Stephanie Williamson Just Back From Northern Italy

Name of Advisor

Stephanie Williamson

Destination

Northern Italy

Accommodations and/or DMC/On Site

I worked with Top Travel Italy when designing this trip. At their recommendation, we stayed at the following hotels:

• Hotel Ca di Dio - Venice

• Rosapetra SPA - Cortina d'Ampezzo

• Villa Cortine Palace - Sirmione

• Sheraton MXP - Milan airport

How to get to

There unfortunately are not any nonstop flights between Boston and Venice at the moment, but there is a seasonal nonstop option on Delta to/from Milan.

Recommended For (families, couples, corporate, celebrations, etc)

We took this trip on as a family and I approached it with a critical eye from the standpoint of a family with a baby (or young child). That being said, these properties are suitable for most (families, couples, etc.) and I would absolutely recommend the DMC.

Not-to-be-Missed Experience or Activity

In Venice, I think a cicchetti food tour is necessary in order to dive right in to Venetian culture. Getting an overall city tour on your first day is also very helpful in terms of getting oriented and getting some context on this incredible destination!

In Cortina d'Ampezzo, we are SO happy that we went on a guided hike. There are a thousand and one available hikes within the Dolomites and the hotel concierge will absolutely be able to offer some basic assistance (so will Google or an app like AllTrails for that matter!). However, you won't know the random farm & cafe mid-mountain to stop at for the best lunch (trying canederli, a Dolomites specialty is an absolute MUST), you likely won't even notice the WW2 bunkers that are sitting there (if you even end up on that trail), and you won't get to hear about the local villages.

And it goes without saying...if you're in Italy, have the gelato. Every single opportunity.

Favorite culinary aspect of the hotel or region

All of the hotels had great food options. Since we were traveling with a 10-month old, we did end up ordering room service from every single spot for dinner due to timing and to avoid meltdowns. We took it as an opportunity to sample the tiramisu in every spot and no surprise - Relais & Chateaux's Villa Cortine Palace won hands down. Though - all were absolutely delicious!

Favorite Wellness aspect of the hotel or region

We didn't partake in any of the wellness, but Rosapetra in the Dolomites has an incredible spa. It's a boutique hotel, so nothing ever feels crowded while you're there and it's a fantastic place to decompress. If the spa isn't your thing, their bar is very inviting and casual. Have the limoncello spritz - it's super tasty and the limoncello is made by the bartender himself.

Favorite amenity 

The cookie we received on arrival from Villa Cortine Palace was the adults' favorite. It's massive and delicious. However, the teddy bear placed in the crib for our daughter was definitely her favorite at Hotel Ca di Dio.

Kudos to: refers to a guide, chef, member of hotel team, etc. that went out of their way

Every single person. The DMC team was spot-on with their recommendations and we enjoyed everything that was arranged. The hotels were perfect and there were incredible hospitality and "great service" moments at each spot.

Additional Remarks

For those self-driving, beware of Villa Cortine Palace. It has the PERFECT location within the old city walls of Sirmione...which means that you need to drive through that very pedestrian-seeming area. It's full of tourists eating gelato who aren't paying attention and children and dogs running around. What's meant to be a 2-minute drive certainly turns into a harrowing 20-minute drive - so this is not for everyone and needs to be handled accordingly.

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To plan a trip, contact stephanie@travellustre.com