A Game-Changing Solo Trip to Italy (plus essential packing tips)
I'm reminiscing on a game-changing solo trip I took to Italy three years ago this week. Though I’ve enjoyed several Italian adventures in the years following this entire travel experience opened new doors for my Curated Travel business and reaffirmed my staunch adoration for the magic, beauty, and deliciousness of Italy and the charm and verve of the Italians. Plus, I learned some essential packing strategies I will never forget!
An Elegant Party at Villa Balbiano on Lake Como in Italy (Part Five)
It was a chilly day at Lake Como but that didn't stop our Travelux 2018 group from feeling warm and celebratory for our final party of this truly memorable luxury travel event. Villa Balbiano, with roots in the mid 16th century, has recently been renovated by the famous French designer Jacques Garcia. An invitation to a party in this splendor was one of the highlights of my trip to Italy and it took my breath away.
An Afternoon in Picturesque Varenna on the Shores of Lake Como, Italy
There are places you stumble upon while traveling that simply need no explanation. On a hazy summer afternoon, we arrived by boat, from Bellagio. Between flashes of sunlight, bursts of showers, and a moody mist that wound around our afternoon, we experienced Varenna, on the shores of Lake Como. These images speak for themselves. Click on the gallery to open a slide show of charming Varenna.
An Afternoon in Beguiling Bellagio on Lake Como
One afternoon Scott and I pointed our rented Peugeot northeast, from our villa in Lezzeno, to beautiful Bellagio for the afternoon. Known for grand hotels, elegant villas, voluptuous flower boxes and stunning views from the steep staircases of the city center. Bellagio is beguiling.
Our Lakeside Stay at a Villa in Lezzeno, at Lake Como, Italy
If the Amalfi Coast is shimmering pastels and Siena is rich, brushstrokes in oils, then Lake Como is bathed in watercolors mingling shadows with light. The views of mountain, sky and water are made chameleon by the microclimates in the Lombardy region of the Italian Alps. From sunny and brilliant to dark and stormy, punctuated with raindrops, no wonder this moody vista is considered magical to those who visit.
Scott and I used to whisper it to each other over the years: “We aren’t really cruisers.” We happily schlepped our way through cobblestoned Italian hill towns, wandered along Mediterranean seafronts, and checked into luxurious beachfront resorts, proudly proclaiming ourselves land‑lovers through and through. But after one too many grueling European trips spent hauling luggage from place to place every few days, we realized that small‑ship cruising deserved a place in our travel repertoire.