Ciao, JFC-ers!

I've not long returned from spending the best part of a week on the glorious banks of Lago Maggiore for team JFC's first-ever in-person meet-up. And it was nothing short of fantastic!

Waking up to views over the glistening water, perfectly framed by snow-peaked Alps, is something I didn't quite realise I needed until it hit me square in the eyeballs. In fact, you should all add it to your to-do list if you haven't already! And as inspirational settings go for a productive week of team building, I'd say we nailed it.

Of course, we also had to pop over to visit Maggiore's more famous neighbour, Lake Como (would have been rude not to)! We didn't have time to stop in at George and Amal's lakeside mansion, but we certainly enjoyed the views as we whizzed on past towards the cobblestone streets of Bellagio.

As a company of avid travellers (after all, we're JFC members too!), it was hardly surprising that most of us took the opportunity to extend our trip a little when it all came to an end on Thursday. When (almost) in Rome, as they say… 

For those of us living in and around Europe, it was a great chance to add on a little weekend break in the city or on the slopes. But for my colleagues from the US, Canada, South Africa, and the Caribbean, it was an epic adventure that definitely called for even more! 

I hopped on a flight to Paris with Andrea from Antigua for a whirlwind tour around the sights she'd only ever seen on the big screen before. Meanwhile, Jo, Allan, and Jake headed south for history buffing in Rome and Naples, Marshall set sail for the Greek islands, and Kat headed north for an Amsterdam city break. Phew!

All that to say, readers, that we're just like you. We love to travel, experience new places and cultures, make the most of every trip, and hopefully give you inspiration to do the same. If we've put you in the mood for a bit of northern Italy now, keep scrolling to read some of Flight Finder Fran's top recommendations for things to do near Milan.

Happy travels and safe landings,

The island of St. Croix is dotted with conical, flat-topped stone structures. If you don’t catch them as they fly past your car window, you’ll definitely notice them in the gift shops, where they grace everything from postcards to oven mitts.

One of the most notable of these structures is located at the Cruzan Rum Distillery. That’s your biggest hint, if you haven’t yet figured out what they are.

They’re sugar mills! While these old stone giants are no longer used, they’re a visible record of St. Croix’s long history in rum production. There are a few operating distilleries left on the islands, including Captain Morgan’s (whose reviews were not inspiring) and the historic Cruzan Distillery, (established 1760, 4.7 stars on Google). We knew we wanted to visit one of them, and it wasn’t a hard decision.

So today, I’m taking you along for a tour! We frequently recommend the Cruzan Rum tour in our deals to St. Croix due to good word-of-mouth, so I was excited to finally see it for myself and make sure it lived up to our hype.

Booking

The tour was $25 USD per person and booked on the brand site. I immediately clocked this price as crazy cheap — drinks on the islands were around $10-$15, and this came with two cocktails and four samples at the distillery bar. The tour didn’t even need to be anything special for this to be a great deal.

And while the drinking age in the USVI is 18 (lower than Americans are used to), younger kids can still take the tour, sans all that free booze.

We booked for 1pm on a weekday, which turned out to be the perfect time. The three of us were the only people on our tour. 

The Tour

Our guide was Janae, and she was fantastic. It was clear very quickly that our $25 ticket would have been a bargain even without the free booze. My brother is quite the nerd about alcohol, and she easily answered every one of his questions, most of which I didn’t even understand.

Highlights included a stop at the aforementioned old stone mill (lined by the flags of every country that has ever governed St. Croix, pictured above), several gigantic vats of fermenting goop, and a pipe spewing molasses into a tank.

We were allowed to taste this molasses. Before I bothered to think, I blurted out, “That tastes like molasses!” 

Janae informed me that on every single tour, someone says the same thing, and she will never understand why. 

Towards the end of our journey, we encountered the barrel-maker. Yes, that is “maker” singular, and yes, it’s a person and not a machine.

Turns out, every barrel from Cruzan is handmade by one artisan. Apparently, he’s the only one that can do it just right. We found him sitting in a chair, surrounded by several pieces of wood, and lost in focus. Janae tells us they’re hoping to find an apprentice for him, so… if you’re good with your hands and want to live on a beautiful Caribbean island, continuing a centuries-old tradition surrounded by rum, maybe give them a call. 

Cruzan rum is bottled on the mainland, so our last stop is the delivery trucks. They’re labeled as “ethanol” with no branding whatsoever, which we’re told is for anti-theft reasons. A giant tank labeled “FRESH CARIBBEAN RUM” would simply be too tempting.

The Taste Tests

Janae was also our bartender for the afternoon, so we headed to the bar. It was wide-open, almost outdoor, with a breeze blowing through. There were three of us, which meant we could try six cocktails and 12 samples in total, so we started planning. 

Well, the guys started planning. I mostly sipped on rum punch and enjoyed the ambience.

While we drank, we chatted with Janae about life on the island. By this time, it was after 3pm, and the place was definitely starting to fill up. We left her a good tip, hit the gift shop, and then retreated to the lawn to vibe (and sober up from all those samples).

The gift shop had the usual t-shirt and shot glass wares, along with every single kind of rum we’d tried. Some flavors are extremely rare or unavailable outside the area, but there’s good news — flights from the islands back to the mainland have looser restrictions on alcohol, provided your booze came from the USVI. So there’s really nothing stopping you from stocking up :-)

Between the informative tour, the historic setting, our lovely guide, and drinks enjoyed at a breezy, palm-lined patio bar, we couldn’t have been more pleased. There’s a reason every guide to St. Croix name-drops this spot, and I can happily add myself to its list of fans.

Inspired by our trip to northern Italy, now seems like the perfect time to roll out native Milanese Fran's tips on what to do when you see those cheap flights to Milan…

Franciacorta

Some people like to call it the ‘Tuscany of the North’ because of the endless vineyards in the region.

Basically, if you’re coming to Franciacorta, you’re coming for wine. Just take a look at this map that demonstrates the sheer number of wineries in such a tiny area. The sparkling wines are the worldwide speciality, and they’re specifically made with only with three types of grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero.

What’s so special about Franciacorta is that its wines are still mostly made in family wineries run by craftsmen, meaning wine tastings are very intimate and unique. You can expect plenty of family owned agriturismi (farm stays) offering activities such as horseback riding and mountain biking. One of my favourite is Cascina Solive, which is immersed in vineyards and olive trees, without the inflated prices of other touristy areas :-)

Best time to be here: Every year, the Franciacorta in Cantina festival celebrates the best wineries and local delicacies. It's usually sometime in mid-September (16th-17th in 2023) but keep an eye on their website for up-to-date information.

How to get there: Just like in Tuscany, you’ll get the most out of Franciacorta if you can drive around the fields and vineyards in a car. You can easily rent one at Orio al Serio Airport, and it will take you only 30 minutes to drive to Borgonato/Torbiato, where I recommend you base yourself. 

Camonica Valley / Adamello

More into endless valleys and forests? You just gotta go a bit further north.

The little sisters of the Dolomites are just above Lake Iseo, and have tonnes of rifugi and bivacchi ready to host you during your hiking adventure. If you’re more of a day-tripper, base yourself in the villages of Ponte di Legno or Edolo, where plenty of hiking trails start.

During the winter, adrenaline junkies can hit the slopes at Passo del Tonale’s ski area. But if you don’t feel like getting those pesky skis on, you can always relax at the very fancy La Tana dell'Orso.

FYI, Valcamonica was the first Italian site on the UNESCO World Heritage List thanks to the gigantic collection of petroglyphs (the largest in the world!) held within its valleys. If you want to see a small chunk of them, make a stop at the National Park in Naquane.

How to get there: 

• By train: From Bergamo station, get the train to Brescia. From there, you can hop on the teeny tiny Trenord trains all the way to Edolo. To reach Ponte di Legno, you can hop on one of the local buses from Edolo.
• 2hr by car from Bergamo Airport.

Trenino Rosso del Bernina

You may have already seen videos of this ridiculously scenic train route. A dream of many, the Red Bernina Train is considered the prettiest ride across the mountains, going from the Italian Alps all the way to Saint Moritz, in Switzerland. 

Included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the train leaves from the town of Tirano, close to the border with Switzerland, and reaches the fancy town of Saint-Moritz in 2hr 5-min. Through the large train windows, you can admire valleys, lakes, and even ‘touch the sky’ at 2,253 m (the highest point reached by a train line in Europe!).

Depending on the ticket you select, you can get back into Tirano the same day or stay in Saint Moritz overnight. You can also extend your stay and head to the town of Lugano with the Bernina Express Bus (the bus travels along the shores of Lake Como!), the possibilities are endless :-)

Note: For the best views on the train, sit on the left side of the train going south to north, and the right side in the opposite direction.

How to get there: 

• By train: Getting to Tirano from both Bergamo and Milano Centrale is pretty easy. From Bergamo, catch the train to Lecco, and from there hop on the connection to Tirano. From Malpensa, get the train to Milano Centrale and change for the train to Tirano.
• Tirano is a 2hr 5-min drive from Malpensa Airport.

Keep reading...

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