When to go to Ventimiglia

FRIDAY!!!

This passed Friday, we went to Ventimiglia, which is a quaint little Italian town just across the France-Italy border. Ventimiglia literally means "twenty miles" and this town is about 4 stops after Monaco on the regional Cote D'azur train. This commute is only about an hour and a half and 9 euro train ride from where I live in France.
I have been wanting to go here ever since I first arrived on the French Riviera at the beginning of January because I've heard such lovely things about the market. Every Friday, even on Christmas day, there is a market that takes over this tiny town. I was expecting the market to be quaint, just like the town, but in actuality the market is about 5 kilometers long, winding through the streets and around corners and stretched out along the promenade. Little white tents are set up like dominoes selling everything from leather goods, to jewelery to pashminas and clothing , to oil and cheese. This market is also widely known as being one of the best "black markets" in all of Europe, so obviously I had to check it out.
I was in the company of my lovely mother who loves looking for a great deal back home in Canada, and she was beyond thrilled to learn that I was taking her to Italy to spend a day at a renowned marketplace. Thrifting is her paramount hobby and she is very good at it, so I was happy to experience this market with someone like her.
We arrived in Ventimiglia at about quarter to 11 and followed the crowds of people that come from all over France and Italy to explore this market and all it has to offer. Every Friday the town averages about 5,000 visitors, which is alot for a place with a population of 55,000. We walked, almost like a herd, towards the rows of tents. I told myself not to buy anything within the first hour, because I would probably find a better deal further along. But, of course I couldn't help myself and bought a pair of beautiful grey leather boots almost immediately. After a couple of hours of nosing around and purchasing more amazing finds, we decided to sit out on a patio along the Mediterranean for lunch. The weather has been back to being lovely again, and it has been sunny almost every day for the past week and a half with an average of 15 degrees. I love it! We also took a couple cappuccino breaks and managed to lose eachother for about half an hour in the crowds of people. Luckily, we had a meeting point in case something like that happened, which isn't completely out of the question for two women in a shopping frenzy. After finding eachother again, it was almost 5 o clock and the market was starting to shut down.
The market is usually open from 8am-5pm every Friday and even though Ventimiglia is a beautiful town, I wouldn't suggest going on any other day. If you can go early on a Friday morning, you can experience the market before lunch and then venture around the town afterwards to see all the other sites it has to offer: like, the Romanesque cathedral, the old town and the stunning views from the beach.

I will definitely come here again!!

The only two things to do in Milan

1. Visit the Duomo

2. Go shopping

I'm sure that many people would disagree with me, and this is purely my own opinion, but these are the only two real things I would suggest to anyone when visiting Milan. Milan is definitely a more industrial metropolis rather than a majestic city riddled with history and remarkable sites. However, Milan does offer some impressive European architecture in the center around the Duomo area. This architecture is typical throughout Europe though, so I wasn't overly impressed with it.  Especially the Duomo itself. Yes, it's beautiful and gothic, but once you've seen one church in Europe - you've seen them all. Especially after visiting the Vatican, no other cathedral will ever amaze you the same way again, it's all downhill from there.
Anyways, back to Milano, the Duomo is like the Dundas Square of Toronto, or the Times Square of New York. It's where it's at. All the events, protests and spectacles take place around here. There was actually a large protest demonstration there on Sunday, but I couldn't tell you what for. Alot of people holding signs, alot of green smoke, and alot of Italian polizia.

Moving on to the second thing to do in Milan...The shopping is obviously one of Milan's biggest allures as it is one of the fashion capitals of the world. You walk through the streets and see every name: Dior, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Valentino. But this is the same as every other major city, so who cares? I only went to my usual stores anyways, which are nowhere near that calibre, so Milan's shopping wasn't that glamorous to me.
I'll go on further to suggest that if anyone is visiting Italy in the future, just stick to the "tourist trio": Rome, Florence and Venice. Or if you want to be more adventurous go to the Cinque Terre (which is my favourite place in Europe) or Naples to eat some pizza or Capri to drink Limoncello. Anywhere but Milan.
It's not that I didn't have a fantastic weekend, and I don't mean to complain. I went with some amazing people and had some amazing times. I also ate alot of incredible Italian cuisine: gnocchi, panino, bruchetta, spaghetti, pizza and apperitivo. Apperitivo is this amazing Italian tradition, like eating over drinks. Most local bars and restaurants offer this. It's when you pay for a drink (in our case it was 8 euros) and then you are free to eat an all-you-can-eat buffet style appetizer bar. The options were endless: (prosciutto, bruschetta, pesto penne, charcuterie platters, potatoes, vegetables, etc.) So, the drink I ordered was the Capiroska, which is a tall glass just filled with vodka and crushed ice accompanied with a lime section and a bunch of sugar. Sooo strong but soooo good!!!
But you can experience this incredible apperitivo evening anywhere in Italy, so go somewhere more lovely!!! Like Roma!!!

 Happy traveling!!!


Here's some fun pics... Nicole and I being tourists ! ;)