Making Our Way to The Mall

Today was pretty uneventful as we dedicated the whole of today to retail therapy at the outlet mall. There are several outlet malls in Italy. However, the one that was highly recommended by my friends who have been to Italy is located near Florence. I searched online and found The Mall Firenze houses major luxury brands such as Burberry, Ferragamo and Versace, among a list of luxury brands. However, not part of The Mall Firenze, other brands like Prada and Gucci are located within a few minutes, a walk from The Mall Firenze. There are direct bus services connecting Florence to The Mall Firenze. Tickets can be booked on the official website of The Mall Firenze (accessible here). The direct bus service to The Mall Firenze is located slightly outside the city, next to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station. As we wanted to maximise our time in the outlet mall, we booked the first bus (8.50 am) to The Mall Firenze and the last bus back (7.20 pm). We headed to the bus terminal after breakfast at the hotel. As we left slightly later than planned, we almost missed the bus. Fortunately, we made it in time for our bus to The Mall. The bus ride to The Mall Firenze took about 50 mins.

And the Shopping Begins

We arrived at The Mall Firenze just before the shops opened for business. I thought taking the first bus was a good idea as there weren’t many people taking the bus nor would there be a crowd in the shops. We did a scan for the shops and their locations upon reaching The Mall and came out with a shopping plan. We would visit the shops further away from The Mall, followed by those within The premises of The Mall. Shops in The Mall Firenze open at 10 am. We visited Prada and CK and found some excellent bargains. By lunchtime, we had visited about 50% of the shops. Generally, we were pretty disappointed with the goods on sale in the shops. We found that most shops, such as Balenciaga and Ferragamo, have a very small shopfront. Consequently, the goods on sale were very limited. Some brands occupy larger retail space, such as Burberry and Gucci. However, we did not find anything worth purchasing at Burberry, while Gucci sells mostly full-price items. There is only one cafeteria at The Mall selling food. However, the

Foreign shoppers outside the EU can obtain early tax refunds of up to €999.50 from the Tax-Free Lounge at The Mall. We wanted to eliminate unnecessary wait at the airport when we left Italy and went to the Tax-Free Lounge to obtain an early Tax refund. The process was straightforward. All of us got our early tax refund within 20 mins. After sorting out our tax refund, we decided to check out Versace, located below the Tax-Free Lounge and outside the bus pick-up point. We managed to get some good deals on Versace. After Versace, we took the 7.20 pm bus, headed back to Florence, and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant opposite our hotel. Afterwhich we rested early today as we would be visiting Pisa the next day.

Venice by Water

Our plans for today took a 180° turn from what we originally planned. We wanted to visit Dorsoduro and the San Marco regions, followed by a lunch on Venice’s southern part of the shoreline. Our little escapade yesterday unintentionally covered these places and churches we wanted to visit. So we had to swap things around and visit the sights we were meant to visit yesterday. The flexibility of customising our plans is what I like about free and easy travel (amongst other things).

We planned to take a Venetian water bus (Vaporetto) to Piazza San Marco, and the nearest Vaporetto stop is just one bridge away from our hotel. We did some simple maths when getting the tickets and concluded getting a 24-hour day pass made more economical sense as we planned to travel from sight to sight using Vaporetto. A single trip costs €9.50, which only allows us to travel up to 75 mins, while a day pass costs €25, allowing us to travel multiple times within 24 hours. Granted, we at most have 12 hours in Venice before our train to Florence in the afternoon, but we still thought it is more economical to get the day pass.

Taking a Vaporetto is like riding on a bus, there are fixed stops where the boat stops to drop off or pick up commuters. To get to Piazza San Marco, we took service #2, which plied the entire Grand Canal. I would say seeing Venice on land and from the canals feels different. I thought taking the Vaporetto gave us a more “Venetian” feel. Buildings that we saw on land look different from seeing them on the canals, as though these buildings are built to have their front facing the canal, showcasing the intricate architectural styles and grandeur for people to see from the canal. As the Vaporetto plies through the Grand Canal, some buildings look familiar and some not so. All the buildings have some docks on the ground floor for their owner or visitors to alight from their private boats. We saw Venetians going about their daily life as the Vaporetto moved us through the Grand Canal. We soon arrived at our stop San Marco – San Zaccaria.

Back to Piazza San Marco

No visit to Venice would be complete without visiting Piazza San Marco, the city’s main public square. The piazza is home to Venice’s three most famous landmarks – Basilica di San Marco, Doge’s Palace and San Marco Campanile. Our first stop of the day was to ascend to San Marco Campanile, which serves as the bell tower for Basilica di San Marco. Standing at 99m, the campanile is the tallest structure in Venice. Pre-booking tickets was unnecessary as we travelled to Venice during the low season. There was no queue for the campanile when we arrived at the bell tower. Entrance to the campanile costs €12, which includes elevator access to the top of the tower. At the top, we were treated to a bird’s eye view of Venice and the lagoon. We could see a sea of red-tiled roofs compactly built next to each other to maximise whatever little space on the floating city of Venice, and occasionally grey domes and bell towers sparsely prop up to the sky. The little canals we crossed yesterday were hardly visible from the campanile. On the south side of the tower, we could see small islands sprouting out in the lagoon. From here, we could also see the entire Piazza San Marco. The top of the campanile is home to a set of five bronze bells hanging on blocks of thick wood, reinforced by rusting metallic frames. The number of people allowed up to the top of the campanile was tightly controlled, so it did not feel crowded. Visiting the campanile for a 360° view of Venice is highly recommended.

We spent 30 mins at the top of the bell tower and headed down. As we had not had breakfast, we ventured into the alleys near the piazza in search of breakfast. Some croissants and sandwiches later, we headed back into the piazza, wanting to visit Basilica di San Marco. As we walked towards the basilica, a queue for the basilica formed. After about 2 mins of standing at the back of the line, which did not seem to move, my friends and I thought entering the basilica was a waste of time. We did not intend to visit Doge’s palace as we spotted scaffolding on one side of the palace, thinking they might be closed for restoration works. At this point, we headed across the lagoon to our next destination.

Across the Venetian Lagoon to San Giorgio Maggiore

San Giorgio Maggiore is our next stop today, an island opposite Piazza San Marco which houses Chiesa San Giorgio Maggiore. This church is one of the most pictured buildings in Venice as it is one of the domed buildings visitors would see across the lagoon from Piazza San Marco. We hopped onto Service #2 again to cross the lagoon. The ride to San Giorgio Maggiore gave us a great view of Piazza San Marco from afar. As we were walking out of the Vaporetto stop, one of my friends spotted a poster with some colourful buildings and asked if we would be going there. At this point, I had to make some last-minute changes to include Burano in the list of places we will visit today. I planned to visit Murano for their famous blow glass, and with this new input, we will include a visit to both Murano and Burano. However, we had to keep our check-out and train timing in mind as we were scheduled to leave Venice for Florence later in the afternoon.

Chiesa San Giorgio Maggiore is mainly brick built with a facade cast in white marble. A statue of Christ stands on the top of the front entrance to the church. The church’s interior looks bright and airy, thanks to the high ceiling and windows near the dome that allow plentiful sunlight. The church is a perfect spot to get away from the crowd in Venice, as we did not see a lot of people visiting the church. There seems to be some art exhibition ongoing at the church. A high metallic sculpture hangs in the middle of the church. Perhaps it is my non-artistic nature, and I find the sculpture an eye-sore to the church’s otherwise simple yet elegant interior. We ventured into a small room by the side of the main church, where we found more art pieces on display. Following what was marked to be the path to guide visitors to the church, we spotted a sign to the bell tower. Entrance to the bell tower costs €8, which we did not even bother to consider going up the tower as we had just been to San Marco Campanile earlier. Instead, we headed back into the church and ended up in front of the main altar. The main altar consists of a copper globe supported by four bronze Evangelists with God the Father standing on top. Passing the altar, we wandered outside the church. This is where we spotted an opened gate and assumed this was the way out. As we walked towards the gate, a staff member called and told us this area was out of bounds to visitors. We explained we were exiting the church and heading towards the pier. The friendly staff then escorted us out of the church. As we were waiting for the next Vaporetto to take us back to Piazza San Marco, we saw the beautiful view of Piazza San Marco offered by San Giorgio Maggiore.

Burano: Island of Colourful Buildings

Our next stop is Murano and Burano. To get to these islands from Piazza San Marco, we needed to take Service #4.1 or #4.2 and change to Service #12 at Fondamente Nove. We felt a little hungry when we arrived at Fondamente Nove and headed into the only cafe by the pier to take away some food for lunch. As we walked towards the pier that Service #12 stopped by, I noted the time and told my friends we had to change our plan again. It was already 1.30 pm, and we were supposed to return to our hotel by 4 pm. The boat ride to Burano took longer than we anticipated, and we decided to visit Burano first, and if time permitted, we would stop by Murano. The ride to Burano took 15 mins. When we arrived at Burano, we decided to give Murano a miss, given the little time we had left. At the same time, we noted the timing of the next Vaporetto leaving Burano. We had to catch the next boat leaving Burano. If not, we would miss our train to Florence. We only had 45 mins for Burano.

To get to the colour houses on Burano, we walked along the street from the pier that leads into the island (follow the crowd when in doubt as visitors mainly come for the colourful houses). There was a small crowd visiting Burano, but overall, it did not feel crowded. As we followed the crowd into the town, a short walk later, the colourful houses lining a canal immediately came into our sight. The presence of the canals on Burano, cutting the island into smaller islets, makes this place feels like a mini Venice minus the crowd. We walked along the canal, taking pictures along the way, and reached a bridge that seemed to be at the end of the island. We spotted a bell tower that seemed to lean slightly to one side. However, the lean was not apparent when we saw it in Burano but was more apparent in pictures. We did not venture further from the bridge as we had to catch the next Vaporetto. We crossed the wooden bridge and walked back towards the pier. Along the way, we saw more shops that were open for visitors to buy souvenirs. We made it to the pier with 5 mins to spare before the next Vaporetto arrived. To get back to our hotel near Venezia St. Lucia train station, we alighted at Murano and changed to Service #4.1. The ride back to Venice took about 30 mins. We made it just in time to check out and immediately rushed to the train station. Luckily, our hotel is just two bridges away from the train station. We managed to get to the train station with some time to pack some pizzas for our train ride to Florence, the third city of our trip.

Night Stroll in Florence: The Birth Place of Renaissance Art

The high-speed train ride from Venice to Florence took around 2 hrs. It was already dark when we reached Florence (it was only 7.30 pm). Since the night was still young, we headed out to explore Florence after checking into our hotel and settling in our rooms. Florence is a very walkable city with everything being very close to each other. We made our way to the Piazza del Duomo, which the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore calls home. The Duomo looks plain at first glance compared to Duomo di Milano. There weren’t any carvings, nor was it decked out with intricate statues like the Duomo in Milan. The whole facade of the cathedral looks 2D, like some cardboard cut out. As we walked closer to the Duomo, we could see the whole facade of the Duomo decked out in white marble. 13 statues lined up on top of the main entrance to the Duomo. As the Duomo was closed when we visited, we only managed to snap some pictures of its exterior.

Our next stop is Ponte Vecchio. As we were walking towards Ponte Vecchio, we made a detour to Piazza della Signoria, one of the places we wanted to visit in Florence. There are a bunch of sculptures under an open aired building and a replica of the statue of David in the Piazza in front of a castle-looking building with a tall tower sticking out from the centre of the building. This replica is standing in the exact location that the actual statue of David occupied for centuries before it was moved to its current location in Galleria dell’Accademia. This castle-looking building is the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence.

We continued our walk towards Ponte Vecchio after snapping some pictures in Piazza della Signoria, which was about another 7 mins walk. Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge built over the Arno River. It is the only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War II. There are shops on either side of the bridge, occupied by jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers today. Ponte Vecchio still exudes old-world charm with the two-piece wooden doors of the shops, which look like something from medieval times. Shops on Ponte Vecchio were closed when we arrived, and there wasn’t anyone else coming to this bridge, which made the walk across the bridge very tranquil. The best place to get shots of the entire Ponte Vecchio was from the next bridge further down. We headed to Ponte Santa Trinita to take night shots of the Ponte Vecchio. From this bridge, we managed to capture Ponte Vecchio and the tower of Palazzo Vecchio soaring into the Florentine skyline. After a few more shots of Ponte Vecchio, we returned to the hotel to rest for the night and recharge our energy for tomorrow’s shopping day.

Towards The City of Water – Venice

Today marks the day of our travel to the second Italian city in our ambitious Italian trip. We are heading to Venice, the City of Water. Venice was founded in the 5th century, and the city was built on over 118 small islands in the Adriatic Sea. Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. It is no secret that Venice relies on a series of waterways and canals, which gave the city its unique characteristics.

We started our day early today. We booked the 9.35 am train leaving Milan Central Station to Venice St Lucia Station to maximise our time in Venice. Two train stations contain the word “Venice” or Venezia in Italian. The Venezia Mestre is the station outside Venice Island, while the Venezia St Lucia. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we made our way to Milan Central Station, which was only 7 mins from the hotel we were staying in (compared to the 30 mins to navigate around the first day we arrived). We arrived at the platform early for our first Italian interstate high-speed train ride. Two main train companies providing high-speed rail service in Italy: Trenitalia and Italo. The former is a state-run company, and the latter a private company. In terms of pricing, I found Italo to be slightly cheaper than Trenitalia, plus they serve small snacks and drinks onboard for first-class passengers. However, regarding seat comfort, Trenitalia looks more comfortable (from the pictures I saw online). The train ride from Milan Central Station to Venezia St Lucia took 2½ hours.

We arrived at Venezia St. Lucia Train Station, the entrance to the City of Water, on time at 12.20 pm. As we were walking out of the station, a large green-domed building sitting right across the
Grand Canal was the first thing we saw. No one can miss this 18th-century church with its enormous green dome and Neoclassical architecture. This church has somewhat become the face of Venice. As we were walking around taking pictures and at the same time walking towards our hotel, we were greeted by porters asking if we required a porter service to transport our luggage to our hotel. Well, since our hotel is one bridge away (the Venetians gives direction using the bridges as a landmark) and is a mere 5 mins walk from the train station, we declined any porter services.

Our hotel lies right across Ponte della Costituzione, one of the four bridges across the Grand Canal. This stone alternating with tempered glass bridge is the newest bridge to be installed across the Grand Canal. Moving our luggage up the Ponte della Costituzione was challenging as there were no ramps, meaning we had to drag our luggage step by step. Luckily the steps are pretty wide and shallow. Crossing the bridge, I started to use Google Maps to navigate to our hotel. This is when I found Google Maps to be unreliable. The app kept directing us to go in circles and indicated our hotel was right in the middle of the bus terminus in the middle of Piazzale Roma. After walking in circles for 10 mins, I decided to use another map app – Movit, which directed us across another smaller bridge (luckily, the Venetians installed a ramp on the bridge) to our hotel. We made it to our hotel and checked into the beautiful Hotel Papadopoli.

Getting Lost in the Venetian Labyrinth

After settling into our rooms and rested for 30 mins, we started our exploration of Venice. The plan today was to visit the big three sights in Piazza San Marco: Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica, and St Mark’s Bell Tower, followed by a rooftop visit in Fondaco dei Tedeschi (DFS Venice and Ponte di Rialto. We started walking across a bridge where we could see a bell tower afar; this bell tower became our leading mark as we thought this was the Bell Tower in Piazza San Marco. Next, we walked along the canal, crossing any bridges that we thought might lead us to the bell tower we saw on the balcony of our hotel room. A few bridges later, we arrived at Campo San Pantalon, landmarked by Chiesa di San Pantalon. This brick-built church is one of the few churches in Venice to be characterised by an unfinished facade. The unassuming church is dedicated to San Pantalon, a saint of midwives and co-patron saint of doctors who practised medicine free of charge. We did not stay here for long as this looked like a small church. We walk across the bridge in front of Chiesa di San Pantalon. The narrow street opens up to a huge square, and little did we realise we had arrived at Campo Santa Margherita. Rows of shops and restaurants surround the piazza. A lone withered tree occupied the centre of the Campo Santa Margherita, and a little north from the tree rests an unmarked monument (or this might be a flag pole). Few shops remained open around the sleepy Campo Santa Margherita, partly could be due to the off-peak tourist season. Further down Campo Santa Margherita, we came to another brick-built church – Santa Maria dei Carmini. Santa Maria dei Carmini appears larger than Chiesa di San Pantalon and is decked with a marble entryway with a statue of Madonna and Child. We did not enter this church as it looked closed.

We crossed another bridge to the other side of the canal as we walked along the canals, not knowing where we were (I intentionally put away my Google Maps for once and tried to “get lost” in Venice). We spotted Chiesa dell’Angelo Raffaele as we were walking along the canal. As the church is on the other side of the canal, we did not even attempt to find a bridge to enter. We continued our walk along the canal, past some narrow alleys and into what seemed to be residential areas. There is no one else walking on the streets except for us. As we were walking, we spotted a car park! This is the first time I have seen any cars in Venice (other than the bus terminus at Piazza Roma). At this point, I gave up wandering around and started to whip out my phone and Google for “DFS Venice, ” our destination today. At this point, I realised we were in the southwestern part of Venice, where no tourists visit. We followed the recommendation given by Google Maps and walked along the southern coastline of Venice. We soon found ourselves on the grounds of the University of Venice. After our toilet break at the university, we continued our journey towards DFS. Some small alleys are so narrow that only one person can walk at any time. A few minutes walk later; we found ourselves in front of a small church: Chiesa di San Sebastiano. The white marble facade church is rather plain, with a figure of St. Sebastian wounded by arrows at the top of the church. This church looks small and uninteresting. We continued our walk towards DFS Venice.

A few bridges later, the small alleys we had been passing through for the entire after were replaced with more canals. Small canals merged to become bigger canals. Soon we arrived at a wooden bridge built across a big canal. This is where I realised we were back at the Grand Canal. This wooden bridge, Ponte dell Accademia, is one of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal cross near the southern end of the Grand Canal. The bridge is named after the Accademia galleries. Standing on the bridge, we spotted a huge building sitting by the mouth of the Grand Canal, with huge grey domes. The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is one of the icons in Venice. Ponte dell Accademia offered us one of the great classic views of Venice that was captured in many photos and films on Venice. After taking pictures, we continued our walk to Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Two piazzas later, we arrived at our destination.

The View of Grand Canal

The reason we were adamant about setting Fondaco dei Tedeschi as our destination today despite getting lost in the Labyrinth of the Venetian streets is for the booking of the terrace visit at Fondaco dei Tedeschi. During my research for top sights in Venice, several content creators recommended coming to the rooftop terrace of Fondaco dei Tedeschi, which offered visitors a panoramic view of the Grand Canal. The visit to the rooftop terrace is free of charge and can only be made through their website in advance (you can book here). I booked our timeslot at 5.15 pm and arrived at Fondaco dei Tedeschi at 4.45 pm. We walked around the departmental store before heading up to the terrace. We reached the terrace at 5 pm. Fortunately, the staff was able to admit us to the rooftop terrace. Access to the rooftop terrace is tightly controlled by the staff member who looks more like a bouncer. From the rooftop, we could see St Mark’s Bell Tower and the iconic stretch of the Grand Canal. It is a pity that it was already dark during our visit. I can imagine we would get a beautiful view from the terrace if we came during sunset. After a few photos later, we decided to get dinner.

Night Stroll Along San Marco Waterfront

Before we ventured back into the Venetian Labyrinth to search for dinner, we stopped by Ponte di Rialto, next to Fondaco dei Tedeschi. No visit to Venice will be complete without visiting the iconic Ponte di Rialto. Anyone who has not been to Venice can recognise the bridge immediately. The 400-year-old bridge is the oldest of all four bridges across the Grand Canal. Ponte di Rialto is built with stone, unlike the other two bridges we have crossed today. There are stores on either side of the bridge.

We continued to wander in the Venetian streets in search of dinner and settled in a restaurant that looked rustic and authentic. We took a night stroll along the southern coast of Venice after dinner, as the night was still young. We made our way to Piazza San Marco, home of famous Venetian sights like San Marco Basilica, Doge Palace and Campanile di San Marco. Piazza San Marco was very quiet when we were there due to the low travel season. As we walked along the shore, past Doge’s Palace, we came across the Bridge of Sighs. The enclosed white limestone bridge with windows made of stone bars that pass over the Rio di Palazzo connects the new prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. Legend has it that the bridge is named as such as prisoners would sigh when they see through the stone windows to the outside world for one last time being as they are being escorted to their prison to serve their sentence. As we walked further ]away from Piazza San Marco, we spotted a bronze statue sitting by the shoreline. This bronze statue is the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, dedicated to the first King of unified Italy. Strolling on the southern shore at night offered us a view of the islands and buildings across the Venetian Lagoon. The buildings were beautifully illuminated and great places to take some night shots. As it was getting cold, we returned to the hotel to rest for the night.

Planning to Lake Como

When planning the attractions in Milan, I chanced upon several Youtube videos about travels to Lake Como. The stunting views of the mountains seemingly watching over the tranquil lake and the characteristic colourful houses sitting by the lake shore make this a picturesque place a must to visit. There are several towns around Lake Como, but impossible to see everything within one day. Hence I had to be very targeted on what we wanted to see. From the YouTube videos I watched, Varenna, Bellagio, Como and Brunate are the most popular towns around Lake Como. So we started from Varenna, the furthest from Milan, and worked our way to Como, the nearest to Milan. We also wanted to watch the sunset over Lake Como at the viewpoint in Brunate.

Getting to Lake Como

Lake Como lies north of Milan, and the towns around Lake Como are easily accessible by regional trains serviced by Trenitalia with hourly departures, so it is not necessary to pre-book train tickets. Getting the train tickets from the train station was very easy; we had to pop by the ticketing machine, select our destination (Varenna-Esino), and we got our tickets in no time. There are two classes of seats onboard the train to Varenna. 2nd class costs €7.10, while 1st class costs €10.50. We initially thought the price difference wasn’t great and went for 1st class, thinking it would be more comfortable. Upon boarding the train, we found no differences in the seats between 1st and 2nd class; the only difference is the yellow handle on the seats that marks it as 1st class seating. We ended up sitting (this service is free seating) in a less crowded 2nd Class carriage. We thought getting 1st class tickets for this trip was a waste of money. The train ride from Milan Central station to Varenna-Esino station took 1 hour.

Varenna

We alighted at Varenna-Esino station and were guided by well-marked signs towards the lakeside. After about 5 minutes of walking, passing by buildings decked in light pink and bright yellow, we came to the shore of Lake Como. Before our eyes were stunning views of mountain ranges, some even snow-capped, across the massive Lake Como. My friends and I wasted no time and kept ourselves busy taking selfies, wefies and pictures of the beautiful Lake Como scene. Then, we strolled along the coastline, taking in the tranquillity of the lake and the beautiful scenery before our eyes towards Greenway di Patriarchi. About 5 minutes later, we arrived at the ferry station. This is where we would return later for our ferry ride across the lake to our next destination in Lake Como.

We continued our early morning stroll along the coast and arrived at Passerella sul lago, also known affectionately as the Lover’s way. This walkway offers visitors an unobstructed view of the lake and the houses by the lake. We did not see many visitors during our visit, which also gave us great photo-op chances. We chanced upon a small playground equipped with a slide and a strategically placed swing to face Lake Como. One of my friends immediately hopped onto the swing and admired the tranquil scenery before her eyes. Pass the swing, we spotted a marina of some sort, and there do not to be any more pavements that would lead us further. So we made a U-turn and headed inland towards Cheisea di San Giorgio. As we walked past some shops, we passed by earlier and took a gelato break (partly to use their toilet). One gelato later, we continued our walk towards the church. We took the staircase beside the gelateria, hoping it would lead us to where we wanted to go. Walking along the walkways between buildings was very pleasant. At times, Google Maps led us back towards the lake, which gave us a different perspective of Varenna and Lake Como.

After some more ups and downs through the snaking pathway, the pavement suddenly opens up to a bigger road. We walked along the road and spotted Cheisea di San Giorgio. The grey stone facade of the church gave it a medieval look. A simple hut-shaped building accompanied by a small bell tower, this 700-year-old church exudes a rustic charm. This is the only church in Varenna (we did not see any other churches along the way). We did not enter the church as the oversized wooden main doors were closed during our visit. At this point, my friends asked where we were heading next. I had plans to visit Castello di Vezio which would offer us some great views of Lake Como and Varenna. However, Google Maps suggested the castle was temporarily closed. We decided not to risk investing extra time walking to the castle and finding it closed. Instead, we headed back to the ferry station and prepared to head to the next village in Lake Como. It took us another 15 minutes of walking to reach the ferry station. After getting our tickets, the friendly staff informed us that the next ferry to Bellagio would only leave in the next hour. Since we had some time to kill, we decided to have lunch in a restaurant next to the ferry station.

Bellagio

The ferry ride to Bellagio took about 25 mins from Varenna. We got front-row seats on the ferry, allowing us to take in the beautiful and tranquil scenery this part of Lake Como offers. As we were approaching Bellagio, we could see some differences between Bellagio and Varenna. The buildings in Bellagio are mainly painted in yellow and white, which is duller compared to the vibrant-coloured buildings in Varenna. These buildings seem to congregate mainly at the harbourfront, with a few on the hills behind the harbour, making this town look compact. There were more visitors at Bellagio compared to Varenna. Several restaurants with outdoor alfresco settings occupy the key real estate of the pier front, allowing visitors to enjoy the mountainous scenery as they dine. We would have dined here if not for our lunch in Varenna. From the pier, we can see Bellagio felt more enclosed by mountains, with a small waterway peeking right around the corner.

For us to get a better grasp of the time we had in Bellagio and to be able to reach Brunate before sunset, we went around finding out the next time for the fast ferry to Como. Two types of ferries ply between Bellagio and Como, the fast ferry takes around 37 mins, and the slower ferry takes around 1 hour 11 minutes. In the interest of time, we wanted to catch the fast ferry for Como. The ferry for Como leaves from a different pier from where we just alighted. We were greeted by an unmanned ticket booth with a piece of A4 paper sticking on the window of the ticket booth that stated “siesta”. There were ferry schedules pasted on the ticket booth window, and from there, we found out that the next ferry leaves for Como in 45 minutes. We waited a little longer for someone to appear so we could get our ferry tickets. After some wait later, we thought it would be a waste of time to continue waiting. With the time we had left, we could only visit Punta Spartivento, a breakwater on the northern end of the town about 8 minutes from the ferry station. As we walked towards Punta Spartivento, the scene turned from rows of shops (mainly occupying the harbour area) into residential villas. The bustling harbour front with restaurants and shops welcoming visitors’ tourist dollars turned into a tranquil village. The crowd gets thinner the further we peel away from the pier. The absence of cars on the road makes walking in Bellagio very pleasant.

A gravel pavement marked the entrance to Punta Spartivento. A small park marked the end of the gravel road. The park is decked with benches dotting the coast, providing visitors with incredible views of the mountains and the lake, an ideal scenic spot for picnicking. Punto Spartivento is a breakwater. We walked to the end of the breakwater, where an amazing unobstructed view of the mountains sitting quietly behind the lake waters awaited us. A lone pink building rests amongst a forest of trees on the edge of Bellagio, facing the calm waters of Lake Como, draped by mountains in the far background under the blue sky lightly decorated by thin clouds, making the scene feel peaceful. We got busy snapping pictures of the awesome view. A while later, it is time for us to head back to the pier.

We traced the same path we came from to get back to the pier. Nearing the piers, we came across a split road leading up into some buildings while the other led down towards the pier. We wanted to experience walking amongst the narrow pavements in Bellagio with shops flanking both sides, so we took the upper road instead. I knew we could get to the pier using one of the stairways at some point. The first building we spotted from the split road was Basilica di San Giacomo, a small brick-built church in the middle of residential buildings. As the door was open, we popped in for a quick peek. Though modest, the church houses a painting of the Deposition and a large statue of the Dead Christ. We continued our walk to the pier as the ferry was about to depart in 10 minutes. We walked through the maze of cobble pavements, occasionally stopping for a quick picture. When we reached the pier, the ticket booth was again unmanned, and the ferry was about to leave. Lucky for us, the ferry crew allowed us to board and purchase tickets. We spent the next 45 mins on the uneventful ferry ride towards Como.

Como

We reached Como 1 hour before sunset. Como is the innermost town on the southern end of Lake Como’s western branch, surrounded by hills. From the pier, we could hardly see the vastness of Lake Como as we had in Varenna and Bellagio. The town is bustling with activities such as Christmas markets and funfairs. Como was built by the Romans, serving as an important communication point between Rome and its northern territories. When we got off the ferry, I could spot one of the attractions we would visit. The small Tempio Valtiano sits by the shore of Como overlooking Lake Como and is dedicated to the inventor of the electric battery. At the entrance to the temple, we learnt there was an entrance fee to enter the temple. We thought the scale of the temple was not worth the price of the fee and decided to skip the temple. We took a quick wefie in front of the temple and headed for the funicular that would take us to Brunate for a scenic view of Lake Como and sunset.

Along the way, we spotted a bridge-like structure that suggested that we could cut across the lake to reach the station. We walked along the bridge and were soon met with a sculpture and a dead end. This is where we realised we had wasted 5 mins walking on the bridge that led to nowhere except for the Life Electric Sculpture, a huge piece of metallic sculpture dedicated to the inventor of electric battery. We traced back to where we came from and walked along the lakeside towards the funicular station.

Some 15 mins later, we arrived at the funicular station. To our astonishment, the funicular was closed for maintenance till the end of November. We bumped into a family of three who was equally shocked to discover the funicular was not operational. The family told us we might still be able to get to Brunate via bus. As we spotted a bus terminal when we were walking towards the station, we decided to head there to see if anyone could point us to the bus that would take us to Brunate. We spent the next 30 mins trying to find out from locals and anyone who could point us to the right bus that could take us to Brunate. No one seemed to know how to get to Brunate from Como. Finally, we spotted a bus driver who told us there were no buses to Brunate near Como Nord Train station. By this time, the sky had turned dark, and we saw no point in getting to Brunate. We originally planned to visit Basilica di San Fedele and Piazza Vittoria, located in the heart of Como town; I guess we were too turned off by not being able to visit Brunate even to bother. We decided to head back to Milan after some retail therapy at the supermarket next to the bus terminal.

Naviglio Grande: Picking off what we left off yesterday

We took the next available train bound for Milan Central station. Since the night was still young, we decided to head back to the Duomo area and get some gloves to prepare for the cold weather later part of our trip. By the time we reached the Duomo area, we had learnt that most of the shops were closed or were closing. At this point, I suggested to my friends to visit Naviglio Grande via tram since we did not manage to do so the day before. So we hopped on the next tram and were happily underway. The tram passes through the city centre to a residential area. Sensing something was wrong, I took out my phone and started navigating using Google Maps. True enough, the tram service brought us further from Naviglio Grande. We got off the tram at the stop with a Metro station and took the Metro.

Genova FS metro station is the nearest station to Naviglio Grande. Exiting the station and after about 10 mins, we reached a body of water. We thought this was Naviglio Grande. The Milanese government created Naviglio Grande to transport marble during the construction of Duomo di Milano. My first impression of the canal was not as lively as I thought. From my research, restaurants dotted both sides of the canal bank where we could settle for dinner. So far, we only saw one eatery, and we thought there might be more eateries further down the canal. As we continued walking along the canal bank, we soon realised that is the end of the canal. I was a little disappointed that there were no restaurants where we could settle for our dinner. We ended up dining at McDonald’s. There was nothing much at Naviglio Granade; after eating, we headed back to the metro station. Walking towards the metro station, I noticed the canal split into another branch. I exclaimed to my friends, “this IS the Naviglio Grande I wanted to bring you guys to!”. By this time, we were tired even to bother walking across the road and confirm if this was the “real” Naviglio Grande. We returned to the hotel to pack our luggage for the next leg of our trip, Venice.

Planning for our Maiden Trip to Italy

It has been two years since we embarked on a long trip overseas due to the pandemic. One of my friends asks, “where are you going to travel to at the end of the year?”. Without thinking much, I answered, “Italy?”. About ten years ago, I wanted to visit Italy and see the Colosseum. Unfortunately, I never got around to planning for that trip (yes, I got my Lonely Planet guidebook on Italy 10 years ago). We booked our air tickets in April 2022, when the world wakes up from the nightmares caused by COVID and before the Russian-Ukraine war. We managed to get our return tickets on Turkish Airlines Business Class for $2,400 per pax, which is a bargain. Return Business Class airfares from Singapore to Italy would have cost between $4,500 to $6,000. After settling the air tickets, I started to plan the places we would visit for this trip. As this was the first time we had been to Italy, we naturally wanted to see the touristy stuff. We were quite ambitious to cover from North to South for our maiden trip to Italy.

Flying to Milan

The wait for our trip seems to take forever from when we booked our tickets in April 2022. After looking forward to our trip for seven months, the day we embarked on our trip finally arrived. We met at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1, where Turkish Airlines operates, and boarded our flight to Milan. Our flight would take us from Singapore to Istanbul, then onward to Milan, which includes a six-hour layover at Istanbul Airport. , Although, initially, we thought the layover was a tad too long, as we disembarked from the aircraft after a 12-hour flight, we began to realise the massiveness of Istanbul Airport. The walk to the transfer gate alone took around 20 mins, and the need to clear the security at the gate can easily take up to 45 mins. During the long layover, we could stroll to the lounge for food, shower, and get some rest.

Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge was very busy in the morning. We can hardly find tables for dining. Luckily we managed to book a meeting room, accommodating the six of us. For the next three to four hours, we stuffed ourselves with the huge variety of food available at the lounge. Our next flight to Milan was scheduled to depart at around noon. Unfortunately, our flight to Milan was delayed for 30 mins, which meant we would arrive in Milan later than expected. At this point, I was glad that I booked the Duomo Di Milano rooftop climb at 4.30 pm.

Arrival at Milan

We arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport at around 2.20 pm. Custom clearance was fast as we had access to the automated gate clearance. However, our luggage took forever to arrive at the belt. We only managed to collect our luggage at 2.40 pm. I got a little worried as our time buffer for our Duomo rooftop climb was getting thinner. Moreover, we would still need around 1 hour to get to Milan Central train station and our hotel. Fortunately, directions to the train station were very well-marked. We had to follow the directions marked “Treni” to get to the station. After getting our tickets and validating them, we found the next Malpensa Express train towards Milano Centrale waiting for us. We reached Milano Centrale Station in good time. It is already 4.08 pm, and time is ticking. I whipped out my phone and started to navigate to our hotel. We were a tad lost at the moment we exited the station. Google Maps did not give us good directions to where our hotel was. After walking around the train station for 10 minutes, we finally got our bearings. We only managed to reach our hotel some 15 mins later (which was only 5 mins walk from the train station if we got our bearings right). It was already 5 pm by the time we got to our rooms; we quickly settled in and headed out for the Duomo, hoping we would still be able to access the rooftop.

Duomo Di Milano

We took the metro from our hotel to the Duomo. The metro station is close to our hotel, located right next to Milano Centrale train station. The Duomo is only four stops from Centrale FS station on the M3 (yellow) line. We followed the signs at the metro station that pointed us to the right exit to the Duomo. Exiting the station, the magnificent Duomo was right before our eyes. Despite being at night, the lighting cast on the Duomo made it look grand and elegant. Coupled with the intricate carvings on the facade of the Duomo, no wonder it took the Italians 600 years to complete this piece of art. Unfortunately, we had little time to marvel at the Duomo’s facade as we had passed our original booking time for the rooftop climb.

The Duomo Di Milano was dedicated to the nativity of Saint Mary and is currently the largest church in Italy and the third-largest church in the world. The Duomo started construction in 1386 when the construction of Gothic-style cathedrals was at its peak and was completed in 1965. The Duomo was initially built with terracotta stone, but the designers then switched to marble when they realised the scale of the Duomo was bigger than they had planned. The Duomo was built by as many as 78 architects recruited from all over Europe. As a result, the Duomo blended different styles from neoclassic, baroque and decorative gothic.

The entrance to the rooftop elevator is located at the back of the Duomo. The staff had no problem in admitting us for the rooftop climb. After some simple bag checks, we were granted access to the rooftop. The rooftop access closes at 6.30 pm, leaving us 45 minutes for the activity. We wasted no time and took the elevator to the roof. We walked up a small flight of stairs to reach the first floor of the rooftop. We were treated to endless intricate marble carvings on the roof of the Duomo. From the arches decorating the rooftop to the numerous statues on top of the 135 spires that seem to guard the marble-laden cathedral, we cannot help but admire the painstaking hours poured in by the sculptors who created this masterpiece. No wonder it took then 600 years to build the Duomo. From this part of the Duomo, we could look out into central Milan. I can imagine we would be able to see further in the day.

We walked along the corridor and came to another set of staircases, which brought us to the terrace of the Duomo. I could look out into the piazza in front of the Duomo along the way. There were still many people down below taking pictures and queuing to enter the Duomo. The terrace of the Duomo is the highest point visitors can gain access to. At night it seems too dark for anyone to admire the architecture and take decent photos. All the lighting was cast on the lower level of the Duomo, and there was no lighting on the terrace. A part of the Duomo was scaffolded off for maintenance works, which can be a bummer for photo taking. At the end of the terrace, where the scaffolding was, we could see the Gold Madonna statue sitting on the highest point of the Duomo. We decided to head back down after taking some photos on the terrace. Along the way, we took more photos and were met by a staff member chasing any visitors away. Looking at the time, it was already 6.30 pm when the rooftop visit closed. The only way down the rooftop of the Duomo was via a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, we found ourselves inside the Duomo. Though we were passing through, we could see the grandeur of the Duomo even from the inside. There were stained window panels that would be a beautiful sight during the day when the sun shone into the cathedral.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Exiting the Duomo, we went into the open-air shopping mall of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II next to the Duomo. Several restaurants are near the shopping mall entrance, while numerous boutiques selling luxurious branded goods are found further into the mall’s centre. One of the highlights of this mall is the lucky bull mosaic at the centre of the mall. I saw numerous YouTubers mentioning it is a tradition for visitors to spin three rounds on the bull’s balls for good luck. Like most visitors, local or foreign, we joined in the fun, hoping for good luck for the trip. As it was already 8 pm, most of the boutiques were closing. We did not manage to shop at the fashion capital of the world.

I asked my friends if they were interested in trying out the fried pizza, which I saw some YouTubers recommending whilst in Milan. I whipped out my Google map and started to navigate to the shop. After some time, we were led to a shop by Google Maps. This was not the one that I saw people recommending. We walked up and down the street and found this the only shop. We settled for this because the shop might be closed or shifted to another location. I have to admit that we were not adventurous enough to try the more local flavours. In the end, we all ended up having Nutella-flavoured fried pizza. Despite being the wrong shop, the fried pizza is still very tasty. Initially, I thought of having this as a snack before dinner. However, the big portion was enough to fill our stomachs. We were too full to have dinner.

A Change in Plan

After eating the fried pizza by the roadside, we were tired (perhaps due to the long flight). The initial plan was to have dinner at Nagvoli Grande. However, we were too full from the fried pizza plus fatigue started to set in. So, we gave up the idea of going to Nagvoli Grande and maybe visiting it tomorrow after our day trip to Lake Como. As we were walking towards the metro station, I spotted the “original” fried pizza shop that I wanted to bring my friends to try out. I had the urge to buy may one or two to share around, but the queue in front of the shop put us off. We decided to head back to the hotel and rest for the night; after all, we had a long day tomorrow at Lake Como.