto to explore the town, while I stayed behind to relax at the resort and recharge before the trip finale. More than a few members enjoyed the a massage on our last evening at the Wine Resort before another four-course meal. All of us then heading back to our rooms ready for a good night's sleep.

Photo provided by fellow tour mate Vince

Roma

October 27, 2017

I think we saw all of Rome in one day. We headed out early from Orvieto, arriving in Rome in time for an early lunch. We then hopped on the metro to head to the Coliseum to meet our local guid Ilaria. She took us on a tour of the Coliseum, Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. After this, Sarah took us for a drink and dinner before giving us a night walking tour of the city. During the evening tour, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps before heading back to our hotel room for a well deserved sleep.

Vatican City

October 28, 2017

Another early morning as we headed to be one of the first groups to enter the Vatican Museum. We met (possibly my favorite) local guide Maria Laura for our tour of the museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Mark's Basilica. There were no photos allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but a few of us climbed the Dome at the Basilica and took in some breathtaking views of Rome on a sunny afternoon. Mike and I even sent home postcards to our parents from the Vatican Post Office!

A group if us then went on a fun taxi ride to a local restaurant that was recommended to us by a friend. After the meal, we decided to walk back to our hotel, which turned out to be quite the adventure as we were much further away than we thought we were from the heart of Rome.

We ended this day with our final group dinner, where we toasted Sarah for keeping us together the whole trip! I also made sure to grab a photo with my buddies for the archives.

Rome

October 29, 2017

Our last day :(

About half the group headed to the airport today, while the other half of us stayed a day or more extra in Rome. Mike and I added on just one more day, so after a quick breakfast with the tour members who didn't already leave for the airport, we headed out to explore the parts of Rome that we hadn't seen with the group yet.

We ended up just wandering the streets grabbing snacks along the way. I had my last gelato of the trip, and we did a little shopping near the Spanish Steps. Then a few of us met up for dinner that evening. Even after spending 17 days together, we weren't ready to say goodbye yet.

A FEW LAST WORDS

Mike and I both had a few reservations going into this tour. Not knowing who you're going to be spending almost three weeks with in very close quarters is a little worrisome. By the end of the trip, I think our whole group were the best of friends. We all exchanged emails addresses early in the trip and started to share photos with each other while on our bus rides. Even on our free days, many in the tour stayed together in smaller groups to explore the cities together.

Eight of us were able to reunite in Edmonds for the Rick Steves' Reunion on January 27, 2018. We even stole our tour guide Sarah away from the crowd and got her to join us at dinner as well!

This was one of the best experiences I've had in my life so far, and I'm so happy to have met these 25 other travelers, our guide Sarah and our bus driver Adrian. We definitely became like family on this trip, and I am so happy that we got to experience such an amazing country with equally amazing people.

Group outside the Duomo in Siena

Reunion in Edmonds

L to R: Dennis and Elaine who flew in from Reno, Mike and Joanna who flew in from San Francisco,

Craig and Barbara who flew in from St. Jo, Missouri; Gerry (from Edmonds), Sarah (our lovely guide), and Mary (Gerry's wife)

Adrian and our bus on our last autogrill stop

Click here to go to "Recommendations" page for list of hotels, restaurants, and more from our trip