Italy 2024

Italy is certainly not new for us but we planned to hit a few cities that we hadn't been to before including Venice, Verona and Bologna. Then to Marche and Umbria to visit Jim and Gretchen and Ryan's parents, similar to last year.

Venice (August 23 - 26):  I went in with low expectations of Venice due to over-tourism and overall bad reputation it seems to have. I was pleasantly surprised! The canals are truly unique (per my Belgium post, I do love all canals!) and it has all the Italy things like good food, wine and culture.  Given the time of year I think we hit it when it wasn't as crowded as it normally is but that meant we found ourselves roasting in the heat again.  We did the standard gondola ride and toured the Doges Palace and St. Marks Basilica.

More Venice photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/V9JkNQP9rens9An78

Sam's photography skills are sometimes pretty good:

And sometimes not the best:

Verona (August 26 - 28):  This is probably my favorite city we visited on the trip.  Verona is quaint and less crowded than Venice.  We did a food tour (frequent in our itineraries) and that included a ride on a cable car for views.  

More Verona photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/SSzzPvV7tHNtneZL8

There is an arena (older than the colosseum) right in the middle of Verona that is still used for concerts and events.  I love when there is an ancient structure right in the middle of a city!

Sam was obsessed with the street musicians - actually one musician that we saw twice.  He really wanted to tip him which he did both times we saw him.  Sam is concerned about the economic prospects of street musicians!

Bologna/Modena/Lake Garda (August 28 - 30):  At the end of our stay in Verona we rented a car and made our way to Bologna.  On our way there we stopped at Lake Garda. Historically Ryan and I have a tendency to get ourselves into sticky situations. This has included taking questionable routes in Iceland, getting stuck in a random dead end road in Croatia (with a helpful Croatian man helping us back out of a tight space) or finding ourselves in the middle of nowhere in Scotland (with only unhelpful, slightly terrifying sheep).  This time was an attempt to find the start of a hiking trail near Lake Garda. The GPS ("damn Google Maps!" - quote from Ryan Brown) took us up a scary mountain and then ultimately onto a "road" that was actually a narrow walking trail.  And it was on the edge of a mountain!  Ryan attempted an 85-point turnaround but it was not working.  We drove further and found a better turnaround spot near the actual hiking trail we were looking for.  It was fun to get looks of judgement from the hikers as we did a turnaround-of-shame.  We ended up doing a much safer walk along a boardwalk on the lake. 

Picture of me and Ryan with Lake Garda in the background. No Sam in the picture because he was "in a mood" from us making him hike (and maybe from the prior near-death experience we just had).

The decision to go to Bologna was because 1) there are multiple car museums in that area including Lamborghini and Ferrari, both of which Sam is obsessed with and 2) this is where my ancestors are from.  

On our way to Bologna we stopped for lunch in Modena and did a balsamic vinegar tasting since that is what Modena is known for.  Then we went to the Ferrari Museum.

The next day we went to the Lamborghini Museum. Ryan and Sam did a simulation so they could see what it was like to drive a Lamborghini on a race track.  After watching them do that I am not certain if I am comfortable riding with either one of them, but given Sam doesn't have a license yet I was surprised how infrequently he crashed his car.

I found this street sign with the same last name as my ancestors.  Apparently Otello Bonvicini was the leader of the anti-fascist movement and was captured by the fascists, then tortured and killed.  I am not sure if he is related to me but he may not have had a family given it seems like he had a lot on his plate. 

At this point in the trip I was pretty exhausted from the heat and over indulging in food and wine. This is my typical Italy mid-trip burn out.  I think that caused me not to enjoy Bologna as it should be so I will be back with more energy in the future.

More Bologna/Modena/Lake Garda photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TKJ43kcgf9wGhRbv7

Marche / Spoleto (August 30 - September 7):  The middle part of Italy (Marche and Umbria) has become a regular destination for us.  Gretchen and Jim have a home in Marche and Ryan's parents often stay in Umbria at this time.

More Marche / Spoleto photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/N4o3izmBUWNe68kd8

The big event that occurred this year is that Sam got to meet the famous dog Samson (Gretchen and Jim's dog).  I have been lucky enough to meet Samson multiple times but Sam has not, although is is obsessed with him just from looking at photos.  He even has Samson as the screen background on his tablet.  It is obvious to say that the two of them hit it off and they are best friends.

In Umbria we decided to do a bike + wine tour (without Sam since we had the grandparents to babysit).  This turned out to be a 26 mile ride starting in Bevagna and through some medieval towns and stopping at a winery for lunch and wine and olive oil tasting. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time and I thought my Dutch biking experience would be beneficial.  Even with e-bikes, it was exhausting - a lot of rolling hills in Umbria.  I am also certain there was an issue with my bike so that didn't help but also an issue with my ability to ride a bike 26 miles. 😩 

Here we are in Bevagna taking a biking break: