June 2024 - Europe (Italy and Malta)
^The Grand Canal, Venice
I survived the ASTW event (everyone was very welcoming!) and, a couple of days later, Andrew and I flew to Milan via Singapore. Given that we do not have the constraints of work or school terms any more, we decided to break the journey and transit in Singapore. We thought that meant not leaving our Singapore airport hotel but there were actually two, different, free tours we could choose from which both had different Singapore sightseeing opportunities. It sounded like a great idea to me but also to a few others as the tours were booked out!
The hotel worked well – we arrived in Singapore late so went straight to bed then wandered around the airport for a while in the morning and spent the rest of the day at the hotel (outdoor) pool. We had rented the hotel room for the 23 odd hours we were there so we showered and flew to Milan late that night. Our cases were checked through from Melbourne direct to Milan so we did have to plan what we took with us in our day packs.
It was an easy way to make this long trip but I’m not sure if we will do it again. Both of us are fans of “pushing through,” getting there and starting the trip. I certainly cannot imagine stopping at the airport on the way home as we will just want to get home to see the kids and the dogs!
We arrived in Milan super early, stored our bags and headed for Il Duomo (the Cathedral). We toured the inside which is very grand and wandered through a few shops before Risotto Milanese and Cotoletta Milanese called our names! Yum first meal in Italy.
We prebooked all our trains Including our seats in Italy via www.trenitalia.com so we hopped on an afternoon train to Venice.
Venice never fails to surprise. Firstly, it was crowded (more crowded than I had expected for early June). Secondly, it was more beautiful than ever! The boats of all shapes and sizes pulsing up and down the canals is hectic yet peaceful at the same time. We saw vaporetti (ferries), water taxis, police boats, garbage boats, fire fighter boats, pleasure boats and, of course, gondolas.
We had a beautiful couple of days getting used to the high 20s temperatures and just wandering. We did a walking tour too and visited the Doges’ Palace. We had never been inside that Palace and the highlight was walking through the inside of the Bridge of Sighs. This used to be the entry to the prison so, according to the famous poet, Lord Byron, the prisoners sighed as had their last glimpse of freedom. Hence, the name was coined.
Another short train trip took us to Verona. We had only ever been here for lunch and had vowed to return and, if possible, see an opera at the 2,000 year old Arena. The stars aligned and we were able to see Puccini’s “Turandot.” It was a magical experience!
Next up was a few days in Bologna. The first full day we hired a car and went to the Ferrari museums in Marinello and Modena. In between, we had lunch and also hired a Ferrari Portofino (convertible) for a short drive. The Museums were interesting and we saw lots of beautiful Ferraris (mostly red!) but the highlight was the drive. Andrew drove, there was a navigator/instructor in the front passenger seat and I sat in the back.
The navigator was an interesting guy – he had formerly been a race driver and a test driver. So, when he told Andrew that he could “floor it,” he meant it!! It was a really fun and memorable thing to do!
We loved Bologna. Again, we had only been there for a mini day trip and lunch. This time, we rented an apartment (we like to mix up hotels and apartments as they both have advantages and disadvantages). A definite plus of an apartment is the ability to wash sweaty clothes so we did that. We also had a couple of easy meals where we bought cold meat and cheese and enjoyed our homemade “salumi boards.”
We did a couple of different walking tours and learnt a lot about the history of Bologna and the way people there – Bolognese – live. We also did a cooking class and made tortellini, tortelloni and tagliatelle. The tortellini were stuffed with a blend of cooked pork, mortadella and prosciutto and served with a butter and sage sauce. The tortelloni (big tortellini) were stuffed with ricotta and parsley and served “in brodo” (in broth). The tagliatelle was served with a bolognese sauce. We started at 7pm in a group of about a dozen people and sat and ate our efforts about 9pm. It was fun and yum at the same time!
Next was Florence. We were lucky enough to visit Florence last year so I wasn’t super keen to repeat it so quickly. I thought we might not be “wowed” two years in a row. Andrew was very keen so I agreed and I am glad I did. I was “wowed” again. It is such a beautiful city and I love that it is so walkable. We treated ourselves to an upmarket hotel with a rooftop restaurant and pool and retreated there every afternoon. Lying on the pool lounges and looking at the Florence rooftops was divine!
We made sure to do some things in Florence that we had not done before – the Palazzo Vecchio (inside), the Da Vinci Museum, the Medici Chapel and the Santa Maria Novella Church were a few, new activities. We also repeated some favourites – mainly walking and admiring but also Il Duomo (the Cathedral) and the Leather Market. We did another walking tour (we love these – you always learn stories that you didn’t know before) and we sampled more than a few gelati. It was hot!
Next stop was Malta. My Mum is Maltese and I spent a month there as a 6 year old but have limited memory of it. Andrew and I did visit on a cruise in 2019 but it was a half day and a Sunday and everything was closed so it wasn’t a great experience. Having said that, cruising into the Harbour in Malta is breathtaking – the cobalt blue of the sea and the sky contrasts with the honey-coloured limestone fortifications which glow gold in the sunlight.
We loved our few day taster of Malta. It was hotter than anywhere else we’d been – early 30s – so we were glad that we booked a hotel with a pool. It had a tiny private beach too which we enjoyed. We spent a few hours each day watching boats (including an awful lot of super yachts) coming into and out of the Marina.
We watched the ceremonial cannon firing (twice!), we toured the ancient citadels of Mdina and Gozo, we visited the beautifully-decorated St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Masters’ Palace and we wandered around lovely Valletta. We also did a boat trip to the Crystal Lagoon, Gozo and Blue Lagoon which was a lot of fun even if pretty well everyone else on the boat was aged about 20!!
As with everywhere we have been on this trip so far, we did not have enough time to do everything we wanted to do but we gave it a good crack!
^Malta
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