Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 7

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025

This morning we were up early to catch the local train from Milan to Como for our excursion. The distance was about 43 miles. It was pouring when we left the hotel and we were concerned about our day at Lake Como!

Near the train station in Como we saw the Hands statue called Monumento Le Mani or Monument to the Fallen in Service. It was a bronze statue that was unveiled in 2000 and created by Massimo Clerici and Doriam Battoglia. It had two hands and one symbolized those activiely serving the country and the other symbolized those wounded in the line of duty.

As we walked to our meeting spot, we passed the monument to Alessandro Volta. It was erected to honor Como’s famous Italian physicist who was credited with the invention of the first electrical battery, the Voltaic pile. Volta invented this in 1799. It was a marble statue sculpted by Pompeo Marchesi and unveiled in 1838.

We met our guide André and our group followed him to our bus. Not long after our bus left Como the rain stopped and the clouds began to thin as we passed into Switzerland. From Como to the Swiss border was only about 31 miles. We headed to the Swiss town of Lugano and Lake Lugano. The setting for this village was beautiful with the mountains in the background and the surrounding lake.

In Lugano, Switzerland we had time to explore the city. The Town Hall was located in the main square, Piazza Civico. It was built between 1840-1844.

We stopped in the Vanina Swiss chocolate that had been making chocolates since 1871. We each got a piece and it was delicious!

The Church degli Angeli (Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli) was built between 1499 and 1500. The church was once part of a monastery of the Order of Franciscan Friars.

This church was the most famous Switzerland fresco. It was the “Passion and Crucifixion” by the Italian artist Bernardino Luini who was a disciple of Leonardo da Vinci. The fresco covers most of the wall with over 150 faces and figures.

The church also housed another of Luini’s works that was a fresco in 3 panels of the Last Supper.

We rode back into Italy and the town of Carlazzo. Carlazzo, located between Lake Lugano and Lake Como, was known for its historic stone structures and dry stone walls. The ancient stone walls dated to the 6th century. We saw many dry stone walls and the area was working on preserving the dry stone walling tradition where no mortar was used!

Our next stop was to get on the ferry for a cruise on Lake Como.

We cruised on Lake Como and had time at Bellagio. Bellagio was considered the “Pearl of Lake Como”. It was located on a promontory that jutted into the lake. The town had narrow cobblestone streets, steep stairways and colorful houses.

The Basilica di San Giacomo (St. James) church was built between 1075 and 1125. It was an example of Como-Lombard Romanesque style. Inside were beautiful mosaics.

After lunch in Bellagio we were back on the ferry to continue our ride on Lake Como. Our guide continued to point out highlights.

Bruce Springfield stays here
Versace’s home before now owned by Russian restaurant owner
George Clooney’s summer home
White mansion- for sale for 90 million owned by a Russian politician
Owned by the president of Lebanon- summer house

Our ferry ride came to an end in Como. The Como lakeside was beautiful as we arrived.

Tempio Voltiano museum was built in honor of Alessandro Volta, physicist and inventor of the electrical battery. He was born and died in Como.

The sculpture “Life Electric” was a contemporary sculpture by Daniel Libeskind in 2015. It was dedicated to Volta and installed on the breakwater in Lake Como.

The Piazza Grimoldi Guido square was located in the center of the city of Como along with the Cathedrale di Santa Maria Assunta.

The historic Church of San Giacomo and the Duomo was constructed in 1396. The facade featured a rose window that was built in the second half of the 15th century.

After exploring Como we stopped for pizza at L’Antiga Pizzeria. The pizza size was huge and tasted delicious.

After dinner we walked back to the train station to catch our train back to Milan.

It was a full day and we were thankful that the weather cleared out! Tomorrow will be a busy day exploring Milan!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 6

Monday, September 1st, 2025

Today was a travel day. This morning we left Sorrento with a driver who drove us to the Naples train station.

At the Naples train station we purchased our tickets for the high-speed train with reserved seats.

This train stopped in Roma and Bologna before we arrived in Milan.

The train station in Milan, Milano Centrale, was beautiful. It was the second busiest in Italy. It was located in the city center.

After exiting the station we got in the long taxi line. It moved at a steady pace. Our hotel was two miles away but with our luggage we opted for a taxi. The outside of the Milan Train Station was ornate.

We checked into our hotel, dropped our luggage and started exploring the area. We also were looking to find a restaurant for our lunch/dinner. Below were a couple of pictures as we walked in Milan.

We found a nice restaurant and opted to eat inside because it was raining. Our food was delicious! It was still drizzling when we left so we headed back to our hotel, Hotel Cavour.

We were happy with our hotel and its location in Milan. Tomorrow will be a busy day!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 5

Sunday, August 31st, 2025

This morning we were up early to catch our boat tour of the Amalfi Coast with stops at Amalfi and Positano. It was sunny and warm today. The weather was perfect.

As our boat sailed along the coast, we saw so much and when there was something of note they explained it to us and did a 360˚ turn of the boat! It was great!

The Quadrangular tower called the Minerva Tower was first built in 1334 by the Angevins to guard against pirate raids. It was destroyed in 1556 and rebuilt in 1566. It was a historic tower at the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula. It overlooked the island of Capri.

Gallo Lungo was an island off the coast of Italy between Capri and Positano. It once served as a monastery and a prison before it became a private estate. A watchtower was also built during the 13th century. It was used to guard the Amalfi Coast against pirates.

We also saw the Tower of Crapolia located above the Crapolla Cove. It was another watchtower for protection of the Amalfi Coast.

Near here on the Scoglio Isca we saw remains of a Roman villa with a large staircase that was partly carved into the rock.

Our first stop was Amalfi. Due to being Sunday and a gorgeous weather the city and its beach was very crowded. Amalfi was known for its history and culture and the coast was named after this town. It also was a maritime powerhouse and Amalfi was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Cathedral of Sant’Andrea (St. Andrew’s Cathedral) was located in the Piazzo del Duomo, its main square.

We found a delicious family-run deli that accommodated gluten free diets, Luisa Gastronomia Artigianale. The freshly made sandwiches were amazing. In fact we still talk about how good our sandwiches tasted.

Our second stop was Positano. It was another spectacular setting along the Amalfi Coast.

Like Amalfi, Positano’s beach was packed with people and surrounded by boats! We enjoyed walking up and down and around the town. We stopped at a bar/restaurant to enjoy a glass of wine with a view of the beach and water.

The majolica-tiled dome of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunto (Church of Santa Maria Assunto) was built in the 10th century. It can only be reached by foot.

Church of Santa Maria Assunto in Positano.

On the boat we passed a small coastal village that was once a tiny fishing village, Canca dei Marini. Now it’s one of the exclusive tourist destinations on the Amalfi Coast.

Below was another picture of Canca dei Marini with the 5-star hotel, Borgo Santandrea (the white building in the middle of the photo).

We also saw the cliff-side town of Praiano that sat between Amalfi and Positano. Praiano had about 2000 residents.

It was a fun-filled day along the Amalfi Coast. We were hot and tired when we got back to Sorrento and spent the evening on the rooftop bar of our hotel and made it an early night.

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 4

Saturday, August 30th, 2025

This morning we walked to the train station in Sorrento to meet our guide, Gino. Our group rode the train with him to the Pompeii station. He gave us a tour of Pompeii. We had visited here before but we still saw things we hadn’t seen before.

Pompeii was a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was a Roman city that was destroyed and preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Pompeii was founded in 600 BC and was a busy Roman trading city and port with approximately 20,000 residents. After the eruption of Vesuvius that buried the city, it was rediscovered in 1599 during the construction of a canal. Excavations are still happening today.

The Stabian baths were public baths from about the 2nd century B.C.! It was divided into two sections, one for men and the other for women and it included a courtyard that was used as a gymnasium.

We visited the House of the Faun which was a large home with an area of 2,970 square meters or 3,552 square yards. The owner was a wealthy magistrate. The home had an atrium decorated with a mosaic floor and in the center was a bronze statue of a dancing satyr.

The home also had an enormous floor mosaic that depicted the Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and the Persian King Darius.

In the Palestra dei Iuvenes was a frescoed wall. It was a private gymnasium for young men.

Our guide showed us the highlights but we barely touched the surface of how big the Roman city of Pompeii was.

After our tour we visited the Antiquarium which housed many artifacts discovered during excavations.

Modern archaeologists detected hollow spaces in the volcanic debris. This space was created by victims’ bodies decomposition. They slowly filled in the spaces with plaster. They created molds. Below are a couple of the molds that were housed in the museum.

When we finished our time in Pompeii we took the train back to Sorrento. We stopped by a wine bar near our hotel to enjoy some wine.

We enjoyed an Italian red wine that our server suggested. It was delicious.

This evening we walked around Sorrento.

There was a travel agency nearby and because the weather tomorrow was supposed to be great we booked an Amalfi coast boat tour.

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 3

Friday, August 29th, 2025

We booked an 8:00 AM excursion to Capri and the Blue Grotto. It was rainy and overcast when we left the hotel. Capri was an island in the Bay of Naples. It’s known for its craggy coastline and sea caves. The island was divided into three areas: Marina Grande- where the marina and the port were located, Capri- where the piazzetta, the vibrant square, was in the center, and Anacapri- the highest village on the island.

We met our guide Luigi near the pier for our ferry ride to Capri from Sorrento. The forecast called for rain and storms all day. When we got off the ferry in Marina Grande, Capri, it was cloudy but no rain or storms!

When we left Sorrento, Luigi said visiting the Blue Grotto was iffy. He talked to the supervisor when we got off the ferry and found out it was opened! So we boarded a little bus for our group of 18 to get quickly up to Anacapri. Our bus followed the “Mamma Mia road”! It was a winding scenic road that connected Marina Grande to Anacapri.

On the right was the entrance to the Blue Grotto.

The Blue Grotto was a natural site. It was a cavern where the water glowed an electric blue from the sunlight passing through. The four of us were under the impression from the pictures on the internet site that all of our group would be in one boat together. Boy were we wrong. You are on a row boat with barely enough room for the four of us and the “captain” with the oar! Three of us were at the back of the rowboat and one in front. To get through the opening we had to lay down on each other, including the “captain”!

Once we were inside the grotto our “captain” gave us some information about the Blue Grotto and he sang. The water was absolutely gorgeous! We weren’t in the cave very long. The “captain” had to use a chain to pull us out and of course we had to lay down again to get through the opening!

When we finished at the Blue Grotto we had free time in Anacapri. We wandered around the streets and stopped for lunch off of one of the piazzas.

The Phoenician Steps consisted of 921 stone steps. Until 1874 these steps were the only connection between Maria Grande and Anacapri. Originally there wasn’t any fresh water in Anacapri, so they walked down all of those steps to get fresh water and then had to carry all of it up all of those steps!

When the clouds cleared, you could get some great views of the Bay of Naples.

After exploring Anacapri we met our guide Luigi and took the bus back down the winding “Mamma Mia road” to Marina Grande. We went to the marina where we boarded a boat just for our group. It was a great way to see the island and its ragged shoreline from the water.

The Faraglioni sea stacks were formed by centuries of natural erosion from wind and waves.

It was said that the rock formations brought good luck to anyone who kisses their sweetheart while passing through the natural stone archway!

This natural arch dated from the Paleolithic age. It was the remains of a collapsed grotto.

We really enjoyed seeing Capri’s coastline from the boat. The grottos, rock formations, and the clear waters were amazing.

On a large boulder called Lo Capo sat a bronze statue called Gennarino Scugnizzo or Statue of Welcome. The boy waves at passing tourists and islanders on boats. You are supposed to wave at him to avoid bad luck and have good luck as you visit Capri.

After our day in Capri we went back to our hotel, the Michelangelo, to freshen up before dinner.

We asked the hotel desk for a recommendation for an excellent restaurant with a view. The hotel desk clerk made a reservation for us at “The Foreigner’s Club”. Our table looked out over the Bay and our food was delicious.

It was a great way to end our day!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 1 and 2

Wednesday, August 27th, 2025

We left with good friends for a vacation in Italy! Our first flight was from Columbus to JFK International Airport. We had several hours before our overnight flight to Naples. We spent that time relaxing in the Delta One lounge. It was well worth it!

We took off from JFK a little late due to the backup of planes waiting to take off.

Thursday, August 28th, 2025

The pilots made up our lost time and we arrived in Naples a little early.

The plane was too big to pull up to a gate so we got off on the tarmac and took a bus to the terminal. We went through customs and then had quite a wait for our luggage.

A driver met us at the exit of the airport and he drove us to our hotel. He was quite the aggressive driver! We made it safely to the hotel and we checked our baggage because our rooms weren’t ready. It was only 10:00 AM.

Off exploring Sorrento we went!

Our lunch was at the Ristorante S. Antonino. We had a delicious gluten free pizza!

After our lunch we walked back to our hotel. It was around 2:00 PM and our rooms were ready. We grabbed our luggage, freshened up and went for a glass of wine!

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 16

Saturday, June 17, 2023

This morning was an early morning for us because we were heading home. ☹️

We were very fortunate that when the owners of Torraccia di Chiusi found out we had to leave before breakfast time, they set up food in the sitting room of the building where we stayed. It was very kind of them.

One of the young ladies, Karol, who served breakfast each morning left a note for us. She was from Peru but working at the villa. Her English was very limited but she communicated with us using her phone to translate. Her note meant the world to us.

After breakfast we packed our bags and headed for the Florence airport where we had to turn in the rental cars. Then we took an airport shuttle to board our plane that would take us from Florence to the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. Today was going to be a long day with three flights! (Florence, Italy ➡️ Paris, France, then Paris, France ➡️ Detroit, Michigan and from Detroit, Michigan ➡️ Columbus, Ohio)

Our shuttle ride to our plane that was in the background.

We changed planes in Paris for our second flight which would take us to the Detroit airport. We flew Air France. The boarding for Detroit went smoothly but we sat on the plane with no air conditioning or any air flow. After about half an hour the captain announced that the air wasn’t working (duh) and the mechanics would do a fix that wouldn’t work until the engines were started. We sat in misery for a very long time and it was the worst airline experience we’ve ever had.

We landed in Detroit, went through customs and then boarded our flight for Columbus. It was a long day but we made it home on time!

Our Italy adventures were many and new memories were made by all of us. Cheers to a great vacation!

Addio amici! (Goodbye friends!)

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 15

Friday, June 16, 2023

After breakfast the owner gave us a tour of his property, Torraccia di Chiusi where we had been enjoying our stay. He and his wife have renovated the agriturismo (farmhouse) and the buildings on the property into their personal home, a hotel with rooms and suites, restaurant, a small spa, and also made their own organic wines.

The owner talking to us on our tour of his property.

Below was one of the buildings on the estate that wasn’t renovated. The owner told us that the building below demonstrated what all of the buildings on the estate looked like when he and his wife purchased it in 2002!

The building on the estate that our group stayed in was about 500 years old. They did an excellent job with the renovations.

The Tower was over 1,200 years old and the home of the owners. Our tour included their home.

At the top of the tower you could look out over the countryside and see anyone who approached along the Via Francigena, the route from Canterbury to Rome and onto the seaside city of Apulia, Italy.

From the tower I was able to take a great picture of San Gimignano!

Stefano, the owner spent a lot of time showing us around and explaining the history here. When they were doing repairs to a sewage treatment plant on their property his wife saw something and had the workers stop and she dug and found an Etruscan bronze statue that dated from the 3rd century B.C.! It was speculated that an Etruscan temple was once here. The statue was now in a museum as well as the other items that they have found. Below is Donatella, the wife of Stefano, and a picture of the poster with her and the statue.

There also was a chapel on the property.

Stefano took us to the ancient wine cellar that he accidentally found. It was covered by layers of soil.

After our tour we wanted one more chance to visit San Gimignano. It also had been nicknamed “the Manhattan of the Middle Ages” because of its many towers!

Today we explored other areas of the city and past the main square, Piazza del Duomo.

Along the border of San Gimignano there were some fantastic views that looked out over the countryside.

On our walk we found a local woman sitting outside her home just relaxing.

One of the quiet side streets.

When we left San Gimignano we stopped at a winery for one last tasting. Pietraserena Winery was the fourth generation of winemaking by the Arrigoni family.

The wine tasting patio had wonderful views of the vineyards and the surrounding Tuscan countryside.

When we got back to the villa we enjoyed some time at the pool.

At dinner we had the sparkling wine because we were told by our chef at our cooking class how Torracccia di Chiusi was known for their sparkling wine and how delicious it tasted. Julia opened the Goccia D’Pro Spumante Classic Method.

Julia opening the spumante or sparkling wine.

None of our group were champagne drinkers but we all enjoyed this sparkling wine.

It was our last dinner at the villa and Bruno, the chef, came out to serve us our last shot of Grappa after our delicious meal that he had prepared! Grappa was an alcoholic pomace brandy from Italy that had a high alcoholic content. It was served to help with digestion after heavy meals.

Cheers to our amazing meals and time together!

We will miss the hospitality, delicious meals, outstanding staff, and owners at Torraccia di Chiusi!

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 14

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Today we had booked in advance a wine tour and 4-course lunch with wine pairings at the Banfi Winery. It was an hour and a half drive from our B&B to the winery.

The entrance drive to Banfi Winery Estate south of Montalcino.

We arrived early so we parked our vehicles and had time to look around the castle.

The Castello Banfi was originally the castle of Poggio alle Mura and was reconstructed in 1438. It was dated back much farther, between the 9th and 13th centuries. They also believed it once was a settlement of the ancient Etruscans because excavations have found some stone urns and ceramic vases that dated to that time period, so even further!

It was damaged during WWII and when it became part of the Banfi estate in 1983 it was restored to its beauty. The estate had a hotel, 2 restaurants (one with a Michelin star), an enoteca (wine shop), the Balsameria, and a glass museum.

The hotel and restaurants were very expensive. One night at the hotel would be over $1,000.00. Definitely out of our budget. But the grounds were beautiful and the buildings elegant, even in the wine cellars!

We met our guide and followed her to the Balsameria!

When we walked in the Balsameria building we could smell the balsamic vinegar!

12 years of aging balsamic vinegar, different types of barrels and sizes

The balsamic vinegar barrels are made from different wood and as the vinegar ages it goes from a larger barrel to a smaller barrel. The order of the barrels were oak, chestnut, cherry, ash, and lastly mulberry. The entire process took 12 years. We had some of this balsamic vinegar at our lunch wine tasting and it was delicious. A small bottle sold for fifty Euros ($56.20)!!!

We then went to our vehicles and followed our guide to head to the processing plant and wine cellars. The view from the estate was beautiful.

Brothers John and Harry Mariani founded Banfi in 1978. Banfi got its name from the brothers great Aunt’s name. The estate included 7,100 acres of land. One third was single vineyards and the rest was made up of olive groves, fruit trees (mainly plums), woods and scrub.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the plant and cellars.

When we got to the winery processing area we were quite impressed with its state of the art technology.

There were 7,000 customized barrels here. We saw beautiful chandeliers and glass displays as we walked among the wine barrels.

After our tour we drove back to Castello Banfi for our 4-course tasting menu in the La Taverna restaurant. It was located under the vaulted arches of the former barrel cellar of the castle.

When we walked out of the restaurant we saw a lot of classic convertible cars lined up along the entryway of the estate.

After our day at the Banfi Winery we drove back to Torraccia di Chiusi and read and/or relaxed by the pool.

We enjoyed the evening with some wine, cheese, and snacks together.

Club Italy Vacation 2023 Day 13

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

We began today with a visit to the mountaintop walled town of Volterra. With the clouds, it was quite foggy.

The city had been inhabited since the 8th century BC, first by the Etruscans and later by the Romans. You could see Roman ruins and Etruscan artifacts in the museum.

Volterra had narrow medieval streets, ancient walls and fortress.

The guys dropped us off at one of the entrances to the town and they went to find places to park. At this entrance was a memorial to WWII and the liberation of the city.

**The wall on the right had the WWII memorial plaques.**

Below was the Porta (doors) a Selci which was a rounded arch that was built in the 16th century and it replaced a medieval gate. This gate was located at the boundaries of both the Etruscan and Medieval defensive walls at the east end of Volterra. You could see the round watchtower and the fortress walls.

The Porta Fiorentina was located on the north side and this gate exited to the Roman Theater.

The San Michele Arcangelo’s Church was from the 13th century in a Romanesque-style with marble embellishments.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was consecrated in the 12th century and then renovated in the 16th century.

**San Pietro in Selci was an ancient church that was first established in 1005! Part of the building is from the 12th century.**

The Baptistery of San Giovanni was an octagonal building with green and white marble stripes. It was consecrated in 1120 and was rebuilt in 1493.

The Palazzo dei Priori dated back to the 13th century and was three stories. It was located on the Piazza with the same name.

The Piazza dei Priori was the main square that was located in the old town of Volterra.

Please scroll through the slideshow to see more of the medieval town, streets, and sites.

We had lunch at a local Tuscan restaurant that was located on a main street in Volterra. The food and wine was delicious.

Since Volterra, like the other towns in Tuscany, sat on a hill the views of the countryside were incredible.

The parking garage in Volterra had very tight parking spaces! Have you ever had to climb between your car and another car to get into your car?

After Volterra, we headed back to Torraccia di Chiusi to get ready for our cooking class at the Montese Cooking Experience. Our class was just down the road from our villa!

Our view as we cooked was awe-inspiring!

Mauro was our chef for our four-hour cooking class.

There were the ten or us and a newlywed couple from Germany. The twelve of us worked well together and had many laughs.

The twelve of us with Mauro and his assistant Alberto

We were divided up to make the pork loin roast, bread, bolognese sauce and dessert which was a jam tart. We each made dough for our pasta. We made a stuffed pasta, ravioli and long noodles, spaghetti/fettuccine. Dave and I made a gluten free bread and gluten free ravioli and fettuccine noodles.

Mauro had one rule for our cooking class: your wine class couldn’t go empty. Little did he know that our group would take him seriously! He ran out of white wine and most of our group switched to drinking red wine!