Last day of our Italy tour spent on Procida and Ischia
For our last day of our Italy Islands and Lakes Tour, we took the ferry from Naples to visit Procida, a small island that apparently is rarely visited by tourists although it is very beautiful.
Procida is home to about 10,000 inhabitants. However, its population swells to about 30,000 in summer with day-trippers from Naples.
We were told the island becomes...
Rediscovering love for Isola Bella and Isola Madre and more
Twenty years ago, I picked up a book by Penelope Hobhouse and read about a fantastic garden called Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore.
I remember looking at the beautiful pictures of this garden, and saying to Loraine, “Wow, how I would love one day to stand there.”
Who knew that just a few years later, my dream would come true and...
Back to Milan as we make our way to Sardinia
My first time in Milan was 2004. I remember going into the cathedral and not being able to see a thing; it was so dark and gloomy. The facade, of course, was as glorious as ever with its magnificent spires and sculptural decorative features. But the inside of the duomo was really a disappointment.
Fastward to 2018. Yesterday, I stepped...
Brissago’s peaceful island garden is a gem on Lake Maggoire
We bid farewell to Lake Como and headed back over the top of Lake Lugano and down to Lake Maggiore and to the little town of Brissago, Switzerland to visit the beautiful garden on Isola Brissago.
There are two little islands off the shore in Brissago; the biggest one, San Pancrazio also known as Grande Isola, has a beautiful botanical...
Into Naples for pizza and to see more great gardens
We left Cagliari in Sardinia shortly after lunch to catch our flight to Napoli.
The flight was on time and went smoothly and we ended up arriving 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
From the air, I could see we were flying just west of Ischia and Procida, two islands off the coast of Naples. Both islands were easily visible from the...
From Milan to the beautiful lakeside Swiss town of Lugano
Before leaving Milan, we made a quick stop so I could give everyone on the Islands and Lake Tour a close up view of the Bosco Verticale, the amazing green-garden tower high-rise designed by Stefano Beori.
I had seen it - stumbled upon it, actually - the day before and was so impressed that I felt compelled to take...
