The next stop – and, because it had started to rain, the last one – was Marone.



The church San Martino.

I went to Bergamo. Now you might be wondering why I’m writing about a car park. Because this one is very unusual. I drove past it once because the entrance looked rubbish. But as it was pouring with rain and I couldn’t find anywhere else, I ended up going in after all. Oh man, I regretted it bitterly as soon as I’d passed the barrier.
It involved driving through a very narrow passage and then up an even narrower spiral ramp. You might be able to manage it in a Fiat Panda, but with my car and its particularly fancy alloy wheels, it’s not possible. It was a case of eyes shut and go for it; the drive up was characterised by a constant screeching noise on the right and noticeable resistance as I drove.
It’s actually quite fun because you imagine what the alloys must look like at the top – after all, the set costs nothing. Once at the top, I assessed the damage: essentially, the tyre had been scraped along the bevelled edges of the kerb. A few dents have been added to the mix, though. Whatever happens, I’m not driving into dubious bits like that again.



At least you had a pretty good view of the installation at the roundabout.

La Pasqualina is an ice-cream parlour and café in Bergamo that has been awarded 3 coni by Gambero Rosso.


Really excellent gelato – I highly recommend it.

A small church in the modern center of Bergamo.

The last church of the trip, and this time another basilica.

We have now reached our final dinner. The restaurant at L’Albereta used to be run by Marchesi and held three Michelin stars. It retained one star for many years after that, but has since lost its star. Enrico Bartolini is now in charge. As far as I can tell, however, it has still not been awarded a star.


The menu



Small bites




We opted for the surprise menu. This is what we were served:

We also took the Plant Elixir, the non-alcoholic drinks pairing.
The food and drinks:




















































The bill

A sumptuous menu – in my opinion, of Michelin-star standard. That said, the bill was just as impressive. Nevertheless, the food is well worth recommending compared to the hotel.

That's it for this post. Let's see if I start a new one. I'm not quite sure yet.

Thank you. I enjoyed reading about your tour.

I hope you will make a new post. It's been very interesting following your journey and seeing the luxurious hotels and meals that you have experienced.

(And I also kinda like your cynical humour )

Thanks. Returned yesterday from a trip to Dresden and Berlin. As I said, still not sure, but most likely I simply start writing

Thanks for the detailed trip report! I will be headed to Slovenia later this year and you helped me add (and delete) some items from my itinerary.

That´s good to hear

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences! My better half comes from Ljubljana, so it was nice to see some familiar places and mark others for future visits (JAZ, Breg, and LJ Opera).

I haven't been to Hisa Franko or planning to visit any time soon, but I know some Slovenian friends who have dined there and stayed overnight. Given the location, it could be a better experience, but it's a huge investment of time and money. I think the region, including Italy and Croatia, offers better value and also many nice options from Michelin/Gambero Rosso, although Hisa Franko does look like a special experience.

Portopiccolo was interesting, too. I visited the beach and walked around the town last year. The mix of a "gated community" vibe, luxury boutiques, and boats with almost NO ONE around is really strange. Otherwise, the area between Duino, Miramare, including Trieste is quite nice and still "under the radar."

Portopiccolo really is a strange place. Hisa Franko is well-reviewed; you could almost go there just for the food.