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Northern Italy
  • Shellie Phillips
  • Shellie Phillips

Northern Italy

Celebrating 60 years of JD-a new wine region, Italian lakes, Dolomites hut to hut hiking and via ferratas. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 25, 2024
    Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler

    Vancouver BC to Venice

    August 25, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Our amazing driver zipped us up to the airport. Again impressed with the kindness of every employee at this airport…including the TSA. We love YVR…and Dawson! Accessing the premium lounge included in our new credit card:) Ciao!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    The Dolomites from the plane-hiking there soon
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    Verona

    Aug 26–27, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We made it! Really smooth travel day. Picked up our car, a tiny Fiat, and headed out becoming reacquainted with Italian driving. It’s aggressive and lanes are just suggestions. Our hotel tonight is in old town Verona, a beautiful lantern lit city. It’s hot! Thankful for an air conditioned room. Had a lovely dinner and then a walk to see Juliet’s balcony (alleged:). It’s almost 10 pm here so ready to call it a great first day.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    Verona to Lake Orta San Julio

    Aug 27–28, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Maybe the best first nights’ sleep traveling to Europe. Our room was quiet, cool, and the bed very comfortable! Out for a morning stroll through Verona trying to beat the heat. Beautiful! Breakfast served in our room, climbed a hill for one last view then headed west. Drove through a very industrial area dotted by wine grapes and gorgeous villages off of the highway. Made it to Stresa, a town on Lake Maggiore. Beautiful. JD went for a swim after lunch and we headed to Orta San Guilo where we are staying. Stunning mountain lake with a an island sanctuary in the middle of it. Checked in and walked through town (so hot, but cooler than Verona!) Decided to paddle board out to the island and swim to cool off.
    I was thinking I wouldn’t fall so kept my lightweight dress on. Famous last thoughts. The water was so refreshing:) Explored the island and just as God does, it was filled with signs encouraging silence and stillness. (Galene!!) We floated for a while on our boards looking at majestic peaks in the distance that we think are Swiss. Watched the sunset, visited a small church, pizza and charcuterie board in a lovely terrace restaurant. Va bene    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    Lago di Orta to Barbaresco

    Aug 28–Sep 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We enjoyed a beautiful breakfast on the terrace of our hotel, overlooking the lake. We drove windy mountainous roads that made us thankful we didn’t have any passengers in the back seat (cough, Davis and Dawson:) Explored a castle, took a few wrong turns, picked up some groceries and made it to our gorgeous place in the middle of Nebbiolo grapes. Our hosts own and run a winery. We will have a tour and tasting tomorrow with Marco the winemaker. We spent the afternoon swimming in the infinity pool overlooking dramatic castle topped hills filled with vines and hazelnut trees. JD is currently sitting on our terrace drawing, using the kit Dawson bought him for Christmas. We all know what a miracle that is. I’m finishing a book and then we are headed into Alba for dinner and to look into renting E-bikes in the next few days.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    Barbaresco
    NeiveAlbaBaroloBarolo1

    Barbaresco Day 2

    August 29, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Only vacation JD…I was awake at 6 quietly read. He slept til 7:30:) We went for a walk through the vineyards then back and made breakfast. Off to explore local villages-Barbaresco, Neive (our fave), Alba, La Morra, Barolo where we had a glass of local white-Arneis. Very nice. Back to our place to wine taste with Marco the winemaker. We were in their tasting room for an hour and a half learning all about the area, the grapes, the process. It was incredible. Headed to the pool just outside of the cellar and swam, talking to Marco’s mom Anna and sister Marta. They made reservations for us for dinner tonight and helped plan our next few days:) Love those two! FaceTimed Hannah and got to see the boys, though Burkey was sick:(😢Fun to see Stetson figure out who we were and respond to us. ❤️We just walked four houses down the road and had the most amazing meal. Hot days make for the best evenings to eat outside and walk. Thankful .Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    1Different vegetation!Hazelnut tour-coffee, spreads, amazing familyMarco's hazelnutsLunch!1Barolo with La Morra aboveMontforte

    Barbaresco Day 3

    August 30, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    A reminder this morning that vacation does not mean a trouble free time. I’ve been in constant prayer for a dear friend of mine who is in ICU at Harborview. Woke to an email from our water association that we have a HUGE (their words) leak somewhere on our property. Thankful for Davis who is at our place for a wedding this weekend so he is helping to troubleshoot. And thankful for my friend’s amazing life.
    After some phone calls and work on the water leak this am, we had breakfast on the terrace, and headed out to explore the upper Langhe. Last night, after sharing with our hosts our plan for today, they questioned why we were going where we had planned and offered a different itinerary. So happy we listened! We explored Treiso, Borgomale, a darling village decorated with children’s art explaining the legends around their town castle—Nella and her tragic imprisonment. A couple of towns we were in today reminded us of Onati where Fran’s sister Sheila lives. Other villages were Cortemilia, Cravanzana where we met the delightful Marco who is producing and selling hazelnuts/products so proudly with his wife, sons, and daughter in law. Marco opened his doors when they were closed for lunch and treated us to a first class tour and tasting. We fell in love with him. And need to now eat a lot of hazelnut products before we get on the plane:) To Serravalle for lunch overlooking the valley and mountains.
    At our lunch I ate a salad with maybe more honey in the dressing than is good for me:/ ended up resting in the shade at a children’s park in Montforte while JD hiked up the hill to explore. We definitely don’t recommend travel to this region in August. 95 degrees today. Home to immediately get in the pool where we read, rested and guided Davis through water shut off. Anna, the matriarch of the family we are with, recommended a pizzeria for us and it was wonderful.    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    View from our bathroom!
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    Barbaresco Day 4

    August 31, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    An early morning walk through La Vedetta’s vines and hazelnut groves. Breakfast on the terrace then off to the mountains. We needed some wild nature and cooler air and we found it. An hour and a half west we discovered waterfalls, hiking trails, cows with bells, and jagged mountain peaks. It was beautiful. Mountain villages with slate roofs, stone exteriors and bright flowers in window boxes. It was a perfect day! Back to our place for appertivos on the terrace, a swim, and headed to Neive for dinner at an ivy covered hotel near a beautiful church. Dinner was wonderful. As we were leaving we got word that the leak had been found. Turns out a 31 year old toilet might have issues:) thanking God that it wasn’t a main line or in the sprinkler system which would have been much harder to find. Off to see the Matterhorn from the Italian side tomorrow!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    We were driving and noticed these houses built into the rocks!
    1Mountains can be so finicky-grateful it's showing off!2This is called the 'Jeff and Kristen' pose :)

    Turin to Chamois/Breuil-Cervinia

    Sep 1–3, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We left La Vedetta this morning. Most of you know I hate goodbyes…mama Anna and her daughter Marta love them. They got up early to see us off:) Marta cried. So much for my Irish goodbye. Super thankful for our stay with them! Drove to Turin/Torino and didn’t love it. Big, hot, and covered with graffiti. Headed towards the mountains, spotting castles and fortifications everywhere along with stone roofed villages. Made a stop in Verres for a gelato, a quick walk around the village and got to hear a local band playing.❤️ Driving past a beautiful mountain river, we spotted the Matterhorn! We pulled into Chamois, a ski area with summer hiking, found a parking spot, grabbed a ticket and were up the gondola. Almost to the top we spotted three chamois-so beautiful. Jumped on a smaller chair lift that took us to a lake. JD was convinced we could just pop over this one mountain and see the Matterhorn and surrounding peaks. We set off straight uphill, on a barely discernible path, at elevation. We finally saw a sign and it wasn’t for our trail but JD was convinced he could make it to the view. I sit here now under a tree, hearing thunder in the distance and feeling some raindrops, waiting for him to return. He made it back, but unfortunately a cloud was covering Monte Cervino(Italian name for the Matterhorn) 🧐 Hiked back down to the top of the chair and had a beer while listening to thunder and being sprinkled with rain. Rode the lift down to the gondola station. Had panini for dinner/lunch while waiting for the gondola line to die down. On our way to the station, saw a herd of chamois! Drove to our chalet, and didn’t realize it’s at the base of the Matterhorn. Explored the town, Breuil-Cervinia, got groceries and FaceTimed all three boys with the most amazing backdrop of the Matterhorn. Planning a big gondola/hike day tomorrow and praying for good weather.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    Two Austrian Snowboard team members

    Breuil-Cervina

    September 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Set an alarm to be at the gondola at 7:30. Cool but clear morning with clouds to be moving in later. Gorgeous views up three separate gondolas where we crossed into Switzerland! We met two Austrian Snowboard team members on our gondola and had so much fun with them! We will be rooting for them to make the Austrian Olympic team-Tanja and Anna! Every person on the gondola was headed up to ski, snowboard or parachute ski—and lots were young kids! The clouds did indeed roll in so we headed down to the first landing station and went for a 7 mile hike around a lake and down to the village. On the way we ran into a massive herd of chamois, and had the big male bark/growl a warning our way. So amazing! It rained a bit on us but the hike was still fun. At one point we heard what at first we thought was thunder and then realized it was a glacier calving/or a cavalanche—JDs new word. Our room is right on a golf course, so we had to check into that:) Down from the mountain at 12 and teed off for a round of 18 at 1. Had a really fun and challenging round of golf and we were both exhausted after. Back to our place to have cheese, focaccia, and a beer and FaceTime with Burkey to hear all about his birthday party! Headed to Val Tournenche for a fabulous pizza dinner at Big Ben’s a locally owned restaurant filled with all the pride that entails. It’s 9:24 and we are ready to sleep!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    The Matterhorn to Lake Garda

    September 3, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    The Matterhorn cleared off one more time before we left. Enjoyed coffee and breakfast on our deck though it was quite chilly. Headed down the winding mountain pass to our first stop, the fortress of Bard. Incredible place-we walked through the ancient village but chose not to pay the entrance fee and then ride three funiculars to get to the top:) After lots of tolls on the freeways we made it to Lake Garda, a gorgeous lake with massive mountains surrounding it. The drive was Amalfi-coast-esque, winding, narrow, tunnels so narrow buses needed both ‘lanes’, mopeds and motorcycles scaring the life out of us as they zipped along both sides of us! It was a long drive day so a relief to get to our lovely hotel right on the lake. We headed out to swim and cool off, then walked to town. Lovely sunset and amazing people watching! Sat out on a jetty surrounded by the lake and enjoyed the lovely warm air.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    Lago di Garda to the Dolomites

    September 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Woke to strong winds and found out the real popularity of this lake—wind surfing! We went for a long walk along the lake and up to the church before breakfast. Weather is definitely changing-kind of worrying since tomorrow is the start of our Refugio/Via Ferrata hike. We were planning a lake day, but too windy for paddle boarding and JD wasn’t sure his shoulders were up for wind surfing lessons, though he did entertain the idea. So we decided to head up a valley looking for this beautiful sanctuary JD had seen. So glad we did! The entire drive was jaw dropping, vineyards along the river and every couple of miles another stunning fortification, castle, church. The weather held out for us, cooling off enough to make hiking fun again:) Made it to Sanctuario Madonna Della Corona. And we were so moved. Both of us at different points to tears-reflecting about why, maybe it was the silence of so many, the beauty of the church clinging to the rock and the metaphor that is, the devotion of the people we saw reverently worshipping. It all combined to be a very special moment of the trip. Headed to our next spot high in the Dolomites, Madonna di Canpiglio where we found our hotel and spent some time repacking and planning for three days of hiking, sleeping in mountain Refugio’s. We are officially of an age that we should be required to take pictures of when we decide to hide something….a good 30 minutes of panic looking for our Nexus cards and an extra credit card. Found them in a really obscure and admittedly safe spot!😊 Walked through the village, a bit like Whistler, had a great dinner and then hit our hotel’s wellness center for a sauna, swim. Off tomorrow for our big adventure! Not sure of our WiFi access, so the next couple of days may be quiet. Praying for our nephew Luke and his wife who will be having a baby today and our Burke who turns 3 tomorrow. Love and miss our people!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    Here we go! Scheduled this in November of 2023! So much anticipation!Already dying!That's not meant to be a creekOne covered area of the trail-heard thunder twiceNever would I ever11Made it! Wet clothes and shoes need to dry quickly!JD drawing1Our Refugio

    Mountain hut to hut hike-day 1

    September 5, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    We finalized our packing this morning and our packs are heavy…we know we shouldn’t be bringing all of it, but can’t seem to narrow it down! The rain was really coming down while we ate breakfast. We met our guide, Davide at our hotel-he is a young father, incredibly fit and handsome. Walking out to his car we ran into our favorite thing….cows with bells on! The rain lightened up as we drove to the trailhead. We got out and had to add via Ferrata gear to our already heavy bags. We began the hike through the woods with just a gentle pattering of rain, but very quickly gaining elevation so began to sweat in our gore-Tex jackets. JD is in such incredible shape-he could have reached the top so quickly without me slowing things down! Then it began to rain so hard. Soon my pants were soaking wet and so were my shoes. The trail turned into a small river and then we reached a waterfall cascading over the trail. A group of five in front of us were stopped-Davide motioned to us, like it was no big deal. He jumped onto a rock in the middle and then to the other side. JD was next and I was last. Had I had even a moment to think about it I wouldn’t have done it. The rock was under a torrent of water. Thankfully, Davide grabbed my hand and pulled me over.
    We got to the Refugio after 5 miles-it was packed with dripping hikers. I was soaked all the way through, every item of clothing. We changed out of our wet things and hung them up in a basement boiler room, and got our room. We have a small room with four bunked single beds-not sure if there will be others with us yet. The day is kind of stretching out in front of us as there is no WiFi and limited cell service. Really praying it clears up because we are surrounded by the most gorgeous mountains. JD spent the afternoon drawing, I’m listening to a downloaded podcast. We played Oh Heck, finished a fiction audio book we’ve been listening to, watched the clouds play peekaboo with the mountains, checked and re checked the forecast. Thankfully we had just enough service to FaceTime Burkey for his 3rd birthday! Dinner was unreal-choices of cannelloni, pasta and tomatoes for the first course, pork chop or frittata or bratwurst for the second then panna cotta or a blackberry tart. Wowza! Got to know our guide better-he’s an Italian version of my brother:) The rain is slowing and the mountains are more clear.    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    R. Brentei to R. Alimonta-day 2

    September 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    We were up at 5:45-had a pretty good nights sleep in our bunk beds. Unfortunately it was still socked in-praise God it’s not raining. Davide decided we should change our route in hopes that tomorrow is clearer because the beauty of that leg is stunning. We started back down the path we had walked up yesterday, feeling every bit of our packs. Mine feels like it’s 30 pounds and JDs feels 60. We are both probably exaggerating but hiking at about 8300 feet of elevation with big packs is killer. We packed way too much! At 3 miles going uphill my heart felt like it was going to burst. Thankfully we stopped at Refugio Tuckett for an espresso with the nicest people working there. The sun came out and gave us a glimpse of the beauty that has been around us all along and it was magical. After that breather, we kept heading up and up to SOSAT Ferrata. We were over a 1000 feet up on the side of a cliff-thankfully the clouds obscured the bottom so I couldn’t quite fathom how high we were. We ascended and descended the mountain face via ladders, rebar steps. We’ve never done a via Ferrata with packs so that made it even more challenging. The rain held off most of the day and we made it to Refugio Alimonta after 9 miles. This is definitely the hardest hiking I’ve ever done. The Refugio has a stone exterior and pine paneled interior. Our bunk room has room for 7 so again waiting to see if we have roommates. JD ordered a salami sandwich (only 5 euros!) and we each had a beer. There is no phone service here so we are really out of touch! Suddenly, the clouds parted and the sun came out illuminating these massive and beautiful mountains all around us. I cried at the beauty. We showered, then sat outside enjoying the view and the company of a couple from Portland. Dinner was served with a choice between appetizers, entree and dessert. We had assigned seats:) Sat with five very nice people from France and had a delightful evening meeting a couple from Montreal and four hysterical guys from Cornwell! Headed up to our room about 8:30. It was set up to sleep 7 and by midnight, seven were in there. Not sure communal sleeping is for me.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    Zoom in to see the start to the via ferrata1The ledge beyond is a walkway we were headed to221

    R. Alimonta/Bochette Centrali Day 3

    Sep 7–8, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F

    We were up at 5:45 and I’m pretty sure I only slept from 3-5:30. Our roommates were nice but noisy and I was on high alert…not sure why, except that I think I was nervous about the route/hike today. We looked out the window to absolute magic. The scale of these mountains is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Sunrise on them was something we will remember forever. We had breakfast, brushed our teeth elbow to elbow with strangers in kind of a hallway area that has 3 sinks. Feels like you’re at camp:/ The German (or Dutch) guy in our room just dropped his pants to change his underwear. I’m definitely never staying in a shared room again. Anyhoo, off we went up a rocky moraine, eventually having to put spikes on so we could climb the glacier to the Via Ferrata Bocchette Centrali. The most beautiful and difficult hike I’ve ever done. The via Ferrata wound through towering mountains, and we clung to the cliff, climbed and descended ladders. And when we weren’t hooked to the cable we were scrambling up and down rocks. It was a full body workout and we are both so thankful our bodies held up.
    We stopped at the first Refugio we stayed at on Thursday for lunch-it was nice to see it in the sunshine and see the mountains surrounding it. There was a massive trail race going on so lots of dodging and cheering for runners on our way down. We stopped about an hour and a half down at another Refugio for a water and espresso. Our knees, shoulders, and feet are killing us. We made it to Davide’s car and had hiked 10.75 miles.
    At the same hotel we were at Wednesday and so thankful for our private room, private bathroom, clean sheets and no stinky people! Our hotel has a sauna and an indoor pool-we enjoyed both. Walked to dinner after a free drink from our hotel along with violin playing by the manager’s 10 year old daughter!
    We need to do laundry, shower, and rest. Tomorrow we go see Stefania and her family!    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    30 minutes from Stefania's home!
    1A castle turned restaurantStefania's family plus Marco1

    Madonna di Campiglio to Pergine

    Sep 8–10, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We did laundry this morning at a self serve laundromat in the village-thankful they had instructions in Italian, German and English! Headed to Trento area to see Stefania and her family:) A big rainstorm is moving in, but held off on our drive which was lovely. Arrived at the home of Franco and Sabrina and Nicole her sister was there too. They had prepared the most amazing meal for us-spinach spaetzel with bacon (made with flour from the wheat Nicole grows!!), bread, and local red wine. We thought that was it, but then came beans, shredded cabbage, thinly sliced beef with arugula, olive oil and cheese, sliced tomatoes basil and mozzarella. Two types of cheese, walnuts and Sabrina’s homemade cherry jam. Then an apricot tart (also Sabrina!) with espresso, walnut liquor and topped off with some of their cherries in grappa. It was epic! And such a fun time catching up since we saw them 6 years ago. Their home is beautiful and they are the most welcoming people. Stefania shared her Master’s degree thesis with us-150 pages in English. So impressive! They drove us down the hill to the B and B they found for us-very nice and kind people as well. After we settled in, Stefania picked us up in her new car and took us a mountain valley we’ve never seen before, past picturesque lakes and villages. Her parents, sister, mom’s brother, his wife and oldest daughter met us at a restaurant/agriculture-basically farm to table cow/goat/sheep/pig farm and associated products. The owner Marco was a delight! We had seven types of cheeses, gelato all around, and he brought 3 bottles of different types of grappa for us all to try. Then the tour began-we saw the original four table space that he started with, his cheese production room, the sheep eating their dinner, the storage room for cheese and his dried meats which was carved into the side of a mountain. The whole wall on one side was rock! It was such a wonderful day-the view was spectacular even in the rain. Lovely people and so fun to spend time with Stefania!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    Trentino Day

    September 9, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We had a nice breakfast while it rained and thundered. Stefania and Sabrina picked us up at 10 and we stopped and picked up Nicole for a day of adventure! The weather cleared and it was amazing!They took us to Sanctuario San Romedio a gorgeous place built high in the mountains that has a rescue bear named Bruno. The legend has it that San Romedio lived there with a bear as his companion. We had a beer brewed by the monks who live there then headed to a small village for lunch. They are renowned for their hash browns-and it’s deserved! The best we’ve ever had served with lingonberry jam, cabbage, beans, salami and two cheeses. It sounds so unusual but was so good! A very local dish! So.much.food. Then we headed to a gondola outside of Mezzocorona and walked to the sky bridge for an amazing view, walked over a suspension bridge, then had a break at a beautiful mountainside cafe for a coffee and water. The views are unreal-vineyards everywhere as well as apples. Fun to FaceTime Davis and Laura, Hannah and Burkey (Stetson was sleeping:) today. Stefania then took us to a winery that helped her with her thesis and we got to see the beautiful grounds and buy some local wines. They dropped us off at our B and B for a bit of rest, then we headed up to their house for a beautiful dinner and to say goodbye at 8:30. It was the most special night as we shared more about our lives with each other. Super fun to FaceTime with Dawson and Jackson at the office with a surprise guest, Julie! We are planning to leave at 6 am to get two hikes in while the weather is good tomorrow! You never know with mountains. Such a beautiful day and the most amazing area. So thankful for Stefania, Sabrina, Franco and Nicole. They feel like family! They sent us home with apples, tea, cookies and flour that Nicole had ground from wheat she grew.❤️Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    JD chewing his cud with palsOur hotel for the next four nights

    Trento to Castelrotto

    Sep 10–14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    We were up at 5:15 and on the road at 6 with the plan to get two hikes in. Thankful for Martine our B an B owner who prepared our breakfast for us the night before! Beautiful drive up the Adige valley.. We made it to Ortisei with time to spare. It took two gondolas to get to the top of the Seceda, a beautiful mountain. It was chilly this morning and a little cloudy, but we enjoyed the quiet. We hiked three miles up the valley, underneath towering peaks, The scenery was gorgeous every where we turned. We got back to the lift and the weather had warmed and the crowds were here. JD backtracked to get pictures of the Seceda without clouds but the trade off was all the people:) First hike done, 7 miles by noon, down the gondola to drive 30 minutes to hike number 2. We ate my leftovers from yesterday’s lunch for our lunch on the way. Sassolungo was unreal-more spectacular mountains, three distinct rock spires which are actually ancient coral reefs pushed up to 8000 feet! We had an adventure boarding a two person stand up gondola, nicknamed the coffin by Stefania’s aunt and uncle who recommended the hike to us! We had to run, jump and be pushed in by the workers! I saw people laughing-wish we could have recorded it but it was a full body workout! We traveled up to a gap in the mountains, passing a very challenging via Ferrata, but darn, we don’t have any of the equipment:) One of us was sad. Then we started the second 7 mile hike, circumnavigating 2/3 of the mountain group. The first section was a moonscape, extremely steep downhill. We re-energized at the Refugio, then three hours of hiking with a lot of up and down, looking across the valley at Alpe de Suise and across the valley at where we had been at Seceda. Ended walking through a rock forest-hard to describe but magical. Drove 30 minutes to the hotel we booked last night and love it. It’s charming and simple. Just finished a dinner of Tyrolean specialty and are ready for bed. The weather was perfect today…tomorrow may be another story!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
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    Alpe di Siusi

    September 11, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We slept so well last night night, neither of us woke up at all! First night of the trip. 14 mile hike days must have that affect! Great breakfast then we figured out the bus which took us to the base of the mountains. We took a gondola to a mid point and then started our hike. Being back in an area we were with the boys 18 years ago brought up so many memories! The weather is changing so we chose a different trail based on clouds and we are so glad we did! We hiked from 9:45 am til 5 pm for a total of 14.5 miles with two Refugio stops-one for hummus and veggies, the next coffee and this magical Tyrolean dish of fried pancake chunks with mountain cranberries. The hike itself was unreal-a mix of every terrain, hard, but so rewarding. There was a moment when we came around a corner and saw a herd of Haflinger horses and their foals with light brown bodies and flaxen manes-my eyes started leaking. All my life I’ve loved those horses-it felt like a gift from God. The entire day was an exercise in trust…JD kept saying, let’s go that way, it’s the same distance. But he was right at every turn. It was such a good day…until. JD was getting ready to take a picture and he put his elbow on the electric wire used for keeping cattle in…my back was turned and I heard him yelp, and turned around to see him flat on the ground! He’s ok:) he thought about doing it again so I could video, but he thought again! So much laughter today…there’s a reason for vacations! Had an amazing meal just around the corner from our hotel.Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    121Notice the snow level!

    Castelrotto to Vipiteno

    September 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 45 °F

    We woke to the expected rain-still a bummer when it’s so beautiful around here! We checked out the church in town which was lovely then headed north to see a castle we tried to see 33 years ago on our first trip to Italy. Unfortunately, they only accepted Italian liras back then and we were coming in from Austria and only had francs. Pre-credit cards and definitely pre-Apple Pay being accepted in Europe:) on our way we explored Bressanone a charming riverside town. Stopped at Novacella Abbey and explored and wine tasted. The temperature continues to drop and we are watching the snow level drop…all of the areas we hiked yesterday are covered in snow! We are thinking of pivoting from the mountains again tomorrow to a stay closer to Venice. The Reifenstein Castle is the best preserved Tyrolean complex as it was never conquered. Knights slept in boxes that resembled coffins…creepy! Off to Vipetino for a walk through town, snack and a gelato even though it’s 44 degrees! Rainy drive home to relax at the hotel then headed to dinner at the same place we went last night! So good:) Feeling like slugs today as we’ve only walked 8 miles. So strange! Ended the night in the bar at our hotel. Craziest thing…it’s self serve, honor. You pour what you want and record it! Filled every night with tons of people. Not sure if they are all hotel guests?! Had a grappa that was very nice!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    1Castelrotto
    Passo Gardena1Val GardenaVilla-Stern1

    Last Day in Castelrotto

    September 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    With the dumping rain last night, we were considering cutting our mountain time down by one night and heading to Soave for a night, but a rejected email for lodging seemed an answer from God. Then we woke to beautiful sunshine/high clouds and snow covered mountains. Church bells were ringing and a farmer’s market was setting up in the town square as we did an early morning walk to the high point of the town. Changed our minds!
    Made it to the post office to ship some of our stuff home. That was a bit of a fiasco, but got it done! We pointed the Fiat up the mountain and prayed that the plows had done their job:) We spent the day driving up and down numerous glorious mountain passes, lunch in a Refugio, a small fox inches from our car, horses blocking the road, churches backed by stunning cliffs, an absolutely perfect day. Made it back to our hotel and heard music playing-in the main square three horns were being played. We then walked up a hill to a wooden restaurant to have a glass of wine while the sun warmed us outside despite the chill wind.
    We are having dinner at the same restaurant tonight as the last two-it’s so good! Off to Venice for our last three nights of the trip tomorrow.    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    Just outside of Castelrotto
    Grape Festival in SoaveSoaveSoaveSoaveFontana del Vino1Hotel Flora VeneziaAssassini

    Castelrotto-Soave-Venice

    September 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    The final day of the car! It’s always a gamble when you rent a car and brazenly decline coverage because you think your credit card will cover it.🤨 Celebrated a safe return! Enjoyed a beautiful drive past countless castles, ruins, beautiful churches and hill towns. Pulled into Soave where they were having a grape festival! Beautiful town and some wonderful interactions with locals. If we were going to be there tomorrow we’d have paid the 5 euro for all you can drink from the Fontana del Vino:) We had a small glass of Soave, a crisp white wine, and a wine risotto that was unreal for lunch.
    Chose public transport from the Venice airport to Venice ($52 for two, round trip, as opposed to $200 for two one way on a wooden speed boat.) it took an hour and a half with a boat change due to mechanical issues, but still felt like the right call! Walked 15 minutes to our very nice hotel where they took one look at our backpacks and said, ‘You look like you’ve just come down from the mountains’. As I expected, this is where the clothes and shoes I have don’t quite match the surroundings. But I’m powering through with my Birkenstocks! Enjoyed a drink in our garden courtyard before dinner. Had an amazing meal recommended by our hotel-swordfish tagliatelle for JD, eggplant ravioli for me…walked back to our hotel and discovered that Venice is so much busier than we’ve ever seen it and much of it is under water. It’ll be interesting to see more tomorrow.    Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    1Art lesson
    1Rialto Bridge1Sunset!Joey and Andres from South Africa1JD found a beer he likes! Bradipa from TrevisoAt our hotel after a big day

    Venice

    September 15, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Breakfast in our hotel garden. The best croissants and coffee of the trip. We went for a long meandering walk enjoying the quiet of Venice before 9 am. We met Nicola, our art teacher, at his studio. He walked us to a quieter canal and we started. He controlled his frustration with my drawing well 🙂 JDs drawing is far superior to mine-Nichola kept saying, think like an architect. Hmm. Not a skill set I have. What was supposed to be an hour art lesson ended up being two hours and we still didn’t finish. But we learned a lot of techniques and had a delightful time with him. More walking, exploring churches and finding delightful vignettes everywhere. Venice is working its magic. We walked to an area we’ve never been and had lunch on the ocean south of Academia-the biggest calzone JD has ever had with homemade salami and mozzarella and I had an enormous salad. As much as JD loves Italy, he’s missing beer from home. But he keeps trying:) We climbed to the top of Santa Maria de la Salute and enjoyed the view. Back to our hotel for a bit to relax, then back to the Rialto Bridge, and generally getting lost in Venice, following pretty alleys. We met a couple on the vaporetto from the airport yesterday from South Africa. We ran into them at 7 pm today in a piazza, then again when we made it to San Marco square 2 hours later! There are so many people here it seems meant to be. Thankfully the water has receded!Read more

  • Shellie PhillipsNorthern ItalyTraveler
    1BreakfastSt Mark's CathedralDinnerOur hotelRialto Bridge at nightGrand Canal

    Venice-final full day

    September 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We are so excited to get home, but thankful to wake up to sunny blue skies! After breakfast, we headed to an area we’ve never explored, the Ghetto Cannargegio. It was definitely locals and perhaps where the service industry lives. It was garbage day in Venice (fun to take videos for Burkey since we watch our garbage truck on the East Axton every week. A very different type of garbage collection) We also saw a police boat, an ambulance boat, fire boat as well as all of the gondolas, water taxis, and even a DHL boat. It was busy on the canals! We wanted to see St Marks Square in the morning without crowds and it was lovely and not under water. After our big loop, we returned to find the square filling not just with people but with water. The square is a low point in Venice and subject to tides. We explored lots of churches and mostly just got lost. Had cicchettis (small appetizers) with a glass of local white wine for me, BradIPA for JD:) for lunch, then back to the hotel to escape from the crowd for a bit and check in for our flight. Crazily, we ran into our friends from South Africa for the fourth time!! We all agreed we must be meant to be friends. We went to the Scuola Grande S. Rocca to view the works of Tintoretto, an amazing artist whose work rivals that of the Sistine Chapel. We then went to the Frari Church, a Franciscan church, featuring Renaissance masters. We closed the night at a small bar having small plates and a session IPA for JD and a glass of red for me. Met a delightful couple from London followed by a family from Illinois. Light sprinkles on our way home to our quiet and peaceful Venetian hotel.Read more

  • Trip end
    September 17, 2024
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