Elementi Fine Dining – A Christmas Michelin Experience

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 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.

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.

Elementi Fine Dining – A Christmas Michelin Experience

The main dining room at Elementi Fine Dining.

Continue reading →

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

Borgobrufa Spa Resort, Brufa, Umbria.

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!). For another relaxing Italian hotel stay, see our review of Hotel Raito on the Amalfi Coast.

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

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

Umbrian countryside from Borgobrufa!

Umbrian countryside from Borgobrufa. We love these trees!

One more at sunset!

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

Continue reading →

Ristorante Galleria – A Fine Spot For An Early Lunch In Milan, Italy

When Dan and I spent 24 hours in Milan earlier this year (after visiting Bolzano, the Dolomites, Innsbruck and Munich for Oktoberfest), we wanted to squeeze in lunch before leaving for the airport at 1:00 PM. Problem is, most restaurants do not open until 12:00 for lunch in Milan! We later rounded up a few restaurants near Milano Centrale as well. I searched the internet high and low and eventually found Ristorante Galleria inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. While I assumed it would be super touristy given its name and location, I made an 11:00 reservation and we showed up right on time after visiting the Duomo. The night before, we had dinner at Ratanà. We returned to Milan in fall 2024 for another quick 24 hours.

Ristorante Galleria – A Fine Spot For An Early Lunch In Milan, Italy

Ristorante Galleria in summer (well, September).

View from our seat inside Ristorante Galleria.

View from our seat inside Ristorante Galleria.

Continue reading →

The Dolomites: A Photo Tour.

The Dolomites, Italy.

Dan and I spent a day in the Dolomites in September 2023 when visiting Bolzano. We found the Dolomites to be absolutely STUNNING and really want to return and spend a week in the Dolomites with a car. I could not possibly sum up our day with words, so here are some photographs of our visit. I definitely suggest spending several days in the Dolomites – its absolutely worth it! For a very different Italian landscape, we visited Matera in southern Italy in 2025.

The Dolomites: A Photo Tour.

Officially in the Dolomites!

Continue reading →