Fall Break!

After Terra Madre we left Torino for a long week of traveling through Italy.  We headed straight for Bergamo, a nice quiet town north of Milan, which is at the base of the Alps.  The train ride there was beautiful as the snow-covered peaks dangled across the horizon. We only had an afternoon in the town, so we went to a highly recommended restaurant called Circolino. I had an amazing pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, salmon, shrimp, and ricotta.

Citta Alta Bergamo-where we went

My pizza

After our day in Bergamo we headed to Milan for the night.   Milan was a little overwhelming for us, but luckily we only had to spend the night there.  The next morning at the crack of dawn, we headed to Cinque Terre for a day of hiking on the coastline.  We made it to our seaside town of Manarola and checked into our hostel by 11.  We then grabbed a quick lunch and set off on our day hike adventure.   The scenery was breathtaking and the trail was steep and narrow, but we made it.... five hours later.

Wednesday we left Manarola and took a train to Parma.  Unfortunately by the time we got there it was dark and rainy, so our sight seeing was limited.  We were all famished and tired so we decided to find the best restaurant we could for some authentic Parma food.... We talked to the first person we saw on the main street and asked what their favorite place was.  The old man then directed us to this little alleyway with his favorite restaurant in Parma.  The food was amazing and we spent three hours enjoying every bite.  For my primi (first dish) I got Tortelli di Zucca, or handmade pumpkin raviolis. It was the perfect starter for Halloween night.  My second dish was gnocchi, smothered in gorgonzola cheese and chopped walnuts.  I left the place feeling very full.

On Thursday, I set out for Bologna, my final destination to reunite with my best Italian amica, Cecilia. Our time together was well spent and I got a personal tour of Bologna for two days.  We climbed Tower Asinelli, the highest tower in Bologna, with 498 steps, made pancakes and fresh pasta, went shopping, and went to a beautiful sanctuary overlooking Bologna.  My vacation could not have ended more perfectly and I am so grateful to have her as a friend.