Italy Anniversary Trip 2015

ITALIA! For a better awesome view of the pictures check out my Facebook Album >click here<

On July 21 Rob and I started our journey to Lonato, Italy for our anniversary. A coworker of mine told me how much she loved it at Lake Garda so we decided to check it out and *of course* she was right! She had been here over 15 years and always had good recommendations. With that being said, we stayed at a little airbnb apartment in Lonato, a town about 15 minutes from Desenzano, and loved it! Here is the link to it >click here< and it looked EXACTLY like the pictures which was a major blessing. The apartment was great and our hostess was super helpful!

But, back to the trip. We drove for about 9ish total hours from Baumholder to Lonato. We drove to Garmisch and then through Austria to our destination. 

The photos started early. Our first potty break along the autobahn Rob snagged some of the German countryside.

Oh and, since speedway coffee just isn't satisfactory for Europeans...

Then once we arrived in Austria we had to stop for a vignette (sticker to drive in the country) and another potty break and found these gems. 

"I take this shot, bang, and fall asleep."

Once back on the road we kept snapping some more shots but this time of the beautiful countryside in Austria. The drive was SO beautiful! This was my first time seeing the Alps and we can't wait to go back! We had to stop several times for photos on our way! I mean, lordy how gorgeous is mother nature.

This was a walking bridge we saw- totally on my list of things to do when we go back!

Literally looked like we were right in the middle of the Sound of Music.

After arriving in Lonato we headed straight to the apartment, met the hostess, and unloaded the car. It was SUPER hot when we arrived and, with no A/C we were definitely feeling it. Luckily, like I said earlier, the apartment was adorable, had a fan (in addition to the one we brought) and nice open windows to the back patio for a breeze.

Rob's checking out the "welcome binder" from our hostess.

This is the front entrance to the apartment complex.

We needed to snag a few things (and vino of course!) so we hit a local grocery store called La Familia.

And with lambrusco being as awesome as it is I fell in love. So many types.
Even the dry ones were awesome. *heaven*

After we went back to the apartment we decided to change, and call a cab to give us a lift into Desenzano. We didn't know the way really and wanted to drink and enjoy our first evening so a cab was best.  The ride was short and we decided to walk around and along the water first. It was hot so of course we waded in a bit and fed some bread to some duckies. We found a store nearby and snagged some wine to drink as we wondered. It was a great first evening.

They ate a bunch of bread and had to nap afterwards. Fattie duckies.

 After our walk we stopped at a restaurant by the water for dinner and it was delicious!

the view from our table

Our bottle of wine even got its own chair!

Rob's seafood plate for dinner

my AMAZING first Italian pizza!

After dinner we walked around a bit more and explored some stores before they closed down for the night. Not too long after we called a cab and headed back to our apartment in Lonato.

The next morning we were off again to find another fun beach spot on the lake. We drove through some vineyards and headed over to a beach in the area called Lazise.

We had to drive around a bit to find a public beach with parking (because lots of the beach is private). We ended up finding a great little spot. The parking meter was broken and (between an Italian/Spanish conversation) I learned that since it was broken not to worry about parking and park for free.

It was a little ducked off area with about 4 restaurants and bars right by the water.

We set up shop and ended up even renting a paddle boat with a slide!
we're children at heart.

For lunch we snagged some chicken sandwiches and fries at one of the restaurants before our boating expedition.

The boat was 9 euro for an hour and was totally worth it. We had an awesome time and just ended up taking turns going down the slide over and over again. Swear I love my husband and that fact that we're both children at heart. He's definitely my other half and I'm such a lucky lady.

 

Here is a panorama that Rob took while we were out on the boat.

After spending a few hours at Lazise we left again for Desenzano. First we hit the mall there to look around and buy Rob his thousandth belt (because he forgot to pack one -_-) and maybe some new flip flops for him (if we could find them) because he needed them. I honestly just need to learn to pack for both of us. He sucks at it. Even for day trip outings.

The mall had like a jungle growing in it! There were some good stores but we didn't wanna shop much at places we can go to here in Germany. Instead we did a lap of the mall, snagged a belt for das ginger, and headed out. The sandal selection wasn't amazing so we skipped those. Afterwards we headed to a restaurant by the water, snagged some drinks and went off to swim a bit. It was so hot and staying out of the water just wasn't an option.

vino by the lake. it's the life.

After lounging in this beach spot we switched and headed down to another spot. There was a beach side restaurant called Ristorante Pizzeria Desenzanino and they had a walk-up bar behind it. When we got there the restaurant was closed but we instead enjoyed some drinks and swam more.

These two photos are from our walk back to the car after swimming. They were taken next to the restaurant where we had some drinks earlier this afternoon.

After all the swimming, walking, sun bathing, and exploring we headed back to Lonato. There was a pizza and wine bar in town that we wanted to try out for dinner. We decided to shower and change and walk over for dinner :)

They had the best mojitos and we stayed for awhile having a great time. We loved the restaurant and the fact that it was within walking distance.

 

Plus an insanely awesome 4 cheese pizza!? Yes please. Lordy Italians make the best pizzas ever.

It was a great day and we lucked out at every turn. All the beach spots we found were great, the food was amazing, and we were excited to be there. The next day we had a trip to Milan planned so we didn't want to stay out too late.

We left for Milan from the train station in Desenzano early and it was a toasty train ride without AC, but, tis Europe. I read my Spanish book (because homework!) while on the way and the ride was about an hour and a half.

This was the train station in Milan
huge and very pretty

so many lines.

When we arrived we were near-ish to Corso Buenos Aires, which supposedly had amazing places to shop. So we walked over there - melted on the way and were let down as there was hardly anywhere to shop. Maybe we had the location wrong? But, with that happening we decided to hop on the subway to check out the church we DID know existed.

Love me some street performers. This guy was rockin out on his violin on the subway.

When we hopped off we were at the Piazza del Duomo and explored there. The cathedral was beautiful. Too bad that line to get inside was crraazzzyy > it was super long, out in the direct sun, and it was SUPER hot out. We passed on checking out the inside because of the line. But still, seeing the outside was something amazing! The time and detail that went into these monuments just blows my mind sometimes. A feast for the eyes.

 

This was the plaza (looking towards the galleria)

We stepped off to the side of the plaza into a "mall" - Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The stores were fun to explore but had dream prices. We went into a few - Versace, Louis Vuitton, & Prada. Mega pricey of course.

This was the entrance to the galleria off the plaza.

The stores had hidden basements full of merchandise, elevators, and more. Fanciest stores I'd ever been in besides the LV in Paris :)

After the dream shopping we stopped for gelato. Mine was fruity - peach and raspberry and rob got a chocolate chip (i think?) ice cream sandwich. The most legit looking ice cream sandwich ever. It was on an almost croissant-like bun.

After lunch we continued to wander around the plaza and explored a bit more. Even stumbled upon a ghetto paradise store "New York Hip Hop Jeans World" oh lordy. The reputation we give our selves as Americans sometimes...

  
Once hunger began to develop it was off to find a restaurant for lunch. We were hungry and hot and didn't have much of a plan so we were open to anything. So, with that being said, we found a cute little joint on a side road and headed in.

It was cool, the food was amazing (as have been all the meals up till now), and the drinks were cold.

Beer and water. At the same damn time.
It's how we hydrate.

Traveling here just spoiled us with awesome food.

After lunch we didn't have much else we wanted to do in Milan. We didn't wanna shop too much (or spend crazy amounts on shopping) which is what Milan is known for so we headed back to the train station.

On our way to the train station we did manage to snag two ties though for Rob (which I was happy about). I'm stoked to grow his tie collection and getting a few in Italy was on the list.

Two good color combos he didn't have already. The gray striped one is very versatile
which is another bonus. #italywinning

Our original train tickets back to Desenzano I booked were for later in the evening but we decided to buy others and leave early. We were debating on waiting in line for a refund but the line was so long we decided it wasn't worth it and left.

Rob snagged this gem on our way back from Milan on the train-

When we got back to our car in Desenzano we went straight to park by the water (swimming time)! It was such a perfect way to end our hot afternoon. We relaxed and cooled off before going to dinner. Since the restaurant on the water from the other night, Ristorante Pizzeria Desenzanino, was closed then and we didn't get to try it we decided to swim outside there and head inside for dinner once it opened. *great life choice again*

The restaurant was adorable, the waitstaff was amazing, and the food was perfect. I swear I want to just move to Italy. #retirementgoals

Cause you can't do an Italian dinner without our own jug of vino!?

The olive oil/balsamic vinegar on the table was the best!
Had to snap the labels in hopes of buying them one day!

PIZZA. Swear, so many carbs happened on this trip. Craziness.

Rob was in seafood heaven.

Once he heard we loved the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, the waiter introduced us to a balsamic glaze that we'd never tried. So delicious. We bought some to bring back to Germany and have already found it at German grocery stores!

After dinner we waded in the water a little more but it was getting colder and dark out so we didn't swim for long. While wading though we did meet two sweet Italian ladies who gave us some travel pointers for our next day's adventures on Sirmione. They were super sweet and helpful. After chatting we headed back home for the evening.

THEN FOR DAY 4! - Sirmione

Here is a little reference map to paint a picture of where we went:

Sirmione is that peninsula that juts out and we went all the way out to the very tip.

Parking was kind of a nightmare since it is slim pickings *no pun intended*. Especially since you see the water on both sides from the main road- not lots of wiggle room. But once we parked we trekked into the city on foot.

The castle here.

I'd love to shop at a fresh market like this every week. 

More from around the castle-

Can't believe people drive back here- I mean you'd have to if you lived there so it makes sense but LORD the roads are SMALL!

Since we were a bit hungry we snagged mini pizzas and looked for somewhere to sit and enjoy them.

It was so beautiful and blue and perfect. There also weren't lots of Americans there. It seemed more like a hidden European's vacation spot. Which honestly, I liked even more. There are so many diamond spots to see that most people probably never hear about without living here. That's probably why a coworker, who had been here over 15 years, told us about this trip spot (Garda/Desenzano/Sirmione).

Once our pizzas disappeared we kept on walking. It's just so beautiful here.

More ice cream. Rob was itching for it. "When it Italy?" right?

While we ate our ice cream we kept walking, closer and closer to the end past mansions and sinful hotels. I googled a few and they were indeed outrageous. Once we got closer to the water we saw this odd art display? If you'd call it that? I didn't really understand it.

This was the last leg of the journey out to the water.

Right up against the cliff the shore was these massive rock pieces. Rob went out to where they ended and swam but I was a bit weirded out and chicken. They were really slippery, covered in tiny fishies, and I didn't wanna fall. Plus, once I saw the fishies I didn't really want to sit in the water on the rocks. They were everywhere and I'm a big baby.

We waded in the water and I laid out on a rock for a bit to get some sun. Then we walked up to the Grottoes of Cattulus (Grotte di Catullo). They are pictured below and take up the tip of the peninsula. The sandy colored area around the peninsula is the rocky shore where we were in the pictures above.

view from the grotto

Then we headed back down to lay out on the pier and swim more.

love that clear water!

this guy and his dog were adorable. He loved to swim and fetch.

Our next stop after soaking up hours of sun and water was dinner.

Snagged this gem on the way to find dinner - when we stopped for a potty break.

We stopped at a restaurant with a water view (since they all had it really out on the peninsula!).

Lambrusco & Italian beer. The life.

Another win. Ravioli.

This was Rob's calzone - he loved it!

We bought this olive oil & vinegar set out in Sirmione.

I loved it. We had a great day. Just looking back and writing this blog - we're so blessed to have been able to go on this trip and see these things and I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend the time with.

After dinner we headed back to the car to Desenzano (which is where pretty much all of our evenings ended). We stopped at another lakeside bar for drinks and swimming. This time we went to Classic Rock Beach Cafe.

There was live music there and we sat for awhile enjoy the sunset and band. The drinks were delicious and it was a relaxing end to our day. Another Italian win on Day 4.

Our last day of traveling (day 5 - July 25)  something just had to go wrong, of course. - Let's preface. It poured that previous night. Like downpour monsoon. And apparently we left the sunroof WIDE OPEN in the Audi. Strike 1 - luckily nothing was damaged except our spirits. The cup holders were full of water and the carpets soaked but it all healed fine.

That was strike 1.

Strike 2. Our train tickets didn't say 1140 they said 1040 and neither of us noticed until we arrived at the station on time, or so we thought, despite the rain clean up escapade. We were an hour late and missed the train to Venice. There wasn't another one for about 3 hours and I was pissed. I loved Venice when I went in high school and really wanted to share that with Rob and our day was off to a sh*t start. Luckily- Rob kept his calm and we said f the train - lets just drive since it's 1.5 hours. So we hopped in the car and went!

Luckily our bad luck ended there. We didn't get lost, there wasn't traffic, and we even found somewhere to park right by the train station! We parked near the Venezia Mestre station stop where we then rode into the Venezia Santa Lucia station. Parking wasn't expensive either. It worked out perfect.

I'd never been so happy to be at a train station!

water everywhere! - our view on the train into Santa Lucia

In Venice we wandered.  We had a few sights we wanted to see but we really just were on a mission to enjoy ourselves.

all the purrty glass!

So many masks it was hard to choose!

Another fresh market- love all those colors! a good one to frame for our travel wall!

The store where we found the masks we wanted. I took a picture to
remember and return to get them if they were still our favorites.

The shop lady gave us some extravagant ones to take pictures with.

These are the two we bought. I love them. Black so they'll go with any color decor and they had the music notes on them like I liked. Rob saw them and picked them out and they were perfect. A man and woman set.

Another framer. An old couple walking down an alley in Venice.
Picturesque. 

The steps up the Rialto. Super busy!

The other side of the steps

Despite the traffic we ventured over to St. Marks Basilica and square. There are several monuments, museums, and beautiful structures here in this smaller spot along with restaurants and shops.

more proof that we were the ones on the trip (since we didn't get LOTS of photos of us)
and no Mr. Sales Guy - I don't want a selfie stick!

More live music. The restaurants here were just pricey (as you could assume)

And we couldn't leave Italy without snagging Cannolis. We tried them in cream and chocolate along with apollines in the same fashion. They were so delicious!

so much pasta!!

While we didn't buy pasta we did buy the masks, a Murano glass shot glass, and a magnet to add to the collection. Oh and a beautiful red leather handbag. Rob picked it out for me and he was right. I did need a red one :)

such a lil beauty :)

After the shopping and exploring we stopped for a late lunch.

cause German's do beer right.

we both had the best carbonara for lunch - another win. We never had a bad meal in Italy.
Never bad food, wine, or service.

Then on the way back to the train station we saw these hot puppies. Made us miss our babies!

All in all Venice was a win! I love Italy and loved sharing that experience with Rob. So happy we made it and it was worth the drive completely! Next time we need to look at our tickets better or not bother buying in advance? Or maybe - with Milan - we learned to only buy one way in advance so we can return whenever we want. Either way it was a great time in Venice.

The train ride back was easy and the car drive back was painless. Since we needed to pack and get ready to leave in the morning we decided to spend the evening out in Lonato. We went to that Blanco wine and pizza bar again to conclude the trip. There was a DJ, aperitivos (free finger goods), and lots of people there. There we enjoyed a last few mojiotos and our last Italian foodies.

Apertivos

Rob's calzone

The 4 cheese pizza (again) because it was so awesome.

It was a perfect end to our anniversary trip. I am so happy we were able to go and that it went so well. Everything was great down to the last detail. Even the drive there and back was beautiful. Our car needs a go pro just so I can share how amazingly gorgeous driving is here (everywhere you go)!

The next morning we work up early and got on the road before 9am. There was a little traffic on the way back and a detour to Munich didn't help our time AT ALL *damn GPS*

but that rest stop food here thoo! on point!

Basically, if I lived here forever I'd be in Italy like 75% of my life. I can't express anymore how awesome our trip was. PERFECTION.