Like prosciutto rolled in mozzarella cheese (74FR2658)

Soon, the loneliness lifted, the clouds parted, and I was able to see Italy in a new light -- sunlight. The day I headed to Lake Garda on a bus from Verona, the sky was as blue as the water (top left). During my hike around the isthmus at low tide, I admired the Castello Scaligero (top right) and the Grotte di Catullo (bottom left). I skipped going inside either, preferring to enjoy the weather and a Aperol spritz at a cafe next to the Roman ruins (bottom right).

 

 

From the lakeside, I walked back into downtown Sirmione, a tight set of nearly pedestrian-only streets (left). I found lunch at Trattoria La Fiasca, where I had tagliolini (a pink version made with red wine) covered in lake perch and asparagus. To accentuate the noodles, I chose a Ricchi merlot from local Garda winery (right).

 

With my stomach sated, I headed to the Aquaria in Terme di Sirmione to satisfy my other muscles. The lakeside hot springs cost 15 euro for the first hour and 10 euro for each thereafter (left). The 25 euro I spent for two hours was absolutely worth it, although the "required" flip-flips were definitely a 9-euro rip-off; luckily, I got out of buying a swim cap, which probably would've been another 9 euros. The outside pools were the highlight of the springs, especially on a sunny day (right), but it was hard not to head inside to the sauna circuit, which had four kinds of steam baths and four kinds of showers.

 

The way to end a perfectly sunny day is with a sunset -- and a crema antica-chocolate gelato from Cremeria Bulian. I used the fading light to take my one and only self-portrait (top left). And I had lots of company, both amateur photographers taking selfies and professional videographers filming a soap opera during the "golden hour" (top right). In the end, I was able to find some solitary solace in the sunset right before I caught the bus back to Verona (bottom).

 

 

On my way from Verona to Milan, I headed to Parma to fulfill my mission of getting an anniversary present for TJ. I admit, I took the scenic route before I focused on my objective. I admired the sight of changing leaves in Giardino Ducale (top left), the sound of a busking accordionist near the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (top right), and both the sights and sounds of a rebelling flea market near the Universita degli Studi di Parma (bottom).

But of course, I had come to Parma for its famous ham, also known as prosciutto. The downtown store La Prosciutteria had an extensive and enticing selection of meat (top left). I picked up a hunk for TJ from the smaller Salumeria Garabaldi, where I also managed to snag a sample of pecorino cheese. A little while later, I sampled some fresh prosciutto at Trattoria Corrieri, where I ate lunch (top right). I paid 17 euros for a 3-course menu, which I accompanied with the house red wine, a Lambrusco-style Romeo served "frizzante," or with spritz. My first course was risotto alla parmigiana, another famous product from Parma (bottom left). My main course, involtino al tacchino (turkey rolls), were stuffed with Parma's culinary supercombo, prosciutto and parmesan, and covered in a white wine sauce. My dessert was an authentic tiramisu, which was almost as big as the involtinos (bottom right).

Still focused on food, when I reached Milano, I started my city tour with a stop at Mercato Communale Coperto Wagner, which proved my detour to Parma unnecessary. The market was full of ham and cheese, including stacks of parmesan wheels (top left). But it also had plenty of fruits and vegetables; I especially liked the baskets of "to-go, take-home meals" like minestrone (top right). A couple of stops on the subway brought me to Parco Sempione, which I circumnavigated to see the many sides of Castello Sforzesco (bottom).

From the park, it's a straight walk down Via Dante to Milan's embellished Duomo (top). The admission fee was just as extravagant as the cathedral's facade, so I admired the architecture in the company of a cappuccino and brioche at nearby Bar Motta instead (bottom left). I also decided a salame and mozzarella fried panzerotti at Luini Panzerotti was a much better investment in Italian culture (bottom right).

The popular panzerotti shop was just around the corner from Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, whose astounding arches were being sullied by the presence of riot police (left). Just across the plaza, a union parade passed the famous Teatro alla Scala as part of a transport strike (right), which apparently happen so much that people track them on blogs. Later in the day, the subway shut down, which prompted some serendipitous tram rides.

The tram rides were a pleasant surprise as a way to see the city, which I needed after a series of disappointments. There was no old book market in Piazza Diaz. Down the street, the food emporium Peck was way overpriced, with nothing less than 5 euro. When I reached the entertainment district of Navigli, I quickly realized any hopes of a canal tour were dashed by trash (left). With my afternoon plan shot, I headed to Corso Buenos Aires, but then I realized that I am not a shopaholic, so I walked to Giardini Pubblici Indiro Montanelli, where I refueled with a dog-watching and book-reading fix -- and the best hot chocolate ever (right).

But I forgave Milan for all the let-downs because of its "apertivos," or happy hours. I settled in for my first cocktail buffet on my first night, in the design district of Brera (left). The most highly recommended spots were either too crowded or too pricey, so I settled in at Fiori Oscuri, where I paid 7 euros for a chianti accompanied by rice, focaccia, bruschetta, quiche, and meatballs (right); with my appetizer dinner, I also got a show, of a British woman giving a poor English lesson to an Italian man.

On my last night in Milan, I headed to another trendy spot, Corso Como, where designers, including Tom Ford, dine during Fashion Week (left). I did the completely unfashionable thing by going to Ganas, where I bought a 7-euro margarita to get a buffet of chicken nuggets, quesadillas, fajita roll-ups, BBQ sausages, croquettes, quiche, chips and salsa, pesto-like guacamole, and veggies. By now, I was acting like a local and even being treated like one; I was asked for assistance twice, and one time I was even able to direct a man to the Metro, through the use of Spantalian (bad Spanish mixed with bad Italian) and questionable hand gestures (I was much more helpful in Verona to some English-speaking Asian tourists, who I was able to show the right bus at the train station).

 

But for my last supper (incidentally, Leonardo da Vinci's version is on display in Milan, but I didn't get tickets to go see it), I went full-on tourist at Osteria del Gambero Rosso. Even after all the appetizers during apertivo, I still ordered osso bucco with risotto alla milanese and a hearty Karnera, a hercule stout by Cittavecchia that the menu said was selected in consultation with the University of Beer. The meal was completely indulgent, but then again, so was my trip to Italy, making it an appropriate food baby to carry back to Pakistan.