Recently the hubs and I returned from our fall visit to Pop (my father-in-law) who lives in a lovely village in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.
This trip, we flew in and out of Zurich, traveling by train to down to Lucca, where we were picked up by our favorite driver for a quick drive up to Pop’s house. Each way we stayed in Firenze, or Florence to you & me. My mother-in-law grew up in Florence, and she was just as classy as this city. My Italian ended up finding a crazy beautiful hotel right across from the Pitti Palace with this view…
I posted some pics of our room and the view on the socials, and I got a few requests to message out the hotel’s info. This got me thinking about all the AMAZING places we have stayed in northern Italy & Switzerland over the years. One of the BEST things about traveling in Italy is the affordability of the accommodations and food. It’s very reasonable. Of course, I live in Charleston, a tourist destination that can be quite expensive even in the off season…so my perspective might be off, but we stayed in the room below and payed less than $250/night.
On the other hand, Switzerland (the hub’s happy place-also the hubs is a bit come si dice “extra”) is expensive AF. After staying at the above bougie paradise, in contrast, we stayed the next night in Zurich for over $300/night in this. And I’m not saying it’s a bad hotel, because it was completely lovely, however, the difference is very telling regarding the prices of the two equally as gorgeous countries.
Anyhoo, as I messaged out the Florence hotel information, http://www.piazzapittipalace.com I was thinking about how, if you step outside of the tourist areas, you can stay in some of the most unique, delicious, and gorgeous places well within the budget. Also-and we try and do this as much as we can-because a: less people and b: cheaper-travel during the off season. Wherever you go on this planet, try not to go during peak times unless you are going because it’s peak time. Anyhoo, as my friends messaged back asking for more recommendations, I thought I’d share a few of my fav places in Italy & Switzerland. And let me just add, this is just my dumb ole opinion and I’m not sharing this information for any gain other than the gain I get personally from telling stories and sharing my experiences with my friends and family. Also note before you get your knickers in a twist, this is a list compiled over the years and what was once affordable (cheap) may not be anymore. Having said that, please enjoy my picks and pics (see what I did there?) from this southern girl who often finds herself in a northern (Italian) situation.
Once, whilst driving through the countryside of Italy, between Venice and Fiumalbo I was introduced to 2 new things, sex workers in chairs on the roadside, and sleeping in silos…for more on the sex workers in easy chairs on the roadway, check out my other post, Was that a hooker in a recliner? And other fun questions you’ll ask your spouse on an European road trip As for the sleeping in a Silo, we turned our tiny car down a small country road and at the end we found a little slice of heaven, Relais Cascina Scottina http://lascottina.it
Now, did I also see the BIGGEST centipede I’ve ever seen in my whole life in the shower of said silo? 100 percent, but it was totes worth it. We had one of the best meals there. I had the pleasure of witnessing one of the most Italian slice of life moments-an 11 year old in a 3 piece suit giving a full on lesson on the locally bottled red during dinner putting my, “it tastes real good” reviews to shame. And to boot, the service was warm and friendly. Plus, did I mention we stayed in a silo? Made this country girl happy.
Now, if the countryside isn’t your thing, and, it’s not for everyone, but y’all should totes give it a chance because the countryside it the best. Then perhaps I could interest you in another piece of heaven Italy has to offer. A little place called “lake country”.
Let me just start by saying that lake country looks like what I imagine heaven looks like-not that I’m likely to get the chance to find out, but that’s a story for another time. There are mountains and palm trees in the same frame. Colossal old villas and grand hotels oh my! Lago Maggiore is like a magical wonderland where life is simple and beautiful and I’m here for it. I’m the least romantic person on the planet, and yes I see irony in marrying an Italian, and even I swoon on Maggiore. Of the places we’ve stayed over the years, below are two of my favs…one a new fav and one an old. Both are quite different, but equally as swoon worthy.
Ok, if you ever want to step right back in time, please allow me to introduce you to the Grand Hotel Majestic in Verbania http://grandhotelmajestic.it You can read about one of our stays in Verbania in Crushing on Lago Maggiore, colossus and all The service and style there truly make you feel much much fancier than you really are. Also-there’s parking, and if you know, you know- and parking can be a real bitch in Europe, so this is a big bonus in addition to all it’s other fabulousness. Plus, the bar and balcony are out of this world-not to mention the view which makes you feel like you’re living in the Gatsby era. We stayed here on the hub’s birthday once and they must have noticed when they made a copy of our passports, and sent him a bottle of Prosecco and a note. Simply lovely.
The other place on Maggiore that has a piece of my heart had the grounds of a royal palace. And I spent hands down one of the best Sunday afternoons of my life immersed in said grounds, looking out onto the lake and mountains beyond, spritz in hand with mi amore, I know, barf, but honestly y’all this place is the shit. http://relaisvillaporta.com
If incredible lakes aren’t your thing, you’re in luck, I also like to stay in places slab dab in the middle of the countryside too. A hidden gem that we stumbled upon during the height of spring, making this place an Instagram dream, was in a little place called, Gazzola. Now, y’all this place’s Wi-Fi password was about their ghost. Loved it. Loved it. I’ve never seen so much wisteria in my life. We went to dinner and were the only table. They offered just a few simple items, and it will go down as one of the best meals I’ve ever had…but getting me started on northern Italian food and cooking is dangerous-I’ll go on forever. After dinner, we took a bottle of wine to our fantastic room and opened the windows as a perfectly timed spring deluge started. Definitely makes one of my top 10 hotel stays. The grounds also boasted an impressive museum, chapel, gardens and castle. This is the beauty of Italy, get out of the tourist areas y’all and into the countryside and the little villages…the culture and pace is sooooo delightful. http://castellodirivalta.it
Well, if rustic countrysides and grand lakes aren’t your thing, a: you should re-evaluate your “thing”, and b: have I got a place for you. Picture it, Verona 2022…you are coming off of an amazing bucket list check off where you drove a Ferrari around the Italian countryside at breakneck speeds trying to keep up with your buddy who’s driving in front of you in an even faster Ferrari, and you need a place to chill and relax after releasing all of that adrenaline. If you also want a balcony right down the road from THAT famous balcony in Verona, that rivals THAT famous balcony in Verona-I give you Byblos Art Hotel http://byblosarthotel.com Funky, stylish, delicious, with an out of this world Roman spa and MOST impressive modern art collection. Gotta love a place that you pull up to and are greeted with a view like this…
And then are greeted in the parking area by name by welcoming staff, and you get to park in front of this guy…sold.
That balcony I was bragging about
The lobby alone was worth the trip…
And y’all, that’s not even a third of what this UNREAL place has to offer…
And when you are exhausted from all this fabulousness, and need to relax, well, the villa sits on top of this, which you can book for an hour for less than you can get a massage in Charleston
Now, I know y’all all know about Tuscany, Toscana as the hubs would say. To put it into perspective, Pop lives on the border of Emilia–Romagna and Toscana and to be fair, Toscana lives up to it’s hype. It’s legit gorge. The rolling hillsides, the Cypress tree lined roads, the vineyards, the sun drenched villas…its all true y’all. It’s all fucking true. And while y’all are fighting the tourist and lines in Pisa, Florence and Lucca (which are also lovely places to visit), I’ll be in Barga living the absolute Tuscan dream. I fell in love with this village some visits ago, read about it here: Barga, Italy…la bomba as the locals would say when we took a day trip, but have since gone back to stay and also had some buddies who visited with us stay there as well. We all loved it. Loved it. Perfect views for days, perfect Tuscan style, perfect Tuscan food, perfect Tuscan wines bottled less than a mile from the joint, perfect spa and accommodations, and perfect grounds. Did I mention this place is perfect? I will warn you that where you park your car, and where you check in is UP HILL in THIN AIR. Just FYI. I live below sea level…it’s a struggle. But, once you are there, heaven. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lcvbr-renaissance-tuscany-il-ciocco-resort-and-spa/overview/
Now, I realize I’ve been rambling on and on about Italy, y’all probably thought I forgot about the hub’s fav, Switzerland. Well, I didn’t, I’m just long winded. Since I’ve been rambling, I’ll keep it to just 2 of my fav Swiss stops. Now, please keep in mind. Switzerland is a different ballgame. It’s a bit bougie and the prices are higher. But no apologies here, we work hard and love to travel. What can I say?
If you ask my to name my top two places I’ve ever stayed, This one would be number 2. Number one is a story in itself and one for another time. But number 2 holds such a special place in my heart, I bought a necklace from the hotel with a pendant of their famous ice-pick fixtures to pay homage to the hotel’s beginnings as an icehouse. This small hotel with amazing food and service and a view straight out of a fairy tale is hands down one of the most special accommodations in all of Europe. Though it may not be cheap, it’s Switzerland after all, it’s worth every penny. Every hard earned one. And it’s a totes special occasion one, but damn, again, worth all the pennies. We’ve stayed multiple times and every time they hit all the marks perfectly. Please note, we have never stayed during peak ski season-we are fancy, but we aren’t that fancy. https://www.hotel-glacier.ch/
There just isn’t an ugly part of Switzerland and if there is, I just haven’t seen it yet. I’ll look the next time we are there-and I hope that’s soon. Last, and certainly not least, is another grand hotel that brings back all the retro grand feels and movies and books of yore. This grand hotel on a lake is pure Swiss heaven. The service certainly matches the style and make this place a special stop throughout the years of travels. Parkhotel Gunten is a German Swiss gem. https://www.parkhotel-gunten.swiss/de/
To be fair, we’ve also stayed at some questionable places in our travels as well. You live and you learn, but this wasn’t about the misses, this was about the wins. And all of these are wins. And if you can believe it, there are a few that I love, but didn’t make the cut. Those places, I will weave into other tales I tell. So, if you’re looking to plan a trip, or just want to follow along with our adventures, I hope you’ve enjoyed my picks and pics. Up next, my true travel passion…stuffing my face. I’ll be talking about all the things I love to eat whilst in Italy, until then, ciao y’all!
Ciao Y’all 