In this episode of The Design Tourist, I st off on a Northern Italy adventure with a local Italian family whose connection to the land runs centuries deep. We’ll explore hidden villages in the Italian Alps, discover the charm of the Juventus soccer team’s hometown, and uncover the secrets of must-see cities like Venice, Milan, and Rome. Get ready to experience Northern Italy’s hidden gems, rich culture, and iconic attractions – all through the eyes of a local family!
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Travel beyond stereotypical tourist attractions and explore the world’s most creative cities as a Design Tourist with Travel Journalist Karen LeBlanc.
Award-winning travel journalist Karen LeBlanc connects you with local culture, cuisine, art, and craft from quirks and curiosities, lavish to laid-back places, and handmade to homecooked products.
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In this episode of the design tourist I travel to the mountain towns of Northern Italy in the company of an extended Italian family that has cultivated the Land Community and culture here for Centuries From villages in the northern Italian Alps to the hometown of Juventus soccer team and the popular tourist destinations of Venice Milan and Rome we’re going to explore Italy’s hidden gyms and mainstream ractions I fly into Venice and rent a car and head north to explore the towns of basano Del graa and
Asiago basano Del graa is about a 40 mile drive north of Venice and it has a population of approximately 43,000 residents the city resides at the base of Mount Grappa it’s pictures peaceful basano Del Grappa invites you to drink in the culture literally it’s known as the birthplace of graa a liquor
Distilled from the byproducts of wine Making one of my first stops in basano Del graa is the PO graa Museum founded by one of the original families that distills Grappa now for those of you who are uninitiated to the alcoholic beverage it’s a distillation of pomus which is the byproduct of grapes and the wine
Making process it’s really the equivalent of Italian moonshine and it comes in many flavors Grappa production began in the region in the late 1800s with two families the police and the nardis opening distilleries the alcoholic drink is emblematic of Italy’s circular economy a zero waste ethos in its farming cultivation and livestock
Practices the antique copper pot at the entrance is one of only a few left in Italy inside exhibits tell the story of Grappa production you can smell the different graa scents and view a collection of more than 1500 small Grappa bottles from 323 different distilleries Grappa comes in a variety
Of flavors everything from prunes to eggs and you can sample many of its iterations at the poly Museum Store and tasting room it serves up samples in tulip-shaped glasses that’s the ideal way to savor the alcoholic beverage basano Del Grappa is breathtaking surrounded by mountains along the banks
Of the brenta river and populated with charming architecture the city’s scenery is amused to many packed with plenty of photo ops the prime attraction is the old bridge known as The Bridge of the Alpine troops in honor of those who in 1948 helped repair the bridge after it
Was damaged during World War II The Covered Bridge is a town landmark and a tourist draw offering sweeping views a walk along the medieval wall which dates back to 1461 reveals other Town landmarks including the Clock Tower and the Iron Bridge from Bano Del graa I head about
20 M Northeast winding up the dolomites mountains along the famous prco Road it’s a UNESCO world heritage site known for its steep hilly terrain and its Patchwork of Terrace Vineyards growing prco grapes prco road is a 25m paved route that twists and turns through the mountains between the towns of coniano andalo Bad wine makers in the region have been making sparkling wine since 1876 when Italy’s first school of onology opened in coniano since that time wine makers have mastered the Region’s rugged terrain to cultivate worldclass pros from the Region’s many microclimates growing and harvesting The Grapes demands hard physical labor wine
Growers have to handpick the grapes navigating slopy Terrain it’s a labor intensive process earning the region a UNESCO world heritage site Designation my first stop is the casalina winery a top of hill in the heart of the valdo bad docg area overlooking a rolling Mosaic of steep sloping Vineyards the casalina family Villa welcomes visitors with a tasting room and a shop the winery offers prco tasting Outdoors overlooking the picturesque
Views Vineyards in the coniano valdo bad wine region produce prco according to strict standards noted by the designation do ocg denomination of origin controlled and guaranteed the Region’s light bodied crisp sparkling wine is popular for its affordability and mixability as the primary ingredient in the apparal Spritz that’s the bubbly pinkish orange
Concoction that’s Italy’s favorite alcoholic beverage a mix of prco and the bitter alol or compari the Pinnacle of prco comes from carzi a small hill in the municipality of valdo badon known as PR’s birthplace cartei is a best-in-class Italian sparkling wine and a wine subzone of approximately 250 Acres with about 140
Wine Growers to meet some of the wine makers of cartei I visited garbara Vineyards it’s a fifth generation sparkling wine maker specializing in cesy prco owner mirco Grotto explains that the ctei sub area where garbara resides has ideal conditions to produce the highest quality prco the garbara czi I tasted had zero
Sugar that evening I head back to to the town of conco which lies equidistance between basano Del graa and valdo bad to Stella Alpena the bed in breakfast in that serves as my home base while exploring the mountain communities of Northeastern Italy Stella Alpena is adorable it overlooks the surrounding
Mountains and valleys and it’s the ideal location for exploring the area each morning the Inn’s owner Cooks us breakfast it’s complete with pastries and dishes made with local ingredients next we travel up the mountain to the town of Asiago famous for its cheese of the same name the town
Of aago has been producing cheese for over a thousand years one of the original cheese makers is the panar dairy where I’m headed to sample their award-winning cheeses aago is a cow’s milk cheese produced around the Alpine area of the Asiago plateau panar has a reputation for producing authentic asiago cheese
You know you’re getting the real deal if the cheese has the label Asiago dop signifying that the cheese has been approved by the Consortium for the protection of asiago cheese which represents more than 40 different aago cheese makers penard da began operations in 1927 and makes different age varieties
Of Asiago ranging from soft smooth and fresh FR to hard crumbly and salty cheese makers originally used sheep’s milk from roughly the 10th to the 15th centuries because sheep raising dominated the Region’s Green Pastures in the Asiago Plateau now today they produce asiago cheese with cow’s
Milk next we head to Torin home of the Juventus soccer team Trin is Italy’s fourth largest city hustled in the pedmont a region celebrated for its food and wine we traveled to Trin to see Juventus play football or as we say in the States soccer at aliance Stadium it’s an iconic
Landmark and a cultural treasure the alance stadium is home based for the Juventus football club Italy’s oldest football team nicknamed the old lady and UV for Shand alant Stadium offers tours which I highly recommend so you can appreciate the architectural and Engineering talent that went into creating this sports and entertainment
Venue the stadium opened on September 8th 2011 the architecture and Technology are fascinating to see up close an LED system of nearly 400 projectors focused on the pitch gives the stadium A concert-like vibe with light shows and music throughout the game Stadium seats double as art installations when viewed
From a distance as graphic images come into Focus the Stadium’s 4157 seats range from basic and functional to leather clad seating with embedded TV screens and premium seats in the Legends club with dining and drink service although amenities vary based on the ticket price point all seats offer
Clear views of the field with no barrier dividing fans from the pit will return that night to attend a Juventus game for the full fan and sensory experience in the stadium to learn more about the history of Italy’s oldest football team we head to the Juventus Museum the museum resides next
To the stadium and showcases More Than A Century of Juventus team memorabilia multimedia exhibits tell the story of the agelli family owner of Juventus with the distinction of having the longest lasting ownership of any professional sporting franchise in the world that evening before I head to the
Juventus game I stop in the club’s mega store to shop for a Juventus sweatshirt here you can purchase everything you need to be kitted out as a Juventus fan from socks to scarves hats to hoodies attending a Juventus game feels like a mashup of celebrity red carpet Rock concert and sporting event Juventus
Players arrive to cheering fans and flashing cameras as they make their way into the stadium mixed with a rock concert Vibe and amped up energy from the fans and the stands it is total sensory overload from the lights the music and the multimedia experiences for the uninitiated Juventus is one of the
Most popular and successful football clubs on the planet winning a host of domestic European and international honors and Legions of fans across the globe Trin was the Pinnacle of Italian Auto production once home to a large Fiat Factory the National Auto Museum Chronicles the city’s cultural and historic ties to car production tyin
Also has a culinary claim to fame as the birthplace of the widely popular e a restaurant bar and store that’s part gastronomical attraction and experience next we visit Milan in Northern Italy to hit the highlights of this stylish City I visit the Galleria Victorio in Milan a glass D shopping
Center packed with people my guess mostly tourist however it is an attraction worth battling the crowds to experience the prominade populated with designer shops and influencers posing for pictures everywhere with selfy sticks the real charm here is stopping in at one of the cafes to people watch
Which which is what I did and that’s where it’s decision time apparal or compari with my Spritz my taste buds put me in the compari camp because I like the bitter kick to it appol makes for a sweeter Spritz next on to the lascala Opera House a fascinating Museum chronicling
The premier opera venue’s long history with some of the world’s most celebrated opera singers who’ve performed on The Hollow stage as well as costumes and other effects from various Opera Productions well here in Milan definitely a mustsee is Leonardo Davinci’s Last Supper painting so we’re going to head inside we’ve got about 15 minutes to see the painting now the last restoration started in 197 7 and finished up some 20 years later in the 1990s Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper on the north wall of the Santa Maria Del grazi a church and Dominican Convent also a UNESCO world heritage site he started the famous painting in 1494 and it took him four years to finish it during World War II the
Convent saved the Last Supper painting by covering the wall in sandbags and Scaffolding protecting it from the bombing of 1943 that turned much of the church to Rubble you can take photos of the Last Supper but you will have to Elbow your way up through the throngs of
Visitors on our walk around the historic core of Milan we stopped by the Milan castle built in 1368 by the Lord of Milan during the time of the visanti rule there isn’t much to see inside but a walk around the grounds Rewards je with a castle that survived various
Battles and rulers and was nearly lost to history with the unification of Italy until restoration efforts began in the late 19th century to preserve the fortification in the evening I take a walk along the Waterway for more people watching the locals who hang out on the
Banks as the sun sets up next we head to the Eternal City for a new perspective on age-old attractions I’ve been to Rome several times but there’s always an opportunity to enjoy the Eternal City from A New Perspective this is a city known for its tourist crowd so I recommend booking Private
Tours that skipped along long lines for admission I stated in Airbnb walking distance to some of the city’s best known cultural landmarks and Parks including the Trevy Fountain villam dii and the Spanish Steps now I’ve visited the Coliseum several several times over the years but on this visit I went
Underground to tore the bowels of the amphitheater it’s an engineering Marvel underneath the Arena floor I retrace the footsteps of Gladiators through a maze of quarters and compartments that once held animals there was a stream of water that ran underground in this world of slave workers who put on the show to the
Bloodthirsty crowds cheering above I also learned some fascinating factoids did you know the arena was capable of Las Vegas caliber theatrics special effects such as flooding the floor for ship battle shows after we toured the below ground interworkings of the Coliseum we emerged above ground for a sweeping View and to
Learn more about the social hierarchy of the seating how the nose bleed section was designated for the plebeians the commoners who had to walk dozens of flights of stairs to reach their seating that night we return nearby for a different view of the Coliseum a glowing Earthbound ring against the
Night sky illuminated in a wash of colors we admire the scene as we dine at a neighboring restaurant called Aroma overlooking the Coliseum with a glass Atrium the next day I take a private guided tour of the Vatican we arrive and we’re able to enter before the crowds
And general admission again paying for private tours that let you skip the line is worth every penny I cannot say it enough even so the crowds at the Vatican were smothering too many people to get a good look at any of the art and sculptures however if you’ve never been
To Rome a tour of the Vatican is a must do at least once I say goodbye to Rome checking off my list of mustsee attractions the Jal city is famous for the ram of history books and tour guides from the trvy fountain to the pantheon all very
Crowded but worth a visit just set your expectations to have patience up next I head to Venice for a night and a day of sightseeing I spent 24 hours in Venice before I departed on my flight home to get to the Historical Center I took a bus to the Patza Roma to catch
The water bus called the vaporetto number one that runs along the Grand Canal to St Mark Square you can get a tourist ticket that’s good for unlimited bus and Water Taxi rides for a 24-hour time period for an affordable Price St Mark Square lies in the heart of Venice and it’s one of the most photograph attractions in the world the square is defined by arcades on three sides and St Mark’s Church on the Eastern end you can spend the whole day in this area visiting St Mark’s Church
The Doge’s Palace museums and you can go to the top of the bell tower which features spectacular views of Venice and its Lagoon Four Bridges cross the Grand Canal the most photographed is the Rialto Bridge it’s an instagrammable backdrop that captures quintessential Venice with sweeping views of the Grand
Canal populated with gondolas from St Mark Square the Rialto Bridge is about a 15-minute walk and it’s worth soaking up the storybook setting like Rome Venice is full of tourist and much of the shopping around St Mark Square offers your typical vacation souvenirs a lot of the shops selling similar merchandise
Now if you have time I recommend a visit to the the Morano Glass Factory on the nearby Island you can hit the highlights of Venice in a day the gondola rides all the iconic photo ops the dining and the shopping and so I say goodbye to Italy a trip mixed with authentic experiences
Visiting small Mountain Villages paired with popular attractions in major cities there are many different sides to this single country a rich tapestry of distinct cultures craft and Cuisine depending on where you travel which is why I intend to return to Italy again and again until the design tourist
Travels again stay curious and stay Inspired
1 Comment
Amazing video – thanks!