Tuesday 3 January 2012

The Italian splendour....

Once my old friend asked my opinion which European country he should visit first. My answer was ITALY.....
No doubt, Italy is different from the rest of Europe that I've visited. The country offers varieties of attractions that any tourist would wish to see and experience. And only after my third visit to Italy that I really appreciate what the country has to offer....
With proper planning and thoughts, my last visit to Italy was indeed memorable..... Skipping Rome as the main entrance point, I've planned my trip to start from Milan, the fashion capital of Italy.  Our flight from Paris to Milan only took around 1 1/2 hours with EasyJet. www.easyjet.com The entourage (9 of us) is ideal to fit into the 9 seater minibus booked at www.carrentalgroup.com collected at Milan International Airport. The itinerary plan was : Milan - Lake Como -  Lake Garda - Dolomites Mountain Range - Venice - Florence - Pisa - Rome.
As I really love the mountains, Dolomites mountain range really excites me since they are really different from the Alps across the continent..... with the jagged edges and vivid colours that really give them characters.



Lake Como was on my map list ever since the Star Wars episode 2 shooting took place at Villa Balbianello. Surrounding Lake Como, majestic villas can be seen along its shore lines. Lake Como is a well-known destination for the rich and famous where celebrities such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt & Sylvester Stallone have their holiday homes there.

We took the Como-Brunate funicular line up to see the panoramic view of City of Como. During clear sky, you are able to see the surrounding area around Lake Como and as far as the snow-capped mountains of the Alps.




Driving towards north east, we passed through Lake Garda  which is the biggest lake in Italy. Upon approaching Torbole, the view downhill was magnificent with the lake as the backdrop.  Our first night stop was at Santoni Freestyle Hotel, Torbole located at the edge of Lake Garda. A family run hotel, Santoni Freestyle is run by friendly staff that will make your stay more enjoyable. With decent choices for breakfast, you can even make your own sandwiches for take out (ta-pau) for you to enjoy later by  the lake.
Bikes are also available for rental for you to roam around ....




The scenery of this lake is really awesome and this is a popular spot for lots of water sport activities including sailing. Biking is also popular among  tourist at major towns surrounding Lake Garda. Being surrounded by mountains and deep blue water, Lake Garda reminds me of the fjords that I've visited in Norway. Strolling along the shores with your loved ones, it is a moment to be withold...











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