One day in Milan (Italy)

I am finally writing my final post on last summer's European trip! After spending a week in France - both in pretty Paris and beautiful Brittany - and another week in Italy - where we saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, explored the Cinque Terre region and visited the gorgeous Portofino - we headed to Milan for an overnight stay before boarding our flight back home to Hong Kong. At first I intended us to stay two nights in Milan, but hubby's aunt (who is always travelling) advised that only one night in Milan would be sufficient and that we ought to use that extra night in Cinque Terre instead. I'm glad we heeded her advice, because I found myself wishing we had more time in Cinque Terre even with that extra day.

Arriving at the vast Milano Centrale Station:

Trying to find our way around Milano Centrale Station to catch the Metro line:

The Milano Centrale station is an architectural delight:

We arrived in Milan around 2pm, and after checking into our hotel, we went back out to see Milan's main tourist attraction: the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). Though our hotel was a good three Metro stops away from the Duomo, we decided to walk there, as hoofing it is the best way to see and experience a new city (and a good way to work exercise in at the same time!). We would have missed all the following sights if we had taken the Metro or bus. The streets are a mish-mash of old and new, buildings and public vehicles alike.

Taking care of very important business first - gelato! This shop was just around the corner from our hotel near the Porta Romana Metro station, and these two cones of double scoops cost us a grand total of 2&euro! By far the cheapest gelato we've ever had, and so delicious too. Shop name is Carmen e Massimo SNC, on street Corso Lodi No.2:

Stopped by a playground along the way:

A view down one of the side streets full of old buildings:

The old type tram:

And the sleeker-looking modern tram:

Piazza Missori - an old bronze monument of Riccardo Ripamonti (1916) juxtaposed against the backdrop of modern buildings. Also in the background is the ancient brickwall remains of a crypt of a former basilica church:

A closer look at San Giovanni in Conca, a crypt of a former basilica church that dates back to the 4th century:

The façade of the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral):

Two-thirds of the Duomo's 3500 statues are on the exterior:

One of the world's oldest shopping malls - the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, standing opposite the Duomo. The arcade contains luxury shops selling haute couture, jewellery, books and paintings, and there are also restaurants, cafes and bars:

The arch detail at the entrance to the Galleria facing the Duomo:

Beautiful architecture, designed in 1861:

In the central octagonal space topped with a glass dome:

A statue of Vittorio Emanuele II in the middle of Piazza del Duomo:

It was evening by the time we headed back to the hotel, again on foot. We had a morning flight to catch the next day, so we opted for a simple but delicious focaccia dinner at a bakery we encountered on Corsa di Porta Roma (street name). It had basic facilities for dining in, so we took a moment's rest from walking to fuel up for the night.

A bakery on Corsa di Porta Roma:

An olive focaccia:

A pizza-like focaccia with plenty of vegetable topping:

And another pizza-like focaccia with ham topping:

And thus we have come to the end of our 2013 summer trip to Europe! We have taken four other overseas trip since then, and I still have photos of Japan and Malaysia to blog about, so stay tuned!

Tasty Genovese pasta @ Pizzeria El Portico, Portofino (Italy)

The first thing we did upon arrival in Portofino last summer was not sight-seeing, but eating! Getting to Portofino from Levanto on land took longer than anticipated, and it was almost noon by the time we got off the bus. I had a pasta craving to satisfy (I was 5-months pregnant at the time after all!), and online reviews for Pizzeria El Portico were good enough. The pizzeria was easy to locate, as it is on the main street heading towards the harbour. El Portico was just beginning its lunch service when we arrived.

Dining is on porch (hence the name), and there were only two tables indoors:

It's a very casual affair, and the food was quite reasonably priced considering that this is Portofino, 'resort for the rich and famous'. Our waitress was an amicable and outgoing girl who spoke quite fluently in English which made ordering a cinch. She was helpful with making recommendations and taking allergy requests. The food was tasty, in a rustic homemade sort of manner.

Muscoli alla Parmigiana (9&euro) - literally translates to "muscles parmigiana-style" - a play on words, perhaps? Pretty good:

Antipasto Misto di Pesce (15&euro) - mixed seafood antipasto. Delicious:

Torta e Verdure Ripiene (10&euro) and Torta di Carciofi (7.50&euro) - vegetable-stuffed 'cake' and artichoke 'cake' respectively. Apparently such savoury 'cakes' originated from the Ligurian and Genovese regions:

Lasagna al Pesto (10&euro), because pesto was born in this region. It does not make a pretty plate, but it was really good. This was a good dish to order for pesto appreciation:

Gnocchi Gamberi e Zucchine (14&euro) - gnocchi with prawn and zucchini. Nicely creamy, and prawn and zucchini made a surprisingly good pairing:

Tiramisu (6&euro), the closest version yet to the best tiramisu we had in Venice. It's similarly custard-style without the boozy cake base:

Good food, unpretentious atmosphere, friendly service - Pizzeria El Portico is a great affordable option in this expensive village.

Pizzeria El Portico
Via Roma, 21
16034 Portofino
Genova, Italy
Tel. +39 0185 269239

Picturesque Portofino (Italy)

Portofino is not only known as the resort for the rich and famous, but also for its beauty. I found it difficult to pick just a few photos to share of Portofino because the location was so beautiful that all my photos turned out great. One of my aunts-in-law who is very well-travelled the world over, named Portofino as her most favourite place, and it is easy to see why. She and her husband loved this picturesque fishing village (and upmarket resort) so much, that they rented the castle for a few hours and got married there. And what beautiful wedding pictures they must have! We were in Portofino for only a few hours and we wished we had more time to linger.


Approaching the marina:

First thing - gelato! Pricey, but delicious:

Castello Brown nestled in the hills above, as viewed from the marina:

Such pristine water, even inside the marina where the yachts were parked:

Pastel-coloured buildings lining the shore of the harbour:

After a bit of a hike up the hills, we were inside Castello Brown, which also serves as a museum with various artefacts belonging to the Browns:

The view of the marina from the castle:

Various paintings on display inside Castello Brown:

The facade of the castle from the garden:

The following series of panoramas were taken from Castello Brown, from west to east. Click on images for larger version.

Scrumptious seafood @ Ristorante Portivene 1, Portovenere (Italy)

Hi from Malaysia! We've been here since Friday for my cousin's wedding in Kuala Lumpur, and we're now in Kota Kinabalu for a short side trip before heading back home to Hong Kong. This was a great opportunity to introduce baby girl to relatives who haven't yet met her, and apologies to the bride because baby girl almost stole the limelight from the her. I will have more photos to add to my ever-growing backlog of photos for this blog. Speaking of which, here's a post from our trip to Europe last summer.

When we were in Portovenere, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a small restaurant that prepared local dishes featuring seafood caught off the Ligurian coast. Portivene Un Mare di Sapori is currently ranked #1 on tripadvisor for restaurants in Portovenere, and it definitely was a good choice for sampling the local specialties. I loved the nautical-themed decor, and the simple and relatively short menu made it a breeze to make our choices for a quick lunch.

The entrance into Ristorante Portivene:

The blue nautical interior of the restaurant:

Trio of fritters (5&euro, called "pancakes" on the English version of the menu), featuring locally caught seafood - salted cod, anchovies and mussel:

Rustic Pizza with Mussels (7.50&euro) - delicious and done right on a tomato base without cheese:

Linguine Byron (7.50&euro) - with squid, fresh tomatoes, olives and pesto. The squids were tender, and the tomato-based sauce was yummy:

Towards the end of our meal, we noticed Carpaccio di Tonno Fresco (tuna carpaccio) written on the daily special board, so we ordered one. Fresh and very enjoyable (though I had to limit myself due to the fact that I was 5 months pregnant at the time, and was concerned about the mercury content):

Fresh seafood and good quality ingredients are what you'll get at Ristorante Portivene. This gets my thumbs up!

Ristorante Portivene 1
Via Capellini, 94
19025 Portovenere
La Spezia, Italy
Tel. +39 0187 792722

Boat trip to Portovenere

There is nothing more blissful than a boat trip on the Mediterranean Sea enjoying the beautiful midsummer's blue sky and the gorgeous views of the Cinque Terre. The final destination of that boat trip was Portovenere, a town located south of the Cinque Terre. We disembarked at Portovenere for lunch and some sight-seeing before taking the return ferry and train back to Levanto where we were staying. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has beautiful ancient architecture, and there are plenty of opportunities for photography of both the natural and cultural landscapes.

Doria Castle and the Church of St Peter, as seen from the boat on the Mediterranean:

The Church of St Peter, seen from the boat:

The Doria Castle and the colourful narrow buildings in front:

At the grounds of the Church of St Peter:

Doria Castle as seen from the Church:

A panoramic view from the top of the stairs to the Church of St Peter (click image for larger view):

Hanging out in the streets of Portovenere:

And enjoying some delicious local gelato:

Corniglia from a different angle to the ones taken in the morning. This was the only Cinque Terre town we didn't set foot in because of its elevated location that required either hiking up or catching a bus. Also visible is the windy road up to the town from the train station near the sea level:

Approaching Monterosso, the northernmost Cinque Terre town. Visible in the shot is the start of the hiking trail we took on previous day:

We wandered a little through Monterosso, and briefly stepped inside the Church of San Giovanni Battista:

And then it was time to head back to Levanto for dinner and bedtime! Stay tuned for more!