Lake Como Part One

Sunday morning (June 3rd) we were up early to grab breakfast before taking the train from Milan to Lake Como. (I had some amazing focaccia bread with tomatoes which was the perfect start to the day!) After a one hour train ride we were at the lake! Our Airbnb host picked us up from the train station to drive us to our BEAUTIFUL place for the next few days. We were grateful for the ride because it was basically straight uphill from the station. After a tour of the apartment we decided to just spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. That night we ventured down the hill into the town of Bellano and ended up having pizza at a restaurant right by the lake. It started to rain a little bit but we luckily made it back to the house before it really started! 

Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One

The next morning we took the ferry to Bellagio after a quick croissant at the same restaurant we ate at the night before! The rain from the night before continued into the next day but it cleared up right as we made it to the gardens at Villa Melzi. The gardens were stunning,  I especially loved the water lilies. After visiting the gardens we headed into the town to wander around and had the best pasta at Far Out. I tried the pappardelle noodles and Dale had the gnocchi. Next we did some shopping before taking a ferry to Varenna. I took so many photos that day I decided to split our afternoon into its very own post, be on the lookout for that soon! 

Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Lake Como Part One

June Around The Web

Happy summer, friends! Between our Europe trip and settling back into real life at home this month has flown by. I'm really excited to get into a routine in our new house once Dale starts working July 1st! And of course there were still some great finds around the web this month, starting with this adorable pineapple cake I am planning on making when my sister Grace (who turned 14 this month!) comes over for a sleepover later this summer. Enjoy!

Enjoy those long summer days!


Milan, Italy

Ciao! On June 1st we arrived in Italy, possibly my favorite country in the world. We took the train from Nice and headed straight to our next Airbnb to drop off our bags. First up was pizza (Dale's favorite food, so I was especially excited for him to experience this first pizza in Italy!). After eating we took a short nap before heading out to explore. We saw the Columns of San Lorenzo and then got coffee (and a lemon soda for me). We were lucky to be very centrally located so the Duomo was only a short walk from our Airbnb. That night we had dinner at a restaurant near the canals designed by Leonardo da Vinci before heading to bed. 

Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy

The next morning we headed straight for the Duomo! On our way we grabbed coffee and croissants at a restaurant right by where we were staying and then got our tickets. The line moved pretty quickly, especially since we had chosen to take the stairs to the roof. We enjoyed the beautiful views of the city before entering the cathedral (the marble floor was my favorite part of the interior). By this point we were really hungry and found a restaurant a few blocks from the duomo for lunch. I ordered the pesto pasta and Dale of course had pizza. We had to get gelato for dessert, too. Next up we walked to the Francesco Sforza Castle before buying our train tickets to Lake Como for the next day. We had dinner at a different restaurant near the canals, and stopped by the Duomo so I could feed the pigeons! Milan is the perfect quick stop on the way to Lake Como, especially if you are in the mood for shopping. I can't wait to share our dreamy few days in Lake Como next! 

Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy
Letters Are Lovely | Milan, Italy

Nice, France

Our last full day in France started off with a drive back to Nice. Dale and I were both sad to leave the French countryside and decided to take advantage wine country with a quick stop at a winery. We ended up buying some rosΓ© to drink that night at Chateau Saint-Pierre. After that we finally got our rental car dropped off and we took a bus to our Airbnb. This was the first real look we had at the CΓ΄te d'Azur and the blue water really is just as spectacular as its said to be! After dropping off our bags we headed straight to the beach and rented an umbrella at the Neptune Plage. 

Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France

After a couple hours at the beach reading and enjoying the bright blue water we ate lunch and then changed before walking around old Nice and the town square Place Rossetti. I treated myself to a chocolate crepe with cinnamon ice cream at Fenocchio and then we continued exploring. That night we called my grandma to wish her a happy 80th birthday and then watched a movie before bed. It was the perfect relaxing day in Nice! 

Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France
Letters Are Lovely | Nice, France

Southern France Part Two

Our second full day in Southern France began with kayaking through part of the Gorges du Verdon! When Dale and I started planning our Europe trip visiting the gorge was at the top of our list and I have to say it exceeded our expectations! That morning was a little rainy and the part of the gorge we were kayaking on was pretty quiet (near Montpezat) and really beautiful. The trip to the dam and back took around two hours and then we went back to our Airbnb to change before heading on to the town of La Palud-sur-Verdon! 

Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part One
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two

Seeing the bright blue part of the gorge was possibly my favorite moment of our entire trip. It's stunning! We took lots of photos before heading to the Route des CrΓͺtes. I don't know why we hadn't realized it before our trip, but the part of the gorge seen most often in pictures is really the end point of a river flowing through a huge canyon, not too different from the Grand Canyon! Our drive through the mountains gave us the best views, even if the road was a little terrifying. The river in the gorge empties into Lake Sainte-Croix, which I was surprised to learn is a man-made lake. I'm really grateful to our Airbnb host for sharing the directions for our drive, it's a must-see part of the area. After exploring the gorge we headed back to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie because we didn't have too much time to explore when we ate dinner there the first night. 

Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two

I went a bit crazy on our walk through Moustiers-Sainte-Marie taking pictures of all the roses! I couldn't help it. Dale and I also hiked up to the church in the mountain above the town, the view was amazing. Our last stop of the day was Ste. Croix du Verdon, a small village right on the lake. The town was oddly quiet, and there were lots of cats, but it was also one of the prettiest villages we had visited. We had one last dinner in Riez, Italian this time, and then headed back to the Airbnb to pack for our drive back to Nice the next day! 

Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two
Letters Are Lovely | Southern France Part Two