Viva Italia – or: Why the quote “The early bird catches the worm” could have been invented in Verona

OVER the easter days I visited Italy with a good friend of mine.

We started the trip in Torino, a city with about 890'000 inhabitans in the northwest of Italy. Although I prefer other Italian cities (Florence, Venice,…), Torino has its charm. We enjoyed walking up and down the lively streets, sit down for a caffè or a limoncello and climbed up the Cappucini-hill for a nice view over Torino. Unfortunately the weather was not good enough to see the mountains in the background.

The next day we rented a car and drove out of Torino – which is quite a challenge if you’re not used to the Italian way of driving! The surroundings became greener every mile we approached the Piemonte region. We checked in in a wonderful agriturismo (=??) called «La locanda del Nocciolo» . The view over the green vineyards with the mountains behind was absolutely stunning. Wouldn’t this be the perfect place to stay for some weeks and enjoying life with long walks, drinking wine. Eating good pasta and have time for writing on the veranda? 

The charming village of Novello

After a short break, we visited Barolo, a very cute town which is famous for it’s wine. Don’t get me wrong, I looove good red wine and I’m sure I’ll visit this region again just for it’s wine, but with the temperatures we had this day, all we craved for was a gelati! La dolce vita afterwards continued back in the locanda, where the Family cooked us fantastic Pasta and la nonna (the grandmother) told us funny stories in Italian, which we didn’t understand but enjoyed anyway! ;-)

Later, a strong storm came up and all of a sudden it started to hail very hard. We stood at the window, took pictures of the unrealistic landscape and laughed at ourselves for taking pictures of something that we should be used to...

The next day, we got  up early (5 am) to see the sun rising over the piemontese vineyards. The view was amazing. Sunrise on one side, mountains on the other. Could you wish for more?

The next day, we had to  continue our trip even if the ambiance (and the food and wine!) there would have made it easy to stay much longer. We drove to Verona, a town which my and my friend both wanted to see for a long time (yes, I’m honest, probably because of Romeo & Juliet! ).

Verona over the Easter Holidays wasn’t the best idea ever. There were thousands of other tourists and it’s quite hard to enjoy the city if you’re just being pushed forward through the streets. The crowd in front of Juliet’s balcony looked as if they’re expecting the Pope or the Queen of England!

Is it the Pope? Is it The Rolling Stones? No, it's Juliet's balcony!! 

We decided to enjoy the City when there are less people (the greatest idea during this Holidays, I swear!!) but we didn't miss to taste the probably best ice cream in town. Sometimes it just needs a little macaron to make things perfect, doesn’t it? 

The next day, we got up early again. Before breakfast, we left the hotel and walked to the city center of Verona. Apart from some street cleaners and early joggers, we were the only people on the streets. And that’s when we could enjoy the real Verona. The beautiful, old, Italian Verona. We were amazed by the cozy Cafés, the little streets, Juliet’s balcony (see the difference??) and the Colosseum, through which the first rays of sunlight came in. It was just perfect!

The famous balcony... This time without any other tourists! 

For the letters to Juliet... 

Later that day, we drove back to Torino and then took the Train back to Switzerland. This trip was reeeally nice – even if a bit too short. But at least I got inspired: One week later, I opened a parcel that the postman had brought me: a winebible. So that I’m prepared when I go back again - which is quite possible! :-)

As a short summary my top 8 tips for your perfect trip to Torino / Piemonte / Verona:

TORINO:
1. Take the short way up to the CAPPUCCINI-hill where you have a wonderful view over Torino's old town and the snowy mountains behind
2. You would have a big choice of museums, but what I liked the most was just WALKING AROUND TOWN without any particular goal, just enjoying the Italian feeling, the arcades, the shops, coffees and gelaterias... 
3. EATALY: a restaurant/shop that you find in different Italian cities. In the shop you can buy Italian specialities (Pasta, spices, fruits, sweets,...) and in the restaurant you can eat delicious meals. Try it! 

PIEMONTE:
4. For a stay overnight, try out the LOCANDA DEL NOCCIOLO in Novello (--> Link) . A wonderful agriturismo surrounded by vineyards and mountains. Sit outside on the veranda, enjoy a good wine made in this region and feel the "dolce far niente". You won't regret it! 

VERONA:
5. Get up early!! Verona is very touristy, so if you want to have good pictures without thousands of strangers, get out of bed before sunrise! At this time of day, Juliet's balcony is all yours! And the light in town when the sun finally rises is stunning! And don't worry: A good Italian caffè will help you afterwards to forget your lack of sleep! 
6. ...when talking about coffee... Try the cozy, stylish Caffè Dante Bistrot in Piazza dei signori 2 (--> Link). Sit outside or in the wonderful wine cellar- I'm sure you'll like it! 
7. The best ice cream in town you'll probably find at AMORINO (-->Link). They serve great, natural ice cream shaped as a flower. And don't forget to order a macaron on top to make it perfect! 
8. The HOTEL MARCO POLO (Via S. Antonio 6) is a good place to stay and just 5 minutes away from the old city center.