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Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026
  • John Ramakrishnan
  • AbhishekSoma
  • John Ramakrishnan
  • AbhishekSoma

Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

Sahil’s Paternity leave with Theo and Grace in Brindisi, Italy Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 9, 2026
    Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

    Day 1: Travel from Atlanta to Rome

    April 7 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Thanks to Trisha’s perks and help, we got onto the flight to Rome and also got upgraded to Premium Select. Akash was kind enough to drop us off at the airport. Everything went off smoothly and now we are about to land in Rome at 7 am.
    While in the flight, we booked a Sheraton hotel in Naples and propose to use that as a base and visit the city, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius and the Amalfi coast before joining Sahil, Grace and our darling Theo in Brindisi on Saturday.
    Stay tuned for more as we adventurers explore and exploit the privileges and blessings we are lucky to have with our next generations.    Read more

  • Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

    Day 2: Naples Italy

    April 8 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We decided to take the train from Rome to Naples. The train from the airport to Rome central station was 15 euro and the train ticket to Naples was 55 euro. It was a high speed train traveling at 300KMPH. In Naples, we are staying at a Sheraton outside the city. The disadvantage is the cost of transportation to get anywhere is expensive. Recommend staying in heart of Naples next time. We are renting a car starting tomorrow. Today, we have hired a taxi to get to Naples city center and roam around. More to follow.
    Made it to Naples late afternoon and hit it hard, walking the streets starting with Napoli Centrico. Visited the Cathedral, Duomo, the underground city, Porto, castle, but we were unable to see the veil of Christ as no tickets were available for the next several days. They recommended booking two weeks ahead. Make a note of that.
    Had dinner at a local authentic Italian ristorante recommended by Shalaka named Tratorria da Nennella, more than food, the waiters and customers breaking into local Italian songs and dance after dinner was very interesting. Very reasonable and delicious. 3 course meal with unlimited bread for 17 euro each. Got back beat and super tired given previous night travel, day travel and experiencing Naples.
    Tomorrow is Pompeii, Vesuvius and maybe Amalfi coast drive.    Read more

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    Day 3: Drive to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius

    April 9 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    Got a cute Hybrid Fiat and drove to Pompeii. Parked in a garage by the tourist office and have secured tickets to view the ruins at 12:30 with a tour guide for 50 euro each. We have time and grabbed a Negroni and Espresso martini before heading in. May not be the best idea, but helps to get in the mood.
    The Pompei tour was for two hours with a guide who was just amazing. We ended up staying back for a whole another hour to visit the amphitheater and a special fossil restoration exhibition. We enjoyed Pompei and failed to make it in time to hike Mount Vesuvius. Propose to do that tomorrow and then tour the Amalfi coast.    Read more

  • Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

    Day 4: Drive to Amalfi Coast

    April 10 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Today we propose to drive down to the Amalfi coast. So, a late start, thanks to, you know you can guess who. We wanted to hike Mount Vesuvius to the crater which was a 30 min hike and then proceed to the Amalfi coast. Had to cancel the hike and proceeded straight to Sorrento, our first stop. Challenging drive but gets to be very beautiful as you approach the coast line.
    From Sorrento, we jumped on a ferry to Capri and took a boat tour (red line) from Capri to see the many colored grottos (caves). There is a Blue Grotto tour which is longer duration and a bit more intense. Tabled for next time as we needed to get back to Sorrento and head to Amalfi which is an hour away.
    Reached Amalfi at 5:30 and ChatGPT recommended ristorante Terreza 17 in the Hotel Marina Riviera overlooking the ocean from a balcony. It does not open until 6:30 but we parked ourselves and am enjoying an Oban and Manisha is having a Chartreuse cocktail. Made it back to the hotel safely at night snaking our way through the winding coastline roads in a stick shift car. Me Driver Manisha nervous navigator…all good and back in the hotel safe.    Read more

  • Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

    Day 5: Family Union in Brindisi

    April 11 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    So, the original plan was to rent a round trip car rental (cheapest option) from Naples airport and get to Brindisi and come back to Naples driving 5 hours each way. Figured out an alternate option of taking a 5 hour bus ride to Brindisi and renting a car from there. No reason to come back to Naples now, will figure out how to navigate to Rome from there and head back to ATL. Bus tickets and car rental locked in for today. Stay tuned to see if this works. This is a Planes, Trains and Automobile movie sequel.
    At the end of the night we hope to unite with Sahil, Grace, Theo and Trisha. At some point this coming week Michael and Mason will be joining too.
    Travel warriors is an understatement to our agility and adventure. Just heard that Trisha is currently getting from Atlanta to Brindisi via Venice. Met Trisha in Brindisi airport around 3, picked up rental from Avis, a new hybrid BYD SUV and went to a supermarket to pick up supplies for the Airbnb. Drive to the Airbnb in Cisternino, an hour away and met Augusto, the host at Trullo Dei Cinque. Around 10:30 pm Sahil and Grace drove up and we were al settled into our new abode for the coming week. Had picked up Pizzas and Pucce sandwiches form Granny, a local pizzeria. Needless to say, a wrap up to this reunion included cocktails and a Talisker single malt.    Read more

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    Day 5: Fam Huddle Cisternino

    April 12 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Family is together but for Abhishek who was unable to join given new job commitments. Soon will be waking up to the smile of the next generation, Theo.
    After a home cooked breakfast with fruits, omelettes, and coffee, we all got ready and went to a little quaint town called Ostuni in Puglia. We had lunch at an amazing restaurant. Walked around Ostuni and soaked in the amazing chill Italian small town square vibe. The family indulged in gelatos and capped the evening with spritz’s at a bar well situated in the square.
    Upon returning to the Airbnb, Trisha whipped up her signature charcuterie board while I set up the family longe bar vibe with music, candles and drinks and we enjoyed talking and chilling.    Read more

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    Day 6: Cisternino to Lecce Day Trip

    April 13 in Italy ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    I truly believe me representing the old school and the next gen when teamed up together can create memorable experiences. So, I wake up early in the morning and get the breakfast going which includes fresh cut fruits, eggs based on individual preferences and toasted bread. Then I wait….and wait!. By late morning, all are up and about, we have breakfast and head out with the next gen with Claude AI help curate the proceedings of the day. This new age uses AI, digital and every other resource to curate the most amazing experiences.
    We went to Lecce today, a quaint town with a lot of history that lived after the Roman Empire. We strolled, we ate and drank and Theo made more new friends. While we had planned to do dinner in Lecce, we found out the restaurant does not open until 7:30 pm and we were about 1.5 hours away from Lecce. We opted out and came to our own quaint town Cisternino and had the most amazing dinner in the city center.
    Little about Prince Theo, he is a traveler and loves the outdoors. It was windy, little cold with some sun, the boy hung in there and was engaged the whole day and several locals took to him and he responded with his cute smile.
    Got back and the usual suspects, Trish and I set up the bar lounge for a night cap with jazz music playing and scented candles burning and an open bar. But, the others collapsed and zoned out. Net net an amazing day for the memory books.    Read more

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    Day 7: Arberobello and Locorotando

    April 14 in Italy ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    First stop was Aberobello. Truilly architecture is unique and something like a fairy tale village. We spent the day strolling the above referenced towns and had their specialities like Foccassia pomodoro and Pucce. Plan later this evening is to sit in Locorotondo and get the best view of the Puglia region with some drinks and food. After a good part of the day in Arberobello, we went to Locorotondo, tagged to be the balcony of the Puglia region for amazing views and watching the sunset. Unfortunately, the weather turned, it became cold, cloudy and a bit wet. We went to a ristorante name Kartz (I think) and had cocktails and appetizers. This ristorante sits across from a vineyard that has tables situated within the vineyard to watch the sunset. No such luck today.Read more

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    Day 8: wine tasting and beach trip

    April 15 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We started the day after breakfast visiting a vineyard. The vineyard is Tenute Rosato. At first it didn’t look like anyone was there but Grace managed to use her grace and the hostess said she could host us. Usually, you book a tasting using Whattsup. Make a note.
    We met a wine maker who walked us through the wines of this region. The tasting was followed by a sit down with local appetizers, cheese from the milk of their cows, olives from their farm and you pick two wines. We had the one wine while enjoying the local food and took the other for later consumption. Sahil and I learned of a new red wine grown from grapes from this region called Primitavo. Highly recommend.
    Thanks to Trisha’s coaching we then drove to a beach front town called Polignano a Mare. Trisha was determined to touch a beach town before she left for home the next day. The pictures will show how beautiful this town is.
    We capped the night by hitting another Puglia town called Fasano and had dinner there. The grilled Octopus served there was by far the best. We had a dessert that was a chocolate soufle with woodford reserve bourbon. Another eventful day.    Read more

  • Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026

    Day 9: Trish Exits - M&M Join

    April 16 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Trish, Manisha and I left early in the morning around 5 am to drop Trisha at the airport which is an hour away for a 7:35am flight. After a few stops to enjoy breakfast in Brindisi and buy perishables from the supermarket, we returned to the Airbnb. We also made a quick stop in a farmers market that we happened to be passing and finally found green chillies.
    After a couple of beers and 20 winks of sleep for Theo and me, we headed out again to a very nice wine and food tasting place close by., called Cantine Amalberga. Sahil and I discovered a good red wine called Negromaro and Primitivo, made from the grapes available only from this region. These are full bodied and have spice flavor.
    After lunch, we headed to an olive oil tasting at Il Frantolio where we were introduced to 5 different olive oils with uses. A couple were meant only for as salad dressings. Sahil and Grace gifted us a set of three which we are excited to share.
    Meanwhile, friends of Sahil and Grace, Michael and Mason, landed in Brindisi and drove up to join us for the next few days before we head back home. After a Peroni and tasting a no label Montepucuiano,
    we headed to dinner at Risto Grappolo in the town Cisternino. Place had its own parking, and looked very decent. It was Italian fare. Most of the main courses were salty. Overall, good experience and seemed very reasonable for 6 adults.
    We got back home at a decent time and indulged in a night cap opening the Primitivo, red wine. Given jet lag, and early morning airport drop off, we called it a night,
    Theo, once again was a trooper and hung in there the whole day.    Read more

  • Italy Brindisi - Apr 2026
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    Day 10: Grotto Castellano and Cisternino

    April 17 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Started the day with a home cooked breakfast with eggs, fruits and croissants out on the porch as th weather was beautiful. Thanks to Michael and Mason’s coaching, we drove to Castellano to see the caves. Before we did the Grotto (caves) we nourished ourselves which included 3 Aperol Spritzes, 1 Hugo Spritz and a Negroni. After this, we went to the cave tour which was amazing as you can tell from the pictures. Theo strapped on to Grace held up all the way through the tour. After the cave we filled up gas in my car and came back to the Airbnb to enjoy the pool. We then went to Bina’s Restaurant in Cisternino. After dinner Manisha and I brought Theo back home and the young adults stayed back to grab cocktails and a night cap. Theo was 0 bother and slept through the ride back and at home.Read more

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    Day 11: Cibus and Ostuni Again

    April 18 in Italy ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    Final day and the overall plan is to go see a street market in Cibus and wrap up with a visit to Ostuni for M&M benefit. We did just that but market was nearly closed. However, we grabbed some nibbles and then headed to the town square and each ordered a different Spritz and I ordered my favorite Negroni.
    After this we went to Ostuni and walked around - had gelato and then went to a nice bar for an evening drink overlooking the whole valley and ocean. Ostuni trumps as a great place to chill and relax with amazing views.
    Given our early morning departure to the airport as early as 3:30 am, we decided to stay in and eat at home. It included an Olive based beer, followed by a mimosa as we had to finish a Prosecco that Trisha and I bought and we got some fresh oranges to create OJ. It was followed by Pizzas from one of the most popular places here called Zio Giacomo discovered by Michael. We also picked up a dairy free Pucce from a local place called Granny. We also indulged in a fine local wine with Pizzas and called it a night.
    The bags are packed, all are in bed, Theo was fighting sleep a bit, I think trying to say, he is not ready to go back yet. All good things come to an end. Tomorrow we leave from Brindisi to Rome and onward to Atlanta. It’s a wrap.    Read more

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    Day 12: Travel back Home to Atlanta

    April 19 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

    Given an early morning flight at 6 am and with us being away from the airport by an hour, we left around 3:45. Got to the airport, returned our cars and boarded the flight to Rome which was on time. In Rome, switched from Terminal 1 to 3 and got onto the 9:45 am flight to Atlanta. Flight was on time but the ride was very very bumpy at times. Theo hung out with Thatha and Naani quite a bit on the flight and he was fantastic.
    Cleared immigration, customs and baggage in no time and were picked up by Abhishek and Trisha who breezed us back to our respective homes. Blessed beyond words for such a beautiful vacation made possible by the whole family especially the children.    Read more

    Trip end
    April 19, 2026
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