Looking to escape? Here are two recent trips local readers took to the Sorrento Peninsula and Perugia in Italy. Check them out, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.
ITALY: John and Angelo Zorn from Novato spent three nights at Astapiana Villa Giusso, a 17th-century monastery overlooking the Sorrento peninsula and Bay of Naples. Now a sprawling estate with guest houses, the former monastery provided the Zorns with “world-class, old-world hospitality,” they said. They were given private, in-depth tours of a beloved farmhouse and served food grown on the on-site vineyards. “A highlight was having dinner on their terrace watching the sun set over the Mediterranean.”
TRAVEL TIP: “Rent the smallest car you can. The roads to the monastery are winding and narrow, and sometimes just one lane!”
ITALY: San Mateo residents Rosalie and Cary Shaw visited their son, Andrew Shaw, while he was studying abroad in Florence. But it was their day trip to Perugia that left a lasting impression. They discovered the annual Eurochocolate Festival, then visited The Giuditta Brozzetti.
TRAVEL TIP: The Shaws recommend lunch at Osteria a Priori and a chocolate truffle making class at the Perugina Chocolate Factory. “After the class we visited the factory store where we found unique and delicious candy to bring back home,” Cary said.
San Mateo residents Rosalie and Cary Shaw took in the sights of Perugia while visiting their son, Andrew, who is studying abroad in Italy. (Courtesy of the Shaw family)
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