It's Time for a Trip Up to the Foothill Wine Country

With all the fires in Northern California the air quality is from unhealthy to hazardous. Outdoor events are being canceled in the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area, schools are closed and people are being urged to stay indoors.

Just a short drive from Sacramento in the foothills to the east is the beautiful foothill wine country. Whether it is up 80 to the Placer County wineries or up 50 and 49 to the Eldorado and Amador County Wineries you will be above the smoke with good air quality and bright clear skies.

Some wineries have events going on at this time so if you are looking for a place to get out of the smoke and bad air take the short drive up the hill. Don't forget to pack a lunch and have a picnic. The area is beautiful.

Note: If wine is not your thing there is also Apple Hill, arts and crafts, historic towns and this weekend is the Mountain Mandarin Orange Festival in Placer County.

Word of warning when renting a car in Europe

When renting a car in another country, in most cases, the company you think you are renting from is just in name only. In fact, the place you are renting from is a franchise and you do not have the same protection you would have in the US. 

On a recent trip to Italy due to the size of our group I needed to rent 2 cars. I rented a car in my name from Hertz and one in my sons name from Avis. For both cars I purchased insurance ahead of time. Both cars were rented at the Linate airport. My experience with Hertz was pleasant. At the counter they took the insurance I had purchased but explained since it wasn't through Hertz I would have to file the claim through the insurance I purchased. When my son went to pick up the car from Avis it was another story. The person at the counter was rude and refused to accept the insurance I had purchased. To get the car my son ended up having to purchase insurance through Avis. The insurance ended up being more expensive than the car itself. I tried to correct this but they wouldn't budge. 

Later I was able to get a refund from Orbitz for the outside insurance. I also filed a complaint with Avis customer service but they told me I was out of luck since he had signed the contract. In fact, Avis was of no help as the rental company in Milan was a franchise. 

I learned my lesson. Please do more research when renting a car in another country. 

F1 Announces Vietnam Grand Prix

Today F1 announced that the Vietnam Grand Prix will be added to the schedule in 2020. It confirms Formula One's commitment to the Asia region. That means I now have a new destination to plan for.

Weather Causes Havoc in Liguria

After the storm

It is hard to believe that in early September we were swimming in the Mediterranean on the Ligurian Coast. 

One week after we got back from Italy they were hit by a hail storm that caused flooding along the coast. Now this week a major storm hit the coast causing damage to roads, collapsing sea walls and destroying the beach changing areas and restaurants. Liguria will come back but it is hard to see the damage that can happen.

Other parts of Italy were also hit. I saw pictures of St. Marks Square under water.

St Marks Square

Thankfully our family is ok.

More on California Wine Country

To add onto yesterdays post, in the Fall the wineries have special events celebrating the harvest. You will find BBQs, grape stomping contests, arts and crafts, etc. You won't get this at other times of the year. Check online at the county website or at specific wineries for more information.

California Wine Country

Now that I am back from Italy I need to say something about our California wine country.

October and early November are the best times to visit California as the temperatures are moderate, the rain usually hasn't started and it is less crowded. Some people make the mistake of coming during the summer. California can get very hot in the summer but one thing people don't realize is that in Northern California the heat pulls in the marine layer from off shore and can make San Francisco feel like winter in other parts of the US. Mark Twain was right when he said "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".

I came back from Italy to temperatures in the mid 70's to low 80's with no rain in sight. Children are back in school so it is less crowded during the week.

My cousin David came to visit from Denmark so we took  him and his family to Sonoma to taste some Pinot Noir on a Thursday. It was a perfect day of temps in the high 70's. The wineries were empty and the harvest was finishing up. We had a relaxing day of sitting outside tasting wine and at one of the wineries we had a cheese platter.

My advice is that if you are in the area visit any one of the wine regions in California. From Sacramento you have the foothills, Napa, Sonoma and Lodi. If you can, go mid-week. You won't be disappointed.

End of Our Italy Vacation

We were flying out of Milan which is less than an hour from Lake Como. We had a very early flight so I booked rooms at the Holiday Inn at the airport for the night before. What that did was give us almost a full day in Lecco, a short drive to the airport to drop off the cars and a relaxing evening before getting up early the next day for our flight. All went as planned and we had a van take us to the airport for our flight.

We flew Brussels Airlines and Air Canada with stops in Brussels and Toronto. One thing I didn't expect was we cleared US immigration in Toronto so when we landed in San Francisco we were treated like a domestic flight and we were out of the airport in no time. I use off airport parking, Skypark, and by luck the shuttle was waiting for us at the curb as we left the terminal. It turned out to be the fastest I have been on the road from an international flight.

This was a great vacation of visiting family, seeing sites and tasting wine. Since it was my brothers first time to Italy it couldn't have gone better.

Here are random pictures from our trip.

Lecco

Sign with history of Lecco

Lecco is a city on the southeastern shore of Lake Como in northern Italy. It is about 31 miles from Milan which makes it a great place to end your Italian vacation if you are leaving from Milan. The Bergamo Alps rise to the north and to the east. It is a very beautiful area with a lot of history. Excavations found that there was a Celtic settlement before the Romans. The Romans built a fortified military camp and made it an important road hub. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the Lombards captured the town in the 6th century. Later they were followed by the Franks who made the seat of the countship. At some time it was ruled by Gian Giacomo Medici.

If you read the sign, in 1336 Lecco was made into a walled in city with a moat by the Lord of Milan. The Sforza Dukes of Milan from 1466 to the 16th century built the castle creating a fortified port on the lake. In 1782, Emperor Joseph II abolished the fortress by selling the castle to private buyers. The ruins of the wall and moat can still be seen today. Bridges were built over the river and it is now easy to get back and forth from Milan.

Today the city is full of shops, restaurants and ferry landings. You can rent a boat or hop on a ferry to many destinations on the lake. It is also the beginning for trails that you can hike up into the Alps. In the winter there are ski areas close by.

We had a relaxing last day of shopping and dining at some of the many outdoor cafes.

Lake Como has many beautiful destinations. The city of Como is another one as well as Bellagio.  You won't go wrong staying at any of those destinations. Como and Lecco are probably the easiest for getting back to Milan. 

Hotel Villa Giulia, Valmadrera

View from our terrace

Now a little on accommodations at Lake Como. I like to stay on the Malgrate and Lecco part of the "Y". It has a quiet vibe with beautiful views. I have stayed at the Clarion Collection Hotel Griso in the past. This hotel sits up the hill from the lake with beautiful views of the lake, Lecco and the Alps. Each room is a suite with a large terrace facing the lake. We really enjoyed staying there.

This time I booked rooms at the Hotel Villa Giulia, Valmadrera on the same side of the lake. The hotel is about a mile further up the lake and sits right on the waters edge. Our room was a suite with a large terrace facing the water. Being closer to the water was nice and the restaurant has outside seating with a great view. In the mornings we had the breakfast buffet as we watch the wind and kite surfers play in the water. At night we brought wine out on the terrace as we relaxed and enjoyed the view of Lecco lit up at night. Dinner was exceptional as our waiter made the meal very enjoyable. Where the Hotel Griso is very good it has a chain feeling. The Villa Giulia has more of a family boutique feeling.

I would stay at either one. If you stay at the Villa Giulia make sure you ask for a room with a lake view. 

View from terrace

Our terrace

Little cafe on the lake by hotel

View from hotel

Lecco at night

Sunset on lake

Renting a Boat on Lake Como

Used in Casino Royal

We stayed in Lake Como for about three days and the second day we rented a boat. There are many ways to see Lake Como. You can drive to the many cities and towns around the lake, you can also take ferries from one place to another or you can rent a boat like we did.

We rented the boat in Lecco from Fabio at Lino Noleggio. The cost to rent a boat on Lake Como is cheaper than you think. For a full 8 hour day the cost was 330 Euro. Fabio meets you at the boat and goes over everything you need to know. The boats have GPS so he can follow where you are and help if you need to get somewhere specific. He also suggested a place to eat for lunch and made reservations for us.

Lake Como is huge and there is no way you can see everything in 8 hours. If you want to see something specific like George Clooney's villa you will want to rent a boat on that leg of the "Y". However we were able to see a lot more than we expected. There are two villas that were in the Bond movie Casino Royal, one where he shoots the guy at the end of the movie and the over where he is recovering from an injury. Bellagio is on a piece of land jutting out into the lake where the legs of the "Y" come together. As you boat up the coast there are villas everywhere to see and with the Alps in the background it is a beautiful site. We ate lunch @ Hotel Villa Aurora Lezzeno Lake Como just past the Bellagio where we tied up off shore and they came out to bring us in. And then there is the city of Como which we didn't have time to see. All in all it is a nice relaxing way to see the lake.

It was a beautiful day and we stopped to go swimming twice. We also brought cheese, salami and bread for snacks. At the end of the day Fabio was there to great us and we were on our way back to the hotel. What a great way to see the lake.

For information on the boat rental http://linonoleggio.com/en/

If you don't feel comfortable renting a boat then check out a ferry. They have regular schedules and you can get to almost anywhere around the lake.

Another lake close by worth seeing is Lake Lugano just across the border in Switzerland.

Relaxing on the lake

What a beautiful day

Lunch on the lake

View from restaurant

Bellagio

Bellagio

Lake Como

View from our room.

On a vacation like this I like to see as much as I can. We did a lot of walking and a lot of driving. So, at the end of the trip it is nice to relax so you don't feel exhausted when you get home. In Italy my favorite place to end a trip is at Lake Como.

Lake Como is not far from Milan which makes it easy to get to the airport. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Italy with the lake and alps side by side. The lake is in the shape of a "Y" and is huge. You can drive around the lake or tour by boat. I like to stay in a town called Malgrate which is at the end of one of the short legs of the "Y". The reason why I like Malgrate is that it is right on the water facing the lake with the city of Lecco on the other side and the alps beyond that. It makes for a beautiful view. In the morning you can watch the wind surfers and kite surfing as you walk along the water. Later in the morning you can go into Lecco for shopping, dining and siteseeing.

We stayed at the Hotel Villa Giulia, Valmadrera which is right on the water with incredible views. More on the hotel later as well as details on what to see and do in the area..

After three days at the lake we were relaxed and ready for the flight home.

Lake Como 

Montepulciano

Leaving the Amalfi Coast we took two days to get to Lake Como. We decided to stay in Montepulciano for the night. The drive to Lake Como from Amalfi was about ten hours and Montepulciano was exactly half way.



Montepulciano is a medieval and renaissance town in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits atop a ~2000 ft ridge and is known for it's food and wine. There is a walking street just below our hotel with wine shops, restaurants and artisan shops. If we were staying longer I would have explored the many wine shops and restaurants.

Our hotel, the Hotel La Terrazza di Montepulciano was quite a find. It sits up high in the town and is close to the main walking street. Driving there can be tricky. We had a hard time driving through the small streets and actually had to park the car down the hill and walk up. One we were there we met our host, Roberto, and everything changed. He had reserved two parking spots in front of his hotel and took me down in his car to show us the way back. Following him was a lot better than our navigation system.

Roberto and his wife made our stay very enjoyable. They are both so nice. We met an American from Texas that knew Roberto and had stayed at his hotel seven years ago. He decided to retire in Montepulciano and never regrets the decision. For breakfast the next day we not only had breakfast but we had a feast. We had pastry freshly baked by his wife, meats and cheeses, yogurt, fruit and any kind of coffee we wanted. Roberto takes a lot of pride in his hotel and it shows. I wish we had more time to stay there.

Roberto also showed us the easiest way to get back on the highway by driving me outside the town himself. I don't know where we could have received better service. Please consider Montepulciano and Roberto's hotel if you are in the area. If you want to have a great wine experience Montepulciano would be a great base for a Tuscany vacation.

Views from Montepulciano