Liguria, Piedmont, and Valle D'Aosta During Ferragosto!

     Ferragosto, google "Italy during Ferragosto, some Google sources will tell you not to go, some of my American friends that love Italy told me not to go, even some Italian friends told me, don't go to Italy during Ferragosto! So needless, to say, I had to go to Italy during Ferragosto. 

                               

    Ferragosto is the national holiday period in Italy where a large number of the country has vacation to travel to parts of Italy or wherever in the world, people advised me not to go because "Everything would be closed" or the "beaches will be insanely crowded." While there was a little bit of truth to this, I found Ferragosto to be not only delightful, but a really great time to visit! Now I'm considering living in Italy eventually, so besides the whole rebel in me to travel when I'm not supposed to, I also thought it was important to visit in August, because maybe one day I'd be living there and would be forced into Ferragosto anyway. 

 

     I'm trying to visit all regions of Italy, at the time of writing only Calabria remains, and I hope to hit that this summer. This trip I wanted to see Liguria, Piedmont, and Valle D'Aosta. It was a great combination of beaches, mountains, and the city. Some places it was very obviously Ferragosto, some places were like any other trip I've done in Italy. So I'll break down region by region highlight of my trip, and Ferragosto tips if applicable.

Liguria Genoa, and Cinque Terre

                                                   

•  The Ferragosto holiday began in Genoa first tip came as soon as I arrived, apparently Genoa is a city in Italy that is not public transport friendly to and from the airport. I decided to try anyway, it was a pretty long walk to the train station, made extra long due to construction, and it was pretty hot that day, as I was sweating I thought, it's all good I will be able to cool down once I get to my Airbnb.... But no....
  
  
• Air Conditioning is not very common in Genoa, I've heard this about many Italian cities, but in the 19 regions I've been to out of 20, I've never seen it more common than Genoa. It was rare to see a building with Air Conditioning, the Museum of Natural History even warns visitors it doesn't have AC. I found that odd, doesn't the artifacts need a certain temperature to stay preserved? Oh well... Other than the first day, I was fine, a nice fan at night was more than enough. The stuffy apartment made me make sure I enjoyed Genoa more.
  
                                                    
  
  
• Visit Christopher Columbus's childhood home!
  
                           
  
• Porto Antico Of Genoa is definitely your day time tourism hub, the Aquarium, the Biosphere, the Neptune Pirates Film Ship, were a few great stops to make. 
  
  
  
• Don't have time to get to Cinque Terre? Boccadasse beach was a great place to spend a couple of hours, and it looks a lot like the Cinque Terre beaches, I won't tell anyone...
  
  
  
• Then it was off to The Cinque Terre...
  
  
  
• I decided to stay in Rio Maggiore, mainly because it was the best Airbnb I could find with an excellent view.

• The highlight of my two nights here was definitely just the little town of Rio Maggiore, a lot of time on the beach, and pier front, I really only walked into town for dinner, and odds and ends. Most of my time was spent swimming, enjoying the vibe, and a little hiking around the area.
  
  
  
  
• I did also do a boat tour of all 5 towns, and this was a great way to see a glimpse of the other towns and enjoy a nice boat day with some drinks and snacks included.
  
  
• August was perfect for the beaches, it was a bit crowded but by no means over crowded and EVERYTHING was open.
  
  

• Next was a brief stop in Torino, I wanted to go to Valley D'Aosta but logistics was going to make it a really long drive, and Valley D'Aosta is one of the few parts of Italy that is very difficult to manage without a car. I came back to Torino for the finale, so we will save Piedmont for last. Let's drive to Valle D'Aosta!
  
  

Valle D'Aosta

Castle Savoy

       I made the best travel mistake I ever made in Valle D'Aosta, for some unknown reason, my GPS was set to avoid toll roads, this makes no sense as where I live there are no toll roads. It sent me on an adventurous 5 hour drive (2 hours when I came back and realized the error), through countless little towns, mountains, streams etc. I only went north for a night, but here's my appetizer preview of what I loved about Valle D'Aosta!

Mountain Food

• Drive... Definitely the best way to see it, and although I do not like driving through old cities, the ones in Aosta Valley were fairly manageable, just remember a one way street may be two ways, parking can be difficult, but so many little spots made the drive incredible. 
  
  
  
  
• While Genoa was sweltering hot Aosta had me wearing a sweater, and when some light rain came it was quite chilly, so make sure to pack double climate gear if you are doing more than this region.
  
  
  
  
• Fortress of the Bard was an epic castle turned into a museum, Savoy castle is straight out of a Disney movie, but be advised reservations are needed to enter. Fenis was a great spot as well on the castle tour.
  
  
                           
                                                
  
  
• Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso, this was where Ferragosto was obvious. Parking was extremely difficult in areas by the trails. I was able to park, but then the trails were busy, especially the easier ones. However that being said, the park is well taken care of, and people respect it. A few "Bon jours" as there were apparently many French neighbors there, and a some friendly waves, but in no means was it a reason not to enjoy it in August.
  
  
  
  
• I had this very epic late lunch on the drive back down to Torino, but like many things in travel, it was random, I had no idea where I was going, and I have no idea where it is today. The joys of not doing everything by Google.
  
  

Piedmont, Turin

                             

   The last leg of my Ferragosto adventure, before Rome, Roma La Citta Eterna, was the capital, there was Turin.

                                          

• The bad news here was Ferragosto was very obvious, a lot of retail stores closed, a handful of restaurants closed, the good news, it had zero effect on tourism, all museums were open, plenty of night life and dining options, and added bonus, zero crowds, even at the most famous places in Turin.
  
        
  
  
• This was a heavy museum part of the trip, the Mole, the cinema museum, the Egyptian Museum, the Royal Palace, I definitely found myself in awe wondering from one museum to the next.
  
  
  
  
• The Po River was a great way to spend days and late afternoons, it's lined with little bars and restaurants to enjoy a drink or a nice snack, also some beautiful parks to stroll through.
  
  
  
  
• The last thing I will touch on, was oddly one of my favorite parts of the trip, the streets had very little traffic and a lot of dedicated bike lanes, Lime Bike has a contract there, I found myself in lieu of taxis for longer routes, walking to a nearby Lime and cruising, then I enjoyed it so much I did it lazily for short rides, and finally I would just rent one and go nowhere in particular, something was extra special and fun to just cruise the old cobble stone streets in an electric scooter, was never in the plans, but made for a really fun element of the trip!
  
  
  
  
  

     So if you made it to the end of the article, Italy during Ferragosto was a resounding yes! The way I said it best talking to friends, if you are going to remodel a bathroom, start a business, start university or something like that, don't go. But if you are going to enjoy Italy, it's a great time to go! I've now been to almost every region as mentioned. I'm excited to say that the plans are in motion this year to finish Italy with a July summer trip to Calabria. Every trip has been epic, with it's own little flavor, and enjoyment. This country has it's own section because I've done many trips here, and as a dual citizen of Italy (another article long in the works), this beautiful country will always be a part of my life.

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Sardegna

      I'm sitting at a coffee bar at a gym in Cagliari in Sardinia, this is a place famous for the supercentenarians (the folks that live over 100), it is one of the largest lifespan communities on the planet. I drink a protein shake after a workout, and of course it's Italy, so they also have espresso there which I drink after. Me and the barista make some good conversation, and I have to ask... "So how do the people here live so long?" She gives a playful laugh and looks at me as she puts her hands up and does a 360 as if showing me the whole island from inside the café, "Haha, look at this place!". And with that simple answer, I knew she was right.

     I knew from my research and friends that had been there that I wanted this to be a trip when it was warm, but I also wanted to avoid the peak of summer season. So the end of September seemed like the perfect time. Which it definitely was, but I also definitely still ran into some pretty crowded places that I cant imagine being there in the summer! I also wanted to see the whole island, or at least a lot of it. Some people like to travel slow, some like to do it more like a sampler of a little of everything. For me it really depends on the place, my schedule, etc. With that in mind, I decided to do the best of both worlds, hitting small towns and rural areas for a day or two, while I spend more time in the capital city of Cagliari. My trip looked like this:

-Cagliari 3 nights
-Alghero 2 nights with a stop to Bosa on the way
-Costa Smeralda 1 night
-Villasimius 1 night
-Cagliari 2 more nights

It could not have been better, but I will note, some of the days definitely started early to hit the road for the next town. Here's my quick tips for each place I visited:

Cagliari

                          

• The most likely place you will fly into, best for exploring the south, but the drive to Alghero is only 3 hours that included my stop in Bosa, stay as long as you like there of course. We will get to that. 
  
   
  
  
• At the start and end of the trip I stayed in Corso Vittorio Emanuale II. This was a great area for nightlife, bars, dining, any shopping that was needed, and really all access to the areas of the city I visited. I never took a train other than to the airport. Very walkable, safe at night, and fun.
  
                                
  
  
  
  
  
• Bastion San Remy, Centro Storico, and the Port were definitely fun, but the best highlight was day 1....
• I highly recommend booking a day out on the boats, I did mine on Airbnb, sailing around the area, stopping at great swim holes, and of course local wine, and snacks. Best part of the Cagliari leg!
  
  
  
  
       
  
  

Bosa Road Trip On The Way To Alghero

Arrived!

• Next was the road trip to Alghero, and I wanted to stop somewhere on the way to break up the monotony of the road. Bosa seemed like a beautiful place to check out. I didn't drive along the coast, so I will note the drive was fairly uneventful. I hit the road early with a goal of spending a couple of hours exploring Bosa, and being in Alghero while day light was still up.
  
  

  

  Quick stop exploring the alleys of Bosa
  
  

• Bosa is a beautiful little town to explore for a day or two. I arrived and parked outside the old city, which is a golden rule for driving into any old city. I made my way on foot to the river crossing into the city.
  
  
  
  
• Getting up to the top to check out Castle Serravalle was well worth it. Excellent views, and a great castle to visit.
  
         

Alghero

                   

• The drive went as planned and I arrived in Alghero around 3/4pm. After driving through I can safely say the old city is no doubt where you want to be as is the case with a lot of parts of Italy. The closer to the water, the better.
  
                                 
  
  
• The plan was to visit Neptune's Grotto one day, and explore beaches the next, but as travelers I always say we must plan on things not going as planned. Neptune's Grotto was closed due to high waves. I read this the morning I was set to go, and still drove there in hopes of change. When it didn't change I decided to spend the day exploring beaches. I would love to tell you I remember where I went, but I just played with the map, and went where it looked like it would make sense. I will say, some of these places... I may have gone off road a bit with the rental! Proceed with caution as this may not be allowed by the companies you rent from!
  
  

                               

• A quick gelato at the end of the day to celebrate a recovered mission
                                 
                                                          

Costa Smeralda

• The drive for this morning was going to be about two hours, but I decided to start having fun before checking into the hotel so I stopped at a town called Santa Teresa di Gallura for a full day tour by sea of Maddalena Archipelago. 
  
                 
  
  
• The Boat tour! Just like Cagliari, this was the best way to see the coast, we stopped at multiple islands, this tour was long! Almost 8 hours or so, but well worth it. It included a full lunch, and of course drinks and refreshments. The water here was certainly the crystal blue waters I imagined when I booked the trip. 
  
  
  
  
• I read a lot about La Costa Smeralda, in particular how it was the one of the most expensive parts of Europe synonymous with millionaires, tycoons, CEO's, celebrities, etc. Luckily I was at the end of the season and didn't have any issue with this. I will also note, I didn't go to any fancy restaurants, or any night clubs. Prices may have been a little higher than the other cities, but certainly nothing that broke the bank.
  
  
  
  
• I stayed at the Dolce Vita Hotel, which was easy to access nearby beaches on the coast, it also had a hot tub on the roof with a view of the sea, which after a long day on the boat was an epic ending to the night there.
  
  
  
• As beautiful as the water is, and the beaches, I will note, if you come in summer and prices are crazy, I felt the same beauty in all the other beaches I had seen in Alghero and Cagliari, but of course happy I got to spend some time here.

Villasimius

• The next day I had left open, I knew I wanted to check out the east coast to see more of the island, but I didn't know if I wanted to head back to Cagliari on a long driving day or stop somewhere on the way. With the magic of last minute google searches I found Villasimius.
  
  
• This was the longest drive, about 4 hours. But I did route it on coast which certainly had some nice spots to pull over and enjoy the view. 
  
  
• My main interest  in this last minute spot was scuba diving! I decided I had fun on the two boats rides, and beach days, it was time to see Italy underwater. My first dive in Europe. Certainly not the best dive I had ever done, but we met some nice Italian fish down there, and it was a cool and different thing to do. I had left super early to make it there for a 2pm ish dive. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I will also note this was where one of my best meals were. But as many non-professional travel bloggers, I can't recall the name of the restaurant so it will have to be in my heart only unless I ever go back and find it again.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Back To Cagliari

            

     The next day was an easy one hour drive to Cagliari, I returned the rental car as I planned one spending the rest of the time in the city doing normal city tour things, as well as catching up on laundry, blogging, etc before heading off for a few days in Napoli and Rome, two cities that I had already been to, but was more than happy to return to!

     I spent those last few days living life as a Sardinian, they say in Sardinia you are Sardinian first and Italian second! Some time on the beach, some time in the gym, the coffee shops, the restaurants, and of course the beautiful ports and the beautiful waters. As I headed to Napoli and the plane was taking off, I watched the landscape and the beautiful sea disappear as we ascended into the clouds. Before it faded I couldn't help but hear the playful voice of the barista... "Just look at this place..."

Enjoy my video on Tips For Driving In Sardegna!

                      

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