Video Short: Out and About in Milan (Day 3)

Featured: Sforza Castle, Michelangelo’s unfinished pieta, Sant’ Eustorgio, Colonne di San Lorenzo, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, Aperitivo at L’Alter Bar

Aperitivo Time in Milan, Italy

Featured: Hugo Spritz €8 at L’Alter Bar, Aperol €14 and 2 glasses of Crodino €14 at Spritz Navigli Milano.

When in Milan, don’t skip the aperitivo tradition, a drink and a light meal at the end of the day as a prelude to dinner. It is meant to whet one’s appetite. Between 7pm and 9pm, Italians come together over a glass of wine or cocktail. A drink order comes with finger foods. In some bars, plenty of finger foods. Aperitivo is not supposed to replace dinner, but who’s going to object when it does?

Video Short: Out and About in Milan (Day 2)

Featured: Breakfast at Star Hotels Tourist Milano, Sant Ambrogio, Piazza Duomo, Galleria Vittorio II, Piazza dei Marcanti, San Maurizio, Pasticceria Marchesi, and Naviglio Grande.

Video Short: Arrived in Milan

First day of a long weekend in Milan, capital of Italy’s Lombardi region and the second most populous city proper in Italy.

Drive Italy: Volterra

Why Volterra?

Perched atop a hill surrounded by farmlands in Tuscany, Volterra is the least touristy among hill towns. Two thousand years ago, it was one of the most important Etruscan cities. It became one of the Roman empire’s independent city states, but later fell to Florence. To get a glimpse of a more authentic experience of Italian hill town life, a visit to Volterra is a must.

Parking in Volterra

Piazza Martiri della Liberta Car Park, an underground garage located before the Piazza Martiri bus roundabout.

Places Visited

1. Teatro Romano (Roman Theater)

An archeological area where a first century AD Roman Theater was discovered. It is considered one of Italy’s best preserved.

2. Duomo Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral)

Consecrated in 1120, the interior was remodeled in the sixteenth century in Renaissance style.

3. Piazza and Palazzo dei Priori

The piazza was the central square of the medieval town. The palazzo, built between 1208-1254, which is the oldest in Tuscany is now the Town Hall. Visitors may climb the clock tower for a view of Volterra from the top.

4. Baptistery

The structure was built in the thirteenth century. Visitors look at the Romanesque doorway and its green and white marble stripes.

5. Arco Etrusco (Etruscan Arch) and Walls

The Romans redid parts of the arch and walls, but the masonry on each side of the gate, dressed stones and weathered heads on the arch are from the 4th or 3rd century BC.

There are other attractions to see in Volterra. Visiting all of them requires at least one full day.