NYC Departure & Milan Arrival
We gave ourselves plenty of time to make our 8:30pm departure from JFK (one of the worst times b/c of traffic) but were able to relax in the KAL Lounge for an hour or so. The Air Italy plane was brand new (A330) and business class was lovely with great seats, legroom and service. The flatbeds afforded some access to sleep (more for Jeff than Stephanie) but it set us up for a much better day when we arrived in Milan the next morning.
Malpensa (MXP) was virtually empty when we arrived and we sailed through passport control and customs. Upon arriving to our car rental agency (SIXT) we were informed that, although we had reserved a 5-series BMW (or something similar), none were available. This was made even more frustrating by the fact there were so many nice cars at the SIXT lot we would have been happy to take, but they were all either German or French plates (and so SIXT could not legally rent to us in Italy). We ended up waiting 2hrs for a 3-series to be returned and cleaned for us to take. Silver Lining #1, they gave us a 50% discount on the rental for our inconvenience.
We headed to the Italian Rivera hoping to find a place for lunch in Genoa that would still be serving lunch after 2:30...we were going to arrive around 3:15 based on the on-board GPS. Stephanie found ONE restaurant that would be open all day. Zoeffirino became Silver Lining #2; it is a beautiful place, opened in 1939 and has hosted many celebrities and politicians. Notably, we sat at Frank Sinatra’s table and the last three Popes have been presented with their famous pesto. The meal was amazing and we ended up leaving with the pesto recipe and a free bottle of wine (the same that was served to us at lunch)!
Feeling good about our first stop on the trip, we headed to Monterosso al Mar in Cinqua Terre. We found our hotel, parked in their private lot and took a walk to see the town and stretch our legs. A nice drink on the water was followed by dinner at (XXXX) and a well earned night of sleep to prepare for the next day’s adventure.
Malpensa (MXP) was virtually empty when we arrived and we sailed through passport control and customs. Upon arriving to our car rental agency (SIXT) we were informed that, although we had reserved a 5-series BMW (or something similar), none were available. This was made even more frustrating by the fact there were so many nice cars at the SIXT lot we would have been happy to take, but they were all either German or French plates (and so SIXT could not legally rent to us in Italy). We ended up waiting 2hrs for a 3-series to be returned and cleaned for us to take. Silver Lining #1, they gave us a 50% discount on the rental for our inconvenience.
We headed to the Italian Rivera hoping to find a place for lunch in Genoa that would still be serving lunch after 2:30...we were going to arrive around 3:15 based on the on-board GPS. Stephanie found ONE restaurant that would be open all day. Zoeffirino became Silver Lining #2; it is a beautiful place, opened in 1939 and has hosted many celebrities and politicians. Notably, we sat at Frank Sinatra’s table and the last three Popes have been presented with their famous pesto. The meal was amazing and we ended up leaving with the pesto recipe and a free bottle of wine (the same that was served to us at lunch)!
Feeling good about our first stop on the trip, we headed to Monterosso al Mar in Cinqua Terre. We found our hotel, parked in their private lot and took a walk to see the town and stretch our legs. A nice drink on the water was followed by dinner at (XXXX) and a well earned night of sleep to prepare for the next day’s adventure.
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