Christmas and New Year travel

Visiting Assisi at Christmastime!

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Assisi is an absolutely adorable hilltop town in Umbria, Italy, about 35 minutes from our beloved Montefalco, and 2.5 hours from Rome (via train). Dan and I first visited Assisi in 2008 (when we studied abroad in Rome for a summer!) and, although we adored Assisi in 2008, did not return until December 2023! That was a mistake, and we won’t wait so long next time. This time around, rather than a couple nights as we did in Summer 2008, we stayed in Brufa, Italy at the Borgobrufa Spa Resort and took a short (but expensive taxi) to Assisi and back. This post reviews what we did during an afternoon in Assisi at Christmastime!

Dan & I in Assisi, circa Summer 2008.

ASSISI, UMBIRA

Assisi is known to many tourists as the home of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, who was born in Assisi, lived in Assisi, and died in Assisi.  In addition to Saint Francis, Assisi is also home to another famous Saint, Saint Chiara (a lady saint!) and so many churches for a tiny little town. You truly cannot visit Assisi without seeing multiple churches and related religious things.  All the religious stuff being said, Assisi is also a beautiful Umbrian hilltop town complete with views of the surrounding Umbrian countryside and its own ruined castle. I recommend Assisi to, of course, those coming for religious reasons, but also to those in Umbria and wanting to see a gorgeous hilltop town. Stay the night to see Assisi without the crowds if you can, which are worst during the middle of the day when day trippers and tour groups come from all around.

Assisi from the top of town in December 2023.

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Elementi Fine Dining – A Christmas Michelin Experience

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In our recent stay at Borgobrufa Spa Resort over Christmas (2023), we dined at Borgobrufa’s Michelin-starred restaurant – Elementi Fine Dining – on Christmas evening. Our meal was really fantastic, and quite reasonable for a Michelin star restaurant. This post reviews our meal and experience at Elementi Fine Dining. In sum, everything was great and I highly recommend a meal at Elementi!

Elementi Fine Dining.

Elementi is located on Borgobrufa’s property, right behind the main checkin area. The entrance is rather grand, with a main entrance that kind of resembles an American Olive Garden (this is the only thing reminiscent of the OG) and a pretty garden.  Oddly enough, Elementi backs up to Borgobrufa’s other restaurant, Quattro Sensi (which was also fantastic and has a Michelin mention!).

The courtyard beside Elementi Fine Dining.

Once inside of Elementi, the main dining room is quite small, with only a few smartly appointed tables in what resembles, in my opinion, an upscale living room. The dining room gave kind of a 70s vibe, and I was certainly into it! There is also a real fireplace and if you visit in the summer, you will be treated to gorgeous views before sunset.

The main dining room at Elementi Fine Dining.

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Hotel Review: Borgobrufa Spa Resort, Borgo, Umbria (Italia)

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If you know Dan or me personally, you know that we love Umbria, Italy! Its one of our very favorite places, and a strong contender for somewhere that we will move in the future. You probably also know that we love a good spa… Given how much we love Umbria and spas, we decided to spend Christmas 2023 at a spa in the tiny village of Brufa, Italy – Borgobrufa Spa Resort. While not nearly as Christmas-y as our Ireland Christmas getaway last year, our stay was lovely and relaxing. I would recommend Borgobrufa year-round for those wanting a chic getaway without children (the entire resort is child free, but allows dogs!).

Welcome to Borgobrufa! This is from one of the main viewpoints, with their circle logo in the background overlooking Brufa.

Umbrian countryside from Borgobrufa. We love these trees!

One more view of the Umbrian countryside from Borgobrufa at sunset!

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Restaurant Review: New Year’s Eve at The Church, Dublin!

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As I discussed in my last post, we spent last New Year’s Eve in Dublin, Ireland at The Church Bar & Restaurant, which hosted a prix-fixe dinner party. I have been to The Church previously (and wrote about it here), so this post specifically relates to The Church’s New Year’s Eve party.  I am writing this because, despite my best efforts, I could find NOTHING regarding The Church’s New Year’s Eve party online prior to booking.

The Church from the outside (this was in February, not December!).

The Church

As further detailed in my previous post about The Church, The Church Restaurant & Bar is a former church turned modern restaurant and bar in Dublin, Ireland. The building rather old and famous, including the place Arthur Guinness (of Guinness brewery fame) married. The Church is definitely worth checking out on a visit to Dublin, even if you are not dining, and it’s popular with the tourist crowd.  That being said, the crowd on New Year’s Eve was a lot of Irish people; we did not see that many tourists.

The Church from the second floor on New Year’s Eve.

In terms of a restaurant, The Church consists of two floors and an outdoor area, which was closed during our winter visit. The second floor is table seating only and overlooks the first level.  The first level (or ground floor) holds a band area, a GORGEOUS bar, and bar tables and standing space.  Stairs and an elevator, located outside in the silo, connect the two floors.

Reservation for NYE

Reservations for NYE opened in October 2022 (for the 2022/2023 holiday) and were announced via Instagram. To make a reservation, I emailed The Church and asked about options for 9 people. We were offered a table on the second floor with a four course prix-fixe for 120 euro per person. Done. The Church required me to pay the bill in full within seven days of making the reservation, which I did (there was a reasonable cancellation policy). The Church also provided me a sample menu when I booked, which was pretty close to the actual menu presented.

In addition to the sit down dinner, I believe there was also an option to sit in the bar area and have only small bites and a bottle of champagne.  Definitely email for the latest options, as it changes yearly.

The Menu on NYE

As mentioned, the New Year’s Eve menu is pre-fixe and offers a starter (choice of 1 of 4 options), a palate cleanser sorbet, an entree (again, choice of 1 of 4 options), and a dessert plate for each person. The prix-fixe also included a welcome glass of Champagne and tea or coffee after dinner. Our table, which was on the second floor, was assigned a waiter who came around and took everyone’s individual order, and everyone at the table did not have to order the same thing.

The Church’s menu for NYE.

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What We Did In Dublin, Ireland Over NYE!

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To round out our Christmas Irish vacation, after visiting Mount Juliet Estate in Kilkenny and Galway, we spent our last three days, including New Year’s Eve and Day, in Dublin.  This article explains what we did and provides some (hopefully) useful tips!

DAY ONE: IRISH COFFEE, JAMESON & A PUB CRAWL!

We arrived in Dublin around noon on the 30th of December, having driven from Galway directly to our hotel, The Davenport (see below for more info on The Davenport!). Some had a brief rest on arrival, while others walked over the River Liffey for an Irish coffee at Dan’s favorite Irish coffee shop, Vice’s. We discovered Vice’s on a Dublin food tour on a previous visit and now Vice’s is in our permanent itinerary.  As always, Vice’s Irish Coffee was absolutely delicious, and this time we also split a chicken toastie (not nearly as good as the coffee). We also got a little visual tour of Dublin en route; holiday crowds were out strong.

Classic view of the River Liffey.

A trio of Irish Coffees at Vice’s. AMAZING.

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