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Cinque Terre at Christmas
The Italian Riviera’s Cinque Terre coast boasts five colorful, centuries-old villages perched on rocky cliffs. In December, the off-season, the villages are quiet and picturesque, adorned with Christmas decorations. We explored Manarola, with its world-record nativity scene, and hiked around the viilages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Our apartment in Manarola offered stunning sea views and proximity to the nativity scene. We savored local specialties like pesto, trofie noodles, focaccia, and Vino Delle Cinque Terre. Despite most restaurants being closed, we enjoyed a wine tasting at Enoteca Internazionale in Monterosso. Parking in a nearby garage made our stay convenient before heading to San Gimignano.
Pasta Coleslaw
Pasta Coleslaw
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 1/2 cups dry ditalini pasta noodles (cook according to directions and chill in refrigerator until cool
- 1 10 oz bag angel hair coleslaw
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1/2 English Cucumber diced
- 4 sweet mini peppers assorted colors diced
Dressing
- 1 1/3 cup Miracle Whip Dressing
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- combine salad ingredients (keep noodles seperate) refrigerate
- whisk together dressing ingredients and refrigerate
- Right before serving combine refrigerated pasta, salad and dressing and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Costa Rica Adventure Road Trip
Itinerary
Day 1 Alajuela
We arrived in San Jose in the evening. We arranged to rent a van for 10 passengers. Once we loaded up we headed to our hotel in Alajuela. It was late and the owner suggested we order pizza from Pizza Hut. They delivered it to our hotel. The crust was totally different then Pizza Hut here
Day 2 La Fortuna
La Fortuna is the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park. There are hot springs in the area heated by the volcano. It is fun to visit the hot springs while you are there. We arrived in fortuna in the afternoon. We got checked into our hotel then went back into town for dinner. After dinner we went back and spent the evening at the hot springs at our hotel. We went on a nature walk on the grounds of our hotel.
We stayed at Chachuaga Rainforest Resort and Hot SpringsTo visit hotel website Click Here
Day 3 & 4 Monteverda
The next day we headed to Monteverde. We headed over a pass that was a scary drive, on the way we stopped at a water fall and hiked. There were alot of hummingbirds at the waterfall hike.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This is where we went ziplining. We ziplined and nature walked at Selvatura. We also went hiking in monte Verde to see howler monkeys. After zip lining we had lunch in town.
We Stayed at Hotel Trapp Family. They were very nice rooms with private bathrooms. We felt like we were in the middle of the cloud forest. For more info on Hotel Trapp Family Click Here
Day 5 Tamarindo
Tamarindo is known for beaches and surfing. We enjoyed surf lessons while we were there
We stayed at
I would also recommend checking Hotel Diaria
Day 6 -8 Manuel Antonio
Famous National Park of Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio is known for being one of the most biodiverse places on earth
Where we Stayed The Falls Boutique Hotel. It was a wonderful hotel with beautiful grounds. We enjoyed the swimming pool and special drinks. We also really liked the restaurant here for dinner. To visit there website Click Here
Day 9 Return to San Jose
Return to San Jose. On the way back to San Jose we stopped to see crocodiles. Once we got close to San Jose we visited a coffee plantation. we stayed at hotel very close to the airport
How We Got Around Costa Rica
We rented a van and drove the whole the whole time we were in Costa Rica
Montagnana Italy at Christmas
Montagnana Italy is a walled medieval city with a history that spans thousands of years. We were here for one evening during the Christmas season. We pulled into Montagnana around 5:00 and our only plan for the evening was to visit the Christmas market, have …
Christmas Market and Dinner at Munich airport
As we landed at the Munich airport we were expecting a long layover. In anticipation of exhaustion and tired travelers I reserved a Hilton Hotel room right at the airport. We had a 6 hour layover and we thought it would be a good spot …
Venice in December
Christmas in Venice was an amazing holiday experience. Venice starts decorating for the Christmas season in early December. The museums are open with shorter hours, there are Christmas markets to visit, the gondoliers are busy giving gondola rides, and yes there is even a slight chance of snow. While we were in Venice the weather was clear and the sun was shining. The average high this time of year is 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The beautiful part of this time of the year in Venice are the smaller crowds.
We arrived in Venice late after 11 pm. Our hotel had arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at the airport. Our water taxi driver found us after we collected our bags. We had our heavy coats and hats with us. It was cold out but we were comfortable. even though it was late the buildings were lit up. The taxi took us right to our hotel. We spent two night in Venice. We had one full day and one half day. On the second day, we left in the early afternoon and headed on to Montagnana Italy.
Accommodations
Al Ponte Mocenigo – To visit their website Al Ponte Mocenigo
We all loved where we stayed. The rooms were clean and comfortable. Breakfast was included. It was wonderful to take the water taxi right to the hotel.
Food Experiences
Cichetti local finger foods, served at happy hour at local bars in the lagoon
Rossopomodoro Pizzeria excellent pizza and very busy. Near St Marks Square
Osteria Al Nono Risorto Historical with venetian cuisine. wonderful in the fall when you can set outside in their garden. for more info Osteria Al Nono Risorto
Osteria Mocenigo This was a very good restaurant, with Venetian food. We made reservations in advance. It was wonderful because the food was excellent and it was very close to our hotel. The restaurant was very busy and we were happy we had reservations. Our hotel made reservations for us.
Pasta Go Espresso We also tried Pasta in a box which is Italian fast food, You pick your noodle (they cook it fresh) and you pick your sauce. It is served to go in a box. This was a new Venetian experience for us. It was fast and inexpensive. Next time, I would like to Try Dal Moros Fresh Pasta to go. They are the original to go pasta and have 12,000 4.5 star reviews on Trip Advisor, To see them on Trip Advisor Dal Moros Fresh Pasta to Go
Christmas in Venice
What We Did
When we left our hotel It was a ten minute walk to the Rialto Bridge
From Rialto Bridge 7 minute walk to St. Marks Square
From Saint Marks Square we headed to Murano. It is a 15 minute walk towards lagoon F. te Nove B
When we arrived in Murano we visited a blown glass factory. We had a hard time finding one. You have to pay to go to the demonstration and need a reservation in advance. Luckily, there was room at the demonstration and we were able to get tickets. We visited Elligi Murano Glass. To visit there website Elligi Glass Factory Murano Italy
Once we got back to Venice from Murano we had lunch at RossoPomodoro Pizzeria. It was very good and very busy. It was near St Marks Square
Over the remainder of the afternoon and the next morning these are the additional sights we visited
Rialto Market We visited on our way to Rialto Bridge. It is a large canal front covered market selling fish, seafood, vegetables and pasta kits
St. Marks Square
St Marks Basilica-reserve tickets in advance
Doges Palace and Prison reserve tickets in advance
Campanille -Bell tower in Saint Marks Square
Gondola ride Gondoliers all around town expect to pay 80 euros during the day and 100 euros after 18:00
other places we didn’t make it to, but would like to see
Naval History Museum
Campo San Stefano in San Marco municipality becomes a Christmas Market 10 minute walk from St. Marks Square. We walked there but the market wasnt taking place at that time
Fondaco del Tedeschi View Terrace roof top terrace a top luxury mall with views over Grand Canal
How we Got There
We arrived at The Venice Airport. We had arranged a water taxi to pick us up and take us to our hotel in Venice. When we left Venice we took public water ferry back to airport to pick up our car. It was a Sunday and this was the only rental car location open. This took forever, with all of the stops we had to make. Next time, I would pay for a private water taxi.
Next stop, Montagnana Italy at Christmas
