The beautiful Borromean Islands are located in the middle of Lake Maggiore, to the north of Milan in Italy. Known for their unique architecture and stunning gardens, there are three Borromean Islands: Isola Bella, Isola Pescatori (also called Isola Superiore) and Isola Madre. The islands are all owned by the Borromeo family, who first acquired them … Read more
Gap Year Days 70 – 75 On leaving Venice we knew we needed to head north. We had a look on the map for a place on the way, somewhere in the mountains, where we could spend a few days relaxing without doing a whole lot. Trying to find accomodation that met our requirements took … Read more
Gap Year Days 64 – 70 Our visit to Venice was a little muddled. Some advice – if you want to stay in Venice in June, don’t try to book only a week or so out. Unless of course you are prepared to pay $500 per night! We were not. With a lot of searching, … Read more
Gap Year Days 61 – 64 We were excited to get to the Lake Como region. There are so many beautiful photographs of the lake and surrounding area on the internet and this was one of the “must see” places on my list before we left home. As we searched for accomodation, we had to … Read more
Gap Year Days 57 – 61 Milan was one of those places where we messed around a little with the accommodation. Not because we couldn’t get any this time, but because there were two cheap Hiltons in the area so we took the opportunity to clock up two stays to keep our gold status going. … Read more
Gap Year Days 54 – 57 Bologna! The first thing I think about is spaghetti bolognese! That most delicious and simple of pasta dishes, that everyone at home has a special recipe for. Has it got vegetables? Tomato paste? Or like one that sometimes gets cooked in my house, tomato soup from a tin? What … Read more
Lucca is a small Tuscan city often overlooked by visitors to the area in favour of nearby Florence or Pisa. It is best known for it’s city walls, which are still a prominent feature today, or as the birthplace of the composer Puccini. It was one of our favourite places to visit in Italy, with … Read more
As soon as Pisa is mentioned, it’s famous leaning tower is the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, many times when I mentioned travelling to Italy, it was the first place people asked me if I was going. Clearly I had try to include one day in Pisa in my itinerary somewhere – … Read more
Siena is a picturesque little Tuscan town and before I left on my gap year, everyone I told we planned on spending a few weeks in Italy said I simply had to go visit Tuscany. We spent a few days in Florence before taking the short trip south to Siena. With all the things to … Read more
Gap Year Days 43 – 54 The worst part about travelling is moving between locations. Packing everything up and lugging it all to the airport/train station/bus stop. More than likely more than one form of transport is required. We were now moving from Naples to Florence in Tuscany This article may contain affiliate links. … Read more