Steal My Italy Itinerary

Reporting on last year's trip as I start this year's!

If you haven’t caught on yet, my spirit country is Italy. Everything about it just makes me happy! John and I have a pipe dream of just moving there full time. Until that happens, we try to travel there every year and explore a different part of the country. Last year, we explored some places new to me, and some old faves.

I thought I would recap the full trip here, in case anyone is interested in doing something similar!

The locations we hit on this trip were: Lake Garda, Taormina, Aeolian Islands, Ischia, Milan. Read on for more!

TRAVEL DETAILS

• We did this trip in the end of May. I find it less crowded and airfare less expensive.

• We flew directly from NYC to Milan, and rented a car from there.

• Overall, this trip was about a week.

LAKE GARDA

• From the Milan airport, we drove to Lago Di Garda, stayed at LeFay

• LeFay has a really nice spa and indoor/outdoor pool.

• Lake Garda is more undiscovered than Como, which we loved, and a relaxing vibe. It’s such a beautiful alternative to a sometimes overpriced, overcrowded Lake Como.

• In terms of food, it is divine! Le 3 Oche has interesting takes on classic italian dishes.

MILAN

• Once we checked out of LeFay, we drove back to Milan. Driving in this region is so easy and renting a car at the Milan airport is seamless.

• If you have time, explore Milan! I love it there. JJ’s love letter to the city, Mamma Milano, has all the scoop.

• We then flew from Milan to Naples, where we took the ferry to Ischia.

ISCHIA

• We stayed at the fabulous Mezzatorre- it is heaven. The island is amazing and has SO many incredible restaurants. Favorites below:

  • Da Peppina di Renato. Family owned. 

  • La Vigna di Alberto. Family owned.

  • Napule Pizza omfg

• Also check out Giardini la Mortella. Come for the gardens, stay for the bruschetta.

• You cannot leave without doing the mud bath at the Mezzatorre

SICILY

• I took a ferry back from Ischia to Naples. We then flew from Naples to Catania and checked into into Hotel Villa Carlotta in Taormina

• This was for a super fun trip with La Double J, and I got to see the island like a local.

• Taormina has blown up in recent years since The White Lotus- ha! There has definitely been a resurgence here for higher end travel and lots of new luxury stores.

AEOLIAN ISLANDS

• The Aeolian Islands have always been on my list. An Italian told me years and years ago that it was the best place to go…and I listened.

• We checked into Principe Di Salina. Such a beautiful hotel run by a husband and wife. The husband makes dinner every night with fresh bread! I’m actually going back shortly…

• You must rent a scooter (at the hotel or the docks) and ride around to see the island.

• Since the beaches are all rocks, take a ferry tour and go swimming!

• From there I made my way back to Milan via ferry and car.

Hope this was helpful! I actually just got back to Italy and we are hitting some new and fave spots. I’ll be back on Substack on 7.25 and 8.8 for our Body Talk: The Course sessions, see you then!

xo

Katie