I’d like to offer some advice to anyone studying abroad in Europe. Go to Italy.
And eat your weight in Bolognese.
This is a list of places my friends and I discovered while traveling around Italy for our fall break. These are relatively cheap things to do and places to stay. We chose not to hit conventional cities such as Rome and Venice to keep the cost as low as possible.
1. We started in Lake Como, which set the bar high for the rest of the trip.
We flew into Milan and took a train ride to Lake Como, and it was breathtaking. At one point the train was surrounded by the lake and we chugged along on a small strip of land suspended in the water. It felt surreal, like something out of Spirited Away.
Once at Lake Como, we took a short ferry ride to our hostel in Menaggio.
Our hostel room was clean with odd red bunk beds that were so squished it was impossible to crawl into the bottom bunk without banging your head on the top bunk. The staff was really sweet and the breakfast was inclusive (!!!). Here is the link to the hostel.
We explored Menaggio, which was eerily vacant, especially at night. My friend Marley and I woke up from a nap one night around 11 pm (Our body clocks were very off from traveling), both groggy and ravenous. We walked down the street from the hostel and the first restaurant we stumbled upon was a hole-in-the-wall family run, pizza place. We wined and dined on what was the best meal of the trip. A margarita pizza (9 euros) and two glasses of sparkling white wine were a total of 20 euro. We walked back to our hostel very satisfied.
This is the view from the ferry. The orange and peach clusters of houses brightened up the sight of the murky water and foggy skies.
2. My second favorite part of the trip was the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese tour we took in Modena.
The factory is situated in a beautiful vineyard that we explored for a bit. It was only 10 euros to take a tour of the factory and sample different ages of Parmesan cheese. They gave us balsamic vinegar, jelly and wine to try the cheeses with. The rest of our tour group was composed of couples, who were at least 30 years old. They were probably re-igniting their romance with the smell of cheese in the air.
Side note: Parmesan cheese isn't the real deal unless it says Parmigiano-Reggiano on it. Only the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Modena and Mantua in Italy are legally allowed to make the authentic cheese and call it "Parmigiano-Reggiano". The taste is definitely superior.
We were in a room with more than 4 million euros worth of cheese!!! One round of cheese is 500-700 euros depending on how old it is.
3. Another highlight of the trip was the Boboli Gardens in Florence.
We easily spent hours roaming around this park.The gardens used to belong to the Medici family and only the immediate family was allowed to enjoy it. It spans 11 acres and I got lost at one point. But it was fantastic! There are many interesting statues and fountains from the 16th-18th centuries to look at. There are also lots of opportunities to lay on an open field when you get tired of walking.
4. Funivia.
This gelato place is beyond words. If you ever find yourself in Bologna, find yourself in a swirl of dark chocolate and stracciatella. And while you are at it, make sure you eat everything in sight. Bologna is known for its Bolognese sauce, so make sure you try that. (It's obviously incredible)
Have fun in Italy! It's okay if you eat a lot, just channel your inner Julia Roberts from Eat Pray Love.
