4 Days in Bolzano: An Alpine City in Northern Italy (2026 Guide)

04/10/202306/10/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

Updated July 2026
Dan and I kicked off a Oktoberfest Eurotrip with a four day stay in Bolzano, Italy. Bolzano, or “Bozen” in German, is the capital of the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige and the third largest city in the Alps. I had been wanting to visit this area forever, and it’s only a four hour train ride from Munich, so we made it our first stop on the trip! This article details what we did with our limited time in Bolzano.

Historic tunnel entrance welcoming visitors to Bolzano's old town

A lovely welcome to Bolzano – our hotel was right next to this little tunnel.

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A Food Tour in Old Napoli (Naples, Italy)!

07/04/202307/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Since starting to travel to Italy over a decade ago, I had always been cautioned about visiting Naples (or, properly in Italian, Napoli). I’ve heard its dirty, rough around the edges, not pretty and at its worst, plain dangerous. I trusted that most of these stereotypes were overblown, but prior to 2022, I had only passed through the Naples train station en route to the Amalfi Coast. Well, I finally got a chance for a brief visit in May 2022, and I throughly enjoyed it. I stayed in the tourist center during this visit, but I found Naples to be beautiful, safe enough (for most tourists, a pick pocket or the crazy drivers are probably your biggest worry), and home to some absolutely delicious food. To hit some great spots, Dan and I signed up for a food tour with Eating Europe and that was a great way to eat our way through the tourist center.

Street side groceries.

We met the rest of our food tour, which was just one other family visiting from Germany, in the GORGEOUS Galleria Umberto I. Galleria Umberto I is a fabulous old shopping mall, which reminded me a lot of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milano (but with less luxury stores). I could not help but pick up a few souvenirs before our tour started… Regardless of tours or shopping, every visitor to Naples should pass though the Galleria Umberto I – its free to enter and not far from the train station and ferry port.

Entrance to Galleria Umberto I.

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Unpopular Opinion: Rome Cavalieri Is Just Not That Great

24/02/202307/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Last spring, Dan and I took a last minute trip to Ischia (Italy) and Rome due to changing jobs. We just happened to have two Hilton Free Night Certificates that we needed to use, and the Cavalieri, Rome’s rumored “best hotel” and, conveniently a Hilton-owned property, had available rooms. We booked immediately, despite my concerns that the Cavalieri was too far out of the heart of room. This post details our stay at the Cavalieri, and explains why I think the Cavalieri is totally overrated. We also spent time in Naples on this trip, where we took a food tour of the old city. For a first visit to Rome, see our 3.5 day Rome itinerary.

Sunset on our last night in Rome.

THE CAVALIERI HOTEL AND ITS LOCATION

The Rome Cavalieri is a Waldorf-Astoria property that is “set on Rome’s highest hilltop and boasting panoramic views of the Eternal City and St. Peter’s Dome.” In reality, the hotel sits on a hill about six kilometers outside the center of Rome, which equates to a 25 minute drive or a walk of over one hour to the heart of Rome. Notwithstanding the distance from Rome’s city center, the Cavalieri is very popular with celebrities visiting Rome, even Obama stayed here when he was President of the US.

View of the hotel from the pool. You can see what I mean.

The hotel itself is located in a brick building that looks like a conference center from the 1980s – this definitely needs a refresh. The interior of the hotel is decorated better, but it still seems stuck in the 1990s. Setting aside the decor, the Cavalieri is located on its own “campus,” with the hotel having everything that a tourist may need on site – restaurants, bars, shops, ATM, pool, spa, gym, etc. Indeed, one could spend a week here and not leave (except … you are in Rome!).

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Restaurant Review: Checchino dal 1887, Rome, Italy

24/02/202307/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

All'amatriciana at Checchino dal 1887, Rome.

Late last Spring, Dan and I found ourselves in Rome unexpectedly. This gave us an opportunity to try new restaurants that we otherwise may have missed (i.e., with more time to make reservations). Dan decided that he wanted tripe, which is a Rome delicacy (at least to some), so I set out on the world wide web to find fantastic tripe in Rome. Not surprisingly, a restaurant in Testaccio came up multiple times, which is an area well-known of its offal based cuisine. I called and made a same day reservation. We also took a food tour of Testaccio with Eating Italy on an earlier trip.

Rome in the Spring.

We taxied from our hotel, the Cavalieri, and arrived at Checchino dal 1887 about 20 minutes later, where we were greated with our reserved table. I suspected Checchino dal 1887 was old-school due to its location and description online, but I underestimated how old school. Checchino dal 1887’s dining room is a true blast from the past, with a domed ceiling and wood paneled walls lining the restaurant. Old Rome drawings, advertisements, announcements, certificates, books and paintings line the wall, and there is a real fire place in the restaurant. Our friend Jenna, who joined us for dinner, described it as as “so old school, there are even cobwebs on the lamps.” LOL, this was actually true, but in the best way possible.

An adorable table at Checchino dal 1887.

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Restaurant Review: Osteria Al Squero in Venezia, Italia!

11/11/202207/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday coming up in the United States, I am writing about a fun restaurant that I have been to on two separate US Thanksgivings in Venice – Osteria al Squero! While I love this place, I will disclose that Osteria al Squero is by no means a secret or even “off the beaten path.” In fact, Osteria al Squero is listed in many a guidebook, including Rick Steves (with whom I have a love/hate relationship, LOL), and it definitely falls into the “touristy” category. All of that said, Osteria al Squero is still a fantastic spot for tourists to try cicchetti, or “Venetian tapas” for those not in the know. This article details how to enjoy cicchetti at Osteria al Squero. Our second Thanksgiving visit was during our three days in Venice in November 2021.

Osteria al Squero!

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