Our 2025 Tour of Northern Italy
Revisiting Lake Como, Venice, and getting acquainted with Trieste!
Two years after Jess and I spent a week in northern Italy — which you can read about here, here, here and here — we found ourselves boarding another overnight flight to Milan.
This time we had some special traveling companions! My parents joined us for the 10-day adventure that marked their first time in Italy and my mom's first time in Europe.
Jess and I essentially got to play tour guides while revisiting a couple of areas we loved during our 2023 trip, while also discovering a new area together in Trieste.
The Journey Begins: Milan to Varenna
Our overnight flight landed us in Milan feeling predictably sleep-deprived but excited. After grabbing our first Italian croissants and cappuccinos at Milano Centrale (train station), we boarded the train to Varenna—our home base for the first part of the trip.
Our Airbnb host met us at the small train station, and after a short drive and a walk through alleyways between old stone buildings, we were settling in. The location was even better than expected, and the views of Lake Como were stunning!
We took a short walk along the lake, taking in the views, before having an early dinner. Not long after, we all crashed. I managed to sleep for 11.5 hours that first night!
Varenna: Even Better the Second Time
Having loved Varenna during our 2023 day trip, spending multiple full days there was wonderful.
For our first full day, we took a 5-minute train ride to the next town north, Bellano. We walked to the Orrido di Bellano, a gorge with walkways suspended above the rushing water.
The town of Bellano itself was really nice and felt less touristy than Varenna. Lunch at Che Pasta was SO good — everything was so delicious and I think we all agreed that it was one of our top food highlights of the trip.
The next day we visited the botanical gardens and hiked up to Castello di Vezio. Jess and I visited both of these places on our last trip, but I really enjoyed getting to share it with my parents. The hike to the castle was more exhausting than I remember, but the panoramic views and the castle tower were worth it!
Venice: Into Another World
Next stop, Venice.
After a comfortable first-class train ride from Milan, we were greeted with views of the Grand Canal and beautiful buildings. It’s hard to describe what arriving in Venice is like, other than it feels like you’ve been transported to an ancient world.
Our Airbnb location was perfect—just across from the train station with beautiful views of the Grand Canal.
That first evening, we walked to Chiesa San Barnaba, a filming location from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We continued to Basilica Santa Maria della Salute and enjoyed dinner at Al Profeta.
We started our next day early to beat the crowds at St. Mark's Square. We had a minor hiccup when our intended breakfast spot was closed, and the alternative we chose made it pretty obvious they weren't fans of American tourists.
Using an audio guide, we explored St. Mark's Square and the surrounding area before settling in for a lovely lunch at Ristorante Pedrocchi. The afternoon was intentionally relaxed after our busy few days. For dinner, we ate at Bacaro Quebrado. My mom and I indulged in sharing some cicchetti — small plates that were all very tasty.
Nothing can quite prepare you for the uniqueness of Venice. There’s still more I want to see there someday :-).
Trieste: Ancient Ruins and the Elevator Incident
Our journey to Trieste brought an unexpected lesson in Italian travel logistics. While on the train from Venice to Trieste, we overheard news of a train strike scheduled for the exact day we needed to get to the airport for our flight home. No bueno.
The information provided about the strike was frustratingly vague—you get "some trains MAY be impacted" with little clarity until potentially hours before departure. To be safe, we booked early morning bus tickets for our departure day as a backup.
Arriving in Trieste, we had a short but steep walk to our accommodation and an elevator ride to the 5th floor. Our stay had expansive views of the city and the Adriatic Sea in the distance.
Trieste is perched in Italy's far northeast corner. It has a unique cultural blend that feels quite different from the other (although few) Italian cities we’ve visited.
We found decent food near the canal area and walked out onto the 18th-century pier Molo Audace. From there, we spotted a Russian billionaire’s mega yacht that was apparently seized a few years ago.
The next morning, we visited the historic Antico Caffè San Marco for breakfast, which was surprisingly underwhelming. The rest of the morning was spent exploring Castello di San Giusto and Roman ruins dating back to the 1st century BCE! We finished off our day of exploring with a late pizza lunch along the canal. My mom got a calzone that was unexpectedly twice the size of her head.
Then came the elevator incident in our Airbnb’s building.
After a long day of walking, we looked forward to not climbing the stairs back up to our 5th-floor Airbnb. The building though…is old….and so is the elevator. Just an inch below our destination, the elevator got stuck with my parents and me inside.
Jess had taken the stairs and tried to help rescue us from our situation from the outside of the elevator. If you’re like me, it doesn’t take your brain long to start thinking: how long could we be stuck here, can we get ahold of the host, this elevator is pretty old…and we are up pretty high…lol.
Somehow my dad and Jess managed to jiggle something, and the elevator went up that last inch so we could get the door open. Yay!
We decided that would be our last elevator ride of the trip—stairs only from then on!
Our final day in Trieste led us to a small bakery just five minutes from our Airbnb that instantly became one of our favorite breakfast spots of the entire trip. The croissants, krapfen, and cappuccinos were perfect. We made sure to return for one last visit before departing!
We also took a day trip to Castello di Miramare. While we skipped the expensive interior tour, walking the beautiful grounds was a nice way to spend some time.
Milan Finale
Back in Milan for our final night, we stayed near Milano Centrale and embarked on one last adventure: a self-guided Duomo tour. Getting there via the metro train system was both chaotic and entertaining.
The ticket machines and the turnstiles had changed since our last visit, and navigating the busy underground station took some patience.
Watching my parents experience their first packed European metro train was mildly hilarious. We successfully navigated to the Duomo and grabbed a small snack before our tour began. We were SO hungry, but didn’t have time for a full meal yet.
The Duomo tour was spectacular—all those stairs to reach the terraces with expansive Milan views, then down into the cathedral itself.
Walking between the huge columns inside made me feel like I was in a mix of Lord of the Rings and The NeverEnding Story. So incredible. The huge columns are actually made of brick and faced with marble. The Duomo itself was built over the span of more than 600 years!
Coming Home
Our early morning bus to the airport, avoiding the train strike, went smoothly. And unlike our last trip to Italy, everything fell into place and we caught our flight without incident. The bonus? Seeing the Matterhorn from the plane window!
While adjusting to Italian time had been relatively easy on the way there, coming back to Central Time was brutal. It took me more than a week to fully readjust.
Summary
Overall, I really enjoyed sharing these places with my parents and seeing them experience Italy for the first time.
Varenna was everyone's favorite location. It’s hard to compete with the beauty and quaintness of that area.
We all enjoyed Venice for its uniqueness, and even though Trieste ranked as our least favorite of the three destinations, it still offered really interesting and very old architecture.
Italy, once again, did not disappoint.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Until next time,
Stephanie
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