Hey, what’s up?

I’ve been a bit MIA these past few weeks—life got busy, and blogging took a backseat. Time has been scarce, and my mood? Let’s just say it’s been doing somersaults. But hey, this blog isn’t going to write itself, so let’s rewind to my most recent (read: a month ago) and final Europe trip—Italy!

This Italian escapade stretched over nearly nine days, so brace yourselves—this will be a multi-chapter tale. There were five of us on this journey: me, the self-proclaimed Passenger Prince; Hasha, our human GPS and tour guide; Adam, our excellent (and occasionally reckless) driver; Danial, who doubled as a backup driver and full-time influencer wannabe; and finally Sara, the sleeping beauty who was perpetually hungry. Royalty, chaos, and friendship—all in one car.

Three of us—Hasha, Adam, and I—flew in from England. Sara joined from Wales, and Danial made the biggest leap, flying all the way from the one and only Malaysia. We all converged in Milan on a lovely Saturday evening, ready to kick off the adventure.

Milan, however, greeted us with… chaos. Turns out there was both a football match and a concert that evening, which meant the city was buzzing—and not in a good way. Rubbish everywhere, crowds galore, and a general sense of “maybe not again.” Hasha and Adam swore Milan wasn’t usually like this (and I tried to believe them), but between the overpriced food and sketchy vibes, I don’t see myself rushing back any time soon.

Still, we made the most of our only evening in the city. We ticked off the Duomo, admired the Duomo di Milano, wandered through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (basically a very fancy shopping centre), and passed by the Piazza Castello Fountain. Classic tourist checklist: complete.

The true gem of Milan, however, was our Airbnb. It looked like it was plucked straight out of an Italian indie film—arched doorways, charming corridor, slightly creaky but romantic in all the right ways. I forgot to take photos of the apartment itself, but I do have a picture of Adam smelling a flower in the corridor. It’s giving strong Romeo and Julietenergy… if Romeo was sniffing daisies and Juliet had ghosted the balcony scene.

The next day, we set off for the stunning Lake Como—by train, of course. Our ever-reliable tour guide (that’s Hasha, not Adam—we like our travel plans with a side of structure, not chaos) had already booked all our tickets in advance. What a gem.

The journey took about an hour, and while the views along the way were gorgeous, Mother Nature was in a bit of a gatekeeping mood. Trees blocked most of the scenery, and whatever pictures I did manage to snap were either a blurry mess or came with bonus branches in the frame. (Nature: 1, Photographer Wannabe: 0.)

The train dropped us off in Varenna, and I just have to share a picture of the station. It felt uniquely charming, and—plot twist—we had to cross the railway tracks to get to the other side. No bridge. No tunnel. Just vibes and mild danger. Honestly, it was my first time doing that, and I felt like a rebellious extra in a low-budget Italian indie film.

We didn’t linger in Varenna just yet—we were saving that for later in the evening. Instead, we hopped on a ferry to Bellagio. I have no idea how much the ticket cost because, once again, our incredible travel manager Hasha handled everything. (I might be a Passenger Prince, but she’s the CEO of logistics.)

If you’re planning this trip yourself, I’d suggest taking a morning ferry—the queues can get long, and it’s nice to avoid melting in line. Speaking of melting, it was 30°C and humid enough that I thought we’d taken a wrong turn and ended up back in Malaysia. I made the right call wearing shorts that day—future me was proud.

Bellagio was charming in every possible way. We parked ourselves in a shady park to chill, and that’s when I captured this moment: the Sleeping Beast (Sara) and Influencer-in-Training (Hasha) lying on the grass like they were in a perfume commercial.

The town was buzzing with tourists, and for good reason. The stairs were picture-perfect, straight out of an Italian romcom. The shops? Quaint, colourful, and overpriced—just how we like it. After some souvenir shopping (yes, fridge magnets were involved), we took the ferry back to Varenna and finally explored that side of Lake Como.

On the ferry ride back to Varenna, we were treated to an absolutely stunning view of Bellagio, framed by what I thinkwere mountains… or hills. Honestly, I still can’t tell the difference. If it’s tall and looming in the background, I just go with “majestic terrain” and move on.

One of Varenna’s main highlights is a place called Villa Monastero. We didn’t actually go into the villa itself (budget travellers, unite), but we did explore the botanical garden attached to it—and let me tell you, it was gorgeous. Think romantic walk meets Instagram photoshoot potential. The garden stretched on quite a bit, so if you plan to walk to the very end, maybe don’t wear your flimsiest sandals.

We bumped into a group of friendly Americans who kindly offered to take a group photo for us. (Shoutout to them and their top-tier camera skills.) And yes, the dramatic line-up pose? That was courtesy of none other than Sara, our sleepy beast with a secret talent for choreographing group photos.

Overall, I’d give Bellagio and Varenna a solid 6 out of 10. They were beautiful, no doubt—but they felt like one of those places you visit once, admire, take a hundred photos of, and then feel no pressing need to return. Still, it was definitely worth seeing at least once in a lifetime (just maybe not twice in a lifetime).

Alright, grazie for sticking around until the end—and stay tuned for the next chapter of my Italian adventure.
Until then, ciao! 🇮🇹