just got back and figured id share some brief comments. this is our second time in camogli and honestly, we plan to be back regularly. was a perfect beach destination but only recommended if you stay at cenobio dei dogi. and if you do go, make sure you have a room in their ‘newer’ building with views of the sea.
camogli was our base with our young son but frankly, we felt like it was our favorite destination as well. dinners at cenobio dei dogi on their patio, cucina di nonna nina up in san rocco, ostaia da o sigu were our favorites. izoa was also good but a bit more new school. they did have labet jura bottles for 80 eur which was a treat.
we spent one day at san fruttuoso and had lunch as usual at da laura. they moved to inside the abbey from the beach front since our last visit but both times were special. just had too many bees flying at lunch. it was so hot that we ended up leaving around 2pm. if you do plan to go to san fruttuoso, make sure you take a ferry before 10am and reserve beach chairs or the place will be unenjoyable with too many folks on the tiny beachfront.
we drove into genoa for one evening and will probably skip it next time. we had a nice dinner at trattoria della grazie (seemed like by far the most popular spot close to the port) but generally, the town is a bit run down and not my favorite.
cucina di nonna nina’s food is not as good as it used to be. i think nina either died or not around anymore. its still worth visiting though. the walk from the car park area to dinner overlooking the sea was one of our favorite moments. dinner was very good overall with a nice crowd but the food wasnt as memorable as i remember it to be.
wine wise, we had some okay bottles. frankly, i just dont love ligurian wines. the whites are a bit more alcoholic and poorly integrated than i prefer. the superiore rossese wines tasted more of oak than anything unique to the area. my best wine was that labet chardonnay at izoa.
we drove to milan and stayed at senato hotel milano. perfect location for us and our third time at that hotel. my only gripe is after 7-8 years, it needs a bit of a tune up.
best dinner in milan was…by far…rovello 18. man oh man, probably best food, wine, service we had overall. we chose a rosae from rinaldi which is rare in the states. it was cheap and overdelivered. i think the wine director has it on the list for a reason.
had a pretty expensive dinner at da giacomo arengario overlooking the duomo to show our kid. the food was better than i expected it to be actually. i had dinner at spazio a few years back and this was much better but…it is what it is.
piz was a pleasant place for a casual dinner or pizza. no wait and was super cheap. nice to take a break from cotoletta and pesto every night.
overall, had a great time and just missed being in italy so much. italy was clean and…well run…at least lombardia, piedmont and liguria. felt like milan was a little quieter and depressed than pre covid but mostly due to the end of the summer closures.