Grüetzi, Grüetzi! That's Amoré!: A 2015 Italy/Switzerland Trip Report - Complete!

[mare1203]

Great pictures Mary. Brings back alot of fond memories. This was our first ABD 5 years ago, and continues to be our favorite. Is Marc still one of the guides on this adventure?

Oh man, we just loved this trip. I'm with you on not being sure it will ever be topped.

Looks amazing!! This trip is in my top three,however it may soon be number 2!

I'll do my best to make it #1!

Ah I loved that room! That view was amazing! I still wish we'd gotten a picture of the three of us on each balcony :/ oh well

Adventurer! I know! One of my few sadnesses is not getting that pic. Oh well. It's a good thing we only took one or two other pics...

Following along! Can't wait to relive the trip through your report.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[mare1203]

Welcome back, Aaadventurers! Time for some food porn, dontcha think?? I think yes.


After cleaning up a bit, we were hungry and decided to go in search of lunch! Actually, I had been hungry for hours, but it was finally a respectable time to have lunch. During our walk in town, I had spied a panini shop that I saw during my Trip Advisor research, so we decided to stop there for a sandwich.




Cicinin is a panini shop that offers 3-4 fresh panini's each day.


They write the different types available on the board (one in Italian and one in English) and you can grab them to go or eat them in their small upstairs area.


We decided to eat upstairs.


Kathy and Bob both went for the salami sandwich, while I tried the ham and cheese. They also had a veggie one that looked pretty good.




When we ordered, they were in the middle of making a new salami sandwich, so the girl brought our 2nd one up when it was ready. These were fresh and we really enjoyed both. The bread had a nice flavor and the accompaniments to the meat were seasonal and paired well.


After finishing our sandwiches, we were ready for something else...gelato, of course! I'm pretty sure we hit the gelato jackpot on the first try. We went to a shop called Rive which featured about 24 flavors.


We each got a small cup with 2 flavors each.




I chose the pistachio (my favorite) and a cherry. The cherry was a little overwhelming, but tasted great and would be a hit with any cherry-lover. The pistachio had a wonderful flavor and was perfectly creamy.




My dad went with the cherry and a flavor called violet, which I assume to be a sort of lavender.




Kathy chose a flavor called cookie, which she enjoyed, and a perennial favorite, straciatella (vanilla chocolate chip). We thought all our choices were creamy, delicious, and refreshing. Definitely recommend!​

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After finishing our lunch and treats, we were quite tired and decided to head back to the hotel for a short nap. There was no way we could make it to 10:00 without some sort of rest, plus we needed to stretch out from the plane. We napped from about 1:30-3:15 and then forced ourselves up. The resort has all sorts of amenities, and we thought we should explore them, so we headed to the pool. There are 2 pools, one indoor and one outdoor.


Today we headed to the outdoor pool. It was busy when we arrived, but the pool boy helped us find 2 chairs together (Bob joined Kathy and me later). It was between 90-94 every day we were in Italy, so it was nice to get in the pool, but it was chilly! There are two areas: one deep and one shallow. I'm not sure how deep it went, but I would guess at least 12 feet, which helped to keep it cool. We relaxed for a while and people watched (or pool-boy watched, whichever you would like to go with!). Sorry I don't have a picture of said pool boy; you'll just have to trust me on this one.
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[Cousin Orville]

That gelato looks very tasty and refreshing! That pool looks very nice too. I can see spending some quality time there on a hot day.

 

[tgeorge]

We relaxed for a while and people watched (or pool-boy watched, whichever you would like to go with!). Sorry I don't have a picture of said pool boy; you'll just have to trust me on this one.
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Hahaha... That sounds so much like the time my cousin and I were on vacation and had a cabana

Love the pictures and the pool does absolutely look amazing. You may just get this trip to number 1! And if Australia still remains my number 1, I'm sure this one would happen first anyways! Can't wait to hear more about your adventure!

 

[disneyphx]

Wow - did you have your princess tiara for when you were in that hotel room?! Stresa and the pool look amazing too - hydrangeas are one of my faves!

 

[sayhello]

A chandelier in your room? My, my! Looks like a wonderful start to your trip!

Sayhello

 

[OKW Lover]

Following along since we are probably doing this trip next year.

Tagging some friends that will be going with us as well @WebmasterKathy @WebmasterMike @WebmasterJohn

 

[christannj]

Don't forget us, I'm following along too

 

[mare1203]

That gelato looks very tasty and refreshing! That pool looks very nice too. I can see spending some quality time there on a hot day.

Definitely. When we were at the pool in the morning just looking around it was empty. But by 3:00? The place was packed! Great way to spend an afternoon or two.

Hahaha... That sounds so much like the time my cousin and I were on vacation and had a cabana

Love the pictures and the pool does absolutely look amazing. You may just get this trip to number 1! And if Australia still remains my number 1, I'm sure this one would happen first anyways! Can't wait to hear more about your adventure!

Haha, you are so right!

I understand about having Australia as #1! Well, let's just say I'll make this one #1 on the "reasonably achievable list". I have multiple lists myself. Patagonia is my "currently-unachievable" while Brussels and Copenhagen top the list for "reasonably achievable".

Wow - did you have your princess tiara for when you were in that hotel room?! Stresa and the pool look amazing too - hydrangeas are one of my faves!

! No tiara, but they really should have included them on the pillows. It would have only been right!

A chandelier in your room? My, my! Looks like a wonderful start to your trip!

Sayhello

It was wonderful. We loved the Regina. I've never been a luxury hotel person myself. Hostel or hotel, as long as I've got a place to lie my head, I'm good. ABD has shown us some true luxury along the way. Who knew?!?

Following along since we are probably doing this trip next year.

Tagging some friends that will be going with us as well @WebmasterKathy @WebmasterMike @WebmasterJohn

Glad to have you along for the ride. We just loved the trip and think it's a hidden gem among ABD's.

Don't forget us, I'm following along too

Gruetzi and welcome aboard!! There's some good stuff to come.

 

[mare1203]

After spending some time at the beautiful pool it was time to start thinking about what to do with our evening. As this is Italy, most visitors don’t eat until later in the evening. I’m used to eating about 8:00 anyway, so this was not a problem, but we certainly weren’t going to sit in the room until we were hungry. Out to town we go!

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We headed out to town for evening around 6:30. Our first stop was for an aperitivo! We stopped at a little wine bar called Al Buscion which is owned by an Italian named Mauricio who lived in London for a few years. It is open every day from 10 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.






We got a table outside and decided to share a carafe of the house red wine and a meat and cheese board. They have a lot of great-looking appetizers and a variety of platters to choose from as well. We shared a medium board and it was just right for the 3 of us to share.


I include this picture because I was trying to take a pic of the cute little box made of wine corks the check came in. My dad moved the box right as I was taking the picture and this was the result. Ridiculous, I know. There is a chance you'll see it at some point.​

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For dinner, we decided we wanted some pizza, which is easily found in Italy. At the end of the main road there was a small restaurant called La Rosa Dei Venti, and we decided to try it. Happily, we got a table for 3 on the patio. We started the meal by ordering a bottle of red wine and some water.




Many times we will just order the house wine, which is usually quite good in Italy, but it being our first night we decided on a Barbera. Barbera is the third most planted grape varietal in Italy and widely found in Northwest Italy. It also happens to be one of my favorite Italian varietals. This wine was smooth and fruity and we enjoyed it very much. ​

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Each of us ordered a pizza for our main entree. I’m really sorry that I can’t remember what all was on each of the pizza’s (bad trip reporter, I know).


I am 100% sure that Kathy went with the prosciutto pizza. This is pretty much her go-to when it comes to pizza and she enjoyed it.


Bob chose a sausage and what looks like pepper pizza, but I don’t think that’s quite right.


I believe mine was buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto di parma, artichoke, and portobello. I was surprised when it turned out to be a white pizza. However, make no mistake, I was not disappointed and polished off the whole thing.


During this time of year in Italy, the sun doesn't set until nearly 10:00 p.m. We had a wonderful view of the sun going down over the lake during our dinner. As a reminder, the service in Europe is pretty much hands-off and you need to ask for the check. We had a wonderfully relaxing meal and were relishing our night first night back in Italy.

Although we were pretty full from the meal, we needed to walk around a bit before retiring for the evening, so we headed for the square after paying the bill. As it was Saturday night in Italy around 10:00, there was still plenty of activity going on. Of course, we couldn't pass up a second chance at gelato and got some to fill in the cracks and crevices.


This time we stopped at a place right on the square called Fior di Gelato.


The gelato is in stainless steel bins rather than the square pans you normally see. We have been told that this is a good sign when it comes to gelato as it often means it’s artisanal. Let’s be real, I’ve got no idea. I just know when I’m like ‘meh’ versus ‘yum-oh!’.




This one was pretty good, but not as good as our earlier pick. We enjoyed our flavor choices and people-watching, but as soon as we were done, we headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep; the adventure began the very next day!
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[Sarabi's Cubs]

Don't forget us, I'm following along too

Thanks for tipping me off to this thread Chris! Following along with one eye open!

Mary - I loved your Viva Italia report!

Laurie

 

[Cousin Orville]

pizza, red wine, gelato + an Italian backdrop = perfection!

 

[kanadar]

That was some good pizza and wine! I can't wait for your next post!! We get to meet our guides!!

 

[mare1203]

Thanks for tipping me off to this thread Chris! Following along with one eye open!

Mary - I loved your Viva Italia report!

Laurie

Thank you! Glad you found me and happy to have you reading along!!

pizza, red wine, gelato + an Italian backdrop = perfection!

You got that right, Cousin Orville!

That was some good pizza and wine! I can't wait for your next post!! We get to meet our guides!!

Don't get too excited there, adventurer...

 

[mare1203]

Yay! It's Adventure day!


As we didn't get much sleep on the plane ride over, we decided to sleep in this morning. That actually doesn't mean too much for us, and we were at breakfast by 8:45. Breakfast at the hotel is served from 7:00-10:00 a.m., and offers a buffet. They had a section of hot offerings like scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. It being Italy, they also had a large pastry and charcuterie selection. If none of those things interested you, you could also take advantage of the cereal and yogurt section.


I pretty much had the same thing for breakfast each morning: a pastry and some meats, cheeses, tomatoes, and fruit.


This is Kathy's plate of eggs and a croissant. The eggs were pretty much hit or miss.


We ate on the patio/terrace, where the waiters would find us a table and take our hot drink order. I always went with a cappuccino, while my dad had 'American' coffee. He said it was pretty good.


Do yourself a favor and just go with cappuccino while in Italy.

When we checked in the day before, the hotel staff had given us a letter from our Adventure Guides. The letter informed us that the guides would be hosting a welcome table on Sunday from 10-2 and kindly asked we check-in sometime. It also said the Welcome dinner would start at 6:30 that evening, giving us nearly the whole day to ourselves. Or, the whole day to figure out how to survive without any guidance...just kidding (sort of, haha...we are so spoiled!).
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After breakfast, we came up with a plan for our free time and finished getting ready. We decided the best way to spend our day was to visit the 2 islands ABD wouldn't be sailing to, Isola Madre and Isola Pescatori. Before heading out, we stopped at the welcome desk and met our 2 guides for the week, Jessica and Stephanie . They introduced themselves, gave us a map and some waters, along with our welcome gift and asked if we had any questions. We told them our plan and they agreed it was a good one (Huzzah! Look at us, coming up with a good plan all on our own!). My dad confirmed with them the location to buy the tickets to the islands and, after introducing ourselves to a family that had just arrived, we headed out.
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Leaving the hotel, we ran right smack dab into a Ferrari show taking place on the Regina Palace lawn that morning/afternoon. My dad is a big car guy and was in heaven.






We spent some time looking at all the fancy cars. I think there ended up being about 40 cars in all.







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The cars were incredible, beautiful, and incredibly beautiful.


I love this guy rolling in at 10:00 a.m. with a cigar like it's no thang. Fantastic.




To get our tickets to the 2 islands, we crossed the street and headed right to the docks. You can actually buy tickets to any combination of the 3 islands you like. Up next, we visit some islands!​

 

[SingingMom]

I see Steph!!!!!! Love that girl! We had SO much fun with her in Germany, and again when we met up with her in WDW!

 

[tgeorge]

Gorgeous cars! I love cars...especially fast ones how amazing that you walked out of the hotel and there they were.

 

[GAN]

Loving your report and great photos. Just make sure you get that cappuccino before noon -no?

 

[carman754]

Sorry I moved the cork box, oh well, hopefully a pic later but I can't remember you getting another, it was a clever idea

 

[ksromack]

subbing in here too......dh and I just spent 3.5 weeks in Europe and I'm dying to hear about this one. I actually booked a F&W adventure for this year because I was missing Europe! I have to catch up on your other report first.....you are ambitious! I started my tr 2 years ago and am just now getting to work on it and have a goal to finish before our trip in 62 days.