Three areas of Italy in one trip, second time this year. I hope this charm will repeat itself, even thought I will totally be happy even with just one. Let’s say Puglia.

Lombardy – Liguria – Piedmont, only Aosta was left unchecked in order to have the full North-West route, but hey, we are not counting. Trips as birthday presents are luckily back, and combined with newly introduced cheap flights, and a bachelorette. It seems as if Italy is perfect for every season and occasion.

DAY 1 – MILANO

Milano is perfect starting option, because it has the cheapest flights from anywhere to anywhere. when it comes to the city itself I am on two minds, if I like it or not, even though I always had a great time. So because it was super hot, we just did the basic sightseeing, and it is very doable in 3-4 hours walking and lunch included. But have in mind not to do this in the period between 14 and 18 o’clock, because almost everything is closed and there is no person in sight so you will not get a glimse of the vibe of the city.
And that Milano is a great starting point speaks the fact that, we couldn’t find a place to store our luggage because all the locker stores were full. In the end with the help of Bounce we found a spot in Ostello Bello Grande.

Then the stroll began. First stop as always when I am here is Pave Bakery. Then we continued towards Castello Sforzesco via the tiny streets of Brera,hoping to avoid the heat, but it was impossible, of course Duomo & Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, and another stroll towards Corso Como and the Vertical Gardens of the city we made it back to the Central Station just in time for our train from Milano to Genova. We took the slower train, because it is only 20 minutes slower, but it is 50% cheaper. So Milano – Genova by train almost 2 hours and 13.50 per person. Approved.

DAY 2 – 5 – GENOA & AROUND

We arrived in Genova and amazed by the fact how “grande” everything is. I had the impression that I have never seen a bigger city in my life. Maybe because the buildings were built on hills, maybe because compared to the rest of the cities in Italy that I’ve been everything was more far and wide.

Since we treated this as a mini weekend vacation we decided to book our stay closer to the beach, and ended up in the Boccadasse or Quarto dei Mille to be exact. Our house was across the beach, but also on the main road, so in case your window blinds are open it is torture for the ears, but when they are closed it is totally another story. Still super convenient for a short stay.

We were going to Genova by bus 1.5euros via sms, it was in front of the house so that was convenient as well. Walking would have also be an option, but we felt that for short stay it would be better to stroll in town.

We organised our days for going to the beach in the morning and stroll through Genova in the evening. One day we went to the beach in front of the house which I do not know if it had a particular name but it appears in google as Bagni Liggia. We also checked out Vernazzola Beach and Spiaggia Sturla, but the most picturesque for us was Boccadasse Beach. You would think you are somewhere in Cinque Terre. Going there or in Portofino was on our mind, but we said we are taking it easy.

The unusual day was when we explored during the day in the city, and stayed in the area for a Michelin recommended restaurant at the beach, but in my humble opinion regular trattoria or osteria deserves more recognition than that one.

Speaking of strolling through Genova I was not so impressed by the harbour part of the city, it felt a bit dark and “phishy”, in the evening. During the day with all the shops open it was better, but still not my favourite. I liked the “newer part” of the city more, still historic but with more bars, more people and more chill. I especially liked Ferrari Piazza.

The typical food from this part of the country is pesto genovese and focaccia with stracchino cheese, so if you happen to be here, dishes with these two are must in my opinion. Of course delights from the sea too.

Trips wise, Portofino is around 1 hour by train and 4.5 euros, The Cinque Terre villages are around 90 minutes and 12 euros away by train, and many locals on our day of departure were headed towards Savona for a beach day. About one hour and 6euros per train ride.

DAY 6 – 8 – TURIN

We’ve continued to Turin, for a bachelorette weekend. And this for me was such a surprise. I never expected to like Torino so much. It was a real city. Not overcrowded, not crowded at all if I may say, nothing screamed tourist trap, and there were so many nice places. Maybe early July is not the best month to visit, as it was extremely hot, not recommended even for people of younger age. There were shadows around town, closed spaces and museums, but the minute you step on the road the hottest places I have been in this time of the year. I haven’t been to Sevilla yet, even though everyone says it doesn’t get warmer than that.
And the other con side were the mosquitos. From dusk til dawn to full day to night.

The itinerary in Torino was pretty chilled, we did pass by all the sightseeing spots, even though we missed the Lingotto Tower. And everywhere you look around it was pure beauty. The city in the night was bustling with young crowds of locals, in the bars and the older ones in the restaurants.

What you can also do while visiting Turin is take a trip to Pessione and enjoy a tour in Casa Martin and even make a tasting class.

As much as I was not impressed by Genova, not that I didn’t like but it was not my flavour of gelato, that much I liked Turin, and I am really really looking forward to getting back there.