We came into Italy through the 11.611 km (7.215 mi) tunnel through the heart of mountain Mont Blanc.  What a difference a mountain makes.  The weather was instantly hotter, the landscape and architecture changed, we were instantly in a different country after all.

Milan  |  Verona  |  Venice

We visited Milan first.  Most memorable was Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie where one needs to purchase tickets months in advance.  We also visited the Milan Cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo and Alicia enjoyed purchasing a Louis Vuitton purse at the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II mall.  We all loved the Gelato (Ice Cream) and we found a classic at the Von Bol & Feste Bakery (Since 1890) located at Largo Cairoli.

In Verona we visited the famous (mythological) Romeo and Juliet balcony as well as some of the town squares.  The weather was pretty hot by now.  In Venice we enjoyed St. Mark’s Square where the boys enjoyed feeding the pigeons and we once again had some delicious deserts this time at Caffè Florian.