Sarah's Guide to Northern Italy

I want to keep all you wonderful people updated about ministry here.
But, let's face it, I live in Italy.

So, I'm gonna channel Rick Steve's on this one and just tell you about cool places and pretty things.

I get to do this because it's vacation time for Agape Italia.
And I have never been more ready for a vacation.
My feet hurt and I can't think anymore--literally.

So I devised the perfect plan for the unthinking, indecisive me--two trips!
(Part Two soon to follow)

The first was to Milan and the Lakes in Northern Italy.
I went with Katie and her parents.



It was great to see Milan--it took about 30 minutes to see the sights.
The Duomo, the old castle, and the galleria (above).
And that was it.
We had wonderful tour guides in some old friends from Aggieland.


My final word on Milan: It makes me love Florence even more.

But it does have location going for it--only one hour to Lake Como.

If you have time to get up north, Lake Como is worth the effort.
Precious little cities scattered about on the lakeshore and really fun ferries to get you around.

Adorable places to eat on the water.

And super cute shopping streets that have an uphill maze quality that is charming and good for the hamstrings all at the same time.

Also, Como is famously known as the place where George Clooney owns a villa.
Katie and I were on the lookout for him, but we only managed to run into Hilary Swank.
She smiled at me and then I calmly walked out of the store so I could freak out!



I thought Lake Como would be hard to top, but the next day we went to Lake Maggiore.
I had never even heard of this place before.
It's like this secret little Italian getaway--and I think the Italians want to keep it that way.
We were the only foreigners there.

Lake Maggiore has three adorable, tiny islands in the middle of it and those are the places to go.
We only made it to one island, Isola Bella, but I could have spent all day there.
It has a beautiful garden you can tour, and great views of the other islands.



It maybe the affects of prolonged city-life, but I go crazy over water and trees these days.
My daily life of crowded buses and narrow sidewalks may make me prone to obsessing about open spaces, but I'm pretty sure anyone would love these lakes.

So, from your seasoned traveler, I say...
One day in Milan to shop--(H&M anyone??)
And then at least two days to relax at the Lakes.

Katie and I give them a big thumbs up!
(Good choice, George!)