5 ‘Must Do’s’ when visiting Aviano, Italy

“Mom!, I’m pregnant” was the first thing my daughter told me on Christmas morning of  2018.  Oh, she and her husband had known for almost 6 weeks, but wanted to surprise us for Christmas.  Boy! Was I happily surprised!  Of course, I couldn’t know by her appearance because I hadn’t seen her physically since they moved Italy – the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.  My son-in-law is in the U.S. Air Force and stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy.

When they’d first received orders to Italy, I had planned to visit towards the end of their tour; but with this best news ever, my trip to Italy was placed on the fast track.  At this point, I had 7 whole months of waiting, planning and waiting for my first grandchild to make his grand appearance. 

Since this was their first child, I wanted to be there for them in anyway I could, but of course I couldn’t take off work for the next 7 months. I sent a representative instead! I made arrangements for my teen-aged daughter to travel to Italy during her Summer break. When I say made arrangements, I meant purchase airline tickets.  I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t purchase International flights often, so I was a bit apprehensive to hand over $1200 to an airline to ensure my 17- year old makes it to Italy in one piece.

I spent many a night online, trying to find the flight unicorn: an inexpensive flight without many layovers.  As my luck would have it, I went to Google Flights and saw a flight with Turkish airlines that was $300 less than what I’d previously viewed the night before.  It did have a 2-hour layover in Istanbul, so I was a little bit anxious to press that “book” button.

I ask my 17- year old daughter how she felt about the layover and with the eye roll of a know-it-all teen, she said surely she could get from point A to B without getting lost.  In my mind, her getting lost was the least of my worries. I squashed my fear and anxiety with a prayer and booked the flight. Needless to say, in June, my daughter made it to Marco Polo airport in Venice, Italy unscathed. 

I waited as long as I could to book my flight because of my work situation, so when I finally firmed up my dates, the flight prices were outrageous!   I searched endlessly for a decently priced flight, but was getting discouraged daily.  Out of frustration, I decided to try Wowfare.com.  The reviews weren’t exactly stellar, but I had reached my desperation point.

 I submitted my dates, destination, the desired amount I wanted to pay, my phone number and email address on the website and within minutes received a call from Jessica. She wanted more information “in order to assist me better”.  I told her that I preferred a direct flight or no more than a single layover and I wanted to keep my price as close to my desired amount as possible.

 

 

I must tell you – I wasn’t optimistic because I’d been scouring ALL available websites in my scope and nothing was even in my range.

About 30 minutes later, Jessica called back with a direct flight to Marco Polo on a Delta flight, but the return flight had one hour layover in Paris…..all for $10 more than my desired amount!  Was I skeptical?  Heck yeah!! My heart was beating like hummingbird’s wings when I said “Let’s book it!”

Over the next 10 days, I kept waiting for my flights to be canceled or something liking to what other Wowfare reviewers had experience.   Contrary to other wowfare customers, my flight went as planned and I arrived at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport as scheduled and unscathed.

Yes! I’d made it to Italy and one of the first things I noticed as we drove to Aviano was the lushness of everything – the trees, the grass and the small vineyards, even the air smelled fresher.  I stayed in Italy for a month and time flew by because there was just so much to see and do. I spent most of my time with my expectant daughter and her husband, but we made sure to make some great memories . Check out our list of ‘Must Do’s’ when you visit Aviano, Italy

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Here are 5 “Must dos” if you find yourself in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.

 

 

 

 Bessich Winery

On my first Friday in town, we went to Bessich’s monthly Wine & Pizza event.  At this event, we receive tastings of four glasses of wine and the combination of four types of pizza.  Because one daughter was pregnant and the other daughter was 17 years old, they received bottle water with their pizza.  Jon, my son-in-law and I, had fun sampling the amazing wine offered at Bessich’s.  The pizzas were made in only the way Italians can make them – delicious!  This was a great introduction to Italian wines and Italian pizza. I was impressed!    If you’re stationed at Aviano or happened to be visiting someone who is, put this event on your ‘Must-Do’ list.  You won’t be disappointed. 

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 Sentiero Naturalistico di San Tome

If you find yourself near the town of Budoia with a few hours to kill, do yourself a favor, put on a pair of comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots and walk/hike up to the Sentiero Natuatlisctico di San Tome.  I cannot pronounce the name of this park, but I can tell you that it is a beautiful place.  I stayed in Budoia during the month of August and walked 2 miles to this park and the adjacent trails at least three times a week.

The foliage, the mountains and vast views were breathtaking.  The trails although not paved, were lined with small river rocks and in some places, it was a simple gravel, but very well maintained.  Along the trails, were blackberries waiting to be picked and beautiful flowers sprouting out of rocks.  During the weekday, I may have passed one or two hikers on the trail, but on the weekend, the park was abuzz with family picnics, avid bikers and adventurers looking for a fun time. One of my last days in town, we made it a point to have a celebratory lunch at the park which borders the nature trails.  Another ‘Must-Do’ for the region, but don’t forget to bring the comfortable shoes.

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 Bibione Beach

If you look at a map of the Aviano area, you’ll notice that its not located near a body of water, so you’ll have to travel at least an hour for a beach activity.  The first beach we chose during this visit was Bibione Beach.  Bibione beach is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and boasts of almost 6 miles of pristine, beach sand. We marveled at the efficiency of the umbrella/chair rentals and how every section had their own facilities.  Whether you like sunning or swimming, this beach has everything that you’d want in a beach and more. In my book, that’s what makes it to my ‘Must Do’ list. P.S. The water is cold…but refreshing!

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 Lake Barcis

My daughter had sent me pictures of Lake Barcis when they first moved to Aviano, so it was definitely on my list of places to go when I arrived.  We didn’t actually get a chance to go until after she’d given birth because it was over 90 minutes away from Budoia. It was worth the wait. 

Lake Barcis is located at the foot of the Dolomite mountains and to get to it, we had to drive through some of the longest tunnels I’ve ever been through. I was totally awed by the engineering that went into making these magnificent structures.

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Maybe because we went on a weekday, but the parking lot was almost empty and we saw only three other souls as we walked around the lake.  While there, we noticed camping facilities and a place that rents canoes. As we were walking around, we found (or she found us) the resident goose looking for a snack.

With the mountain as the backdrop, this lake shown in full glory as the sun glisten across her waters. If you ever tire of the hustle and bustle of other Italian tourist destinations, place Lake Barcis on your “Must Do” list for a breathtaking step back to nature.

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Hotel Vina Del Mar  Penata

To give the new parents some space, I decided to spend a week at a beach resort with my 17 year old daughter.  I searched online until I found exactly what I was looking for: Hotel Vina Del Mar  Penata in Jesolo, Italy.  This 4-star hotel is located directly on Jesolo beach.  This hotel has it’s own private beach area decked out with beach chairs and umbrellas.  It has so many relaxation areas that I had to make some tough choices as to where I wanted to spend my day.  My go-to spot was the shady area right next to the bar. Don’t judge!

One of the reasons I chose this hotel was the free breakfast option and boy, they did not disappoint.  The breakfast buffet included pastries, fruit, eggs, crepes and croissants of many kind.  This may have been my favorite thing about the hotel. 

During the evenings, my 17-year old daughter and I decided to explore more of Jesolo.  We visited the Tropicarium, The Wheel of Venice and many of the stores located in the outside malls.  They also had amazing sand sculptures in this area and it was cool to just walk around to each sculpture, sit awhile and people watch. 

Each evening, we also found a different restaurant for dinner.  Being not so adventurous with her palate my teenage daughter ordered The Diablo every night.  This is Italy’s version of a pepperoni pizza – except spicier.  I, on the other hand, had seafood dishes that were prepared superbly every time.  Did I mention the house wine at the restaurants?  We visited 5 restaurants for dinner and I always ordered the house wine and I wasn’t disappointed a single time. I’m not a wine snob, but I like my wine and the restaurants in Jesolo did not let me down.

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If you’re doing Northern Italy on a budget, do yourself a favor and check out Hotel Vina Del Mar  Penata and all the attractions in Lido di Jesolo.

When I told people that I traveling to Italy for a whole month, most asked if I planned to visit all the touristy places people often visit in Italy.  Although those places are still on my “To-do” list, I wasn’t necessarily there to be a tourist.  I was going to bear witness to something even more spectacular – my grandson’s birth.

Alas, he was born 10 days into my Italian adventure and after that, everything else paled in comparison.  Whether you’re planning a family trip or traveling solo, do yourself a favor and make time for the smaller ‘Must Do’ places around the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

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If you’ve visited any of my “Must Do” locations, I’d love to hear about them, so leave me a comment!