Season 5, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 101 | Italy: Verona

In this episode, the girls take you back to Italy to one of its most charming and often overlooked destinations: Verona. Known as the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this episode explores how the city blends history, incredible food and drinks, and a relaxed pace, making it an ideal stop during a trip to Italy.

The journey begins with the easy train ride from Venice to Verona, in first class, of course. After arriving at Verona Porta Nuova station, it’s only a short ride to the historic center, where cobblestone streets, Roman ruins, and centuries of architecture set the stage for their stay.

Molly checked into Vista Verona, a luxury boutique hotel located in the heart of the city. The property blends modern Italian design with ancient Roman history, as parts of the building sit directly above archaeological remains. The hotel also features one of Verona’s standout rooftop bars, offering sweeping views of the historic skyline…which the Boozy Blondes took advantage of first full day in the city!

Chrissy, always loving to live like the locals, checked into her apartment, a short walk from the Vista Verona. The group met here after everyone got settled to head over to the Castel San Pietro. They took a funicular up to the castle which leads to a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Adige River, the city’s red rooftops, and Verona’s historic center. At sunset, the view becomes one of the most memorable moments of the trip and a must-do for visitors with limited time in the city.

The girls enjoyed dinner with the group at Antica Bottega del Vino, one of Verona’s most iconic restaurants. Known for its massive wine list and classic Veronese cuisine, the restaurant embodies the slow, indulgent dining experience Italy is famous for. Rich pasta dishes, local specialties, and carefully selected wines – SO GOOD!

One of the most unique parts of the trip was a self-designed “Romeo and Juliet” themed pub crawl through the city. Complete with custom trivia questions (thanks to Chrissy), the crawl turned sightseeing into a friendly competition, with the winner earning a drink at the final stop. The route included lunch along the Adige River, a visit to the stunning Gothic Basilica di Santa Anastasia, and the famously crowded Juliet’s House, where visitors pose with the statue of Juliet and leave love letters in the courtyard.

The crawl also included a stop at Santa Maria Craft Pub for a break from wine with local craft beer, followed by a walk to the Arena di Verona . Built in the first century AD and even older than Rome’s Colosseum, the amphitheater is one of the best-preserved Roman arenas in the world and still hosts operas and concerts today. Fun fact, the closing ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympics took place here!

Evenings in Verona were filled with memorable meals, including dinners at Osteria Scudo di Francia and Trattoria I Masenini, both known for authentic Italian dishes and welcoming atmospheres. Each restaurant offered a different experience but reinforced the same takeaway: Verona’s food scene is exceptional yet refreshingly unpretentious.

By the end of the trip, Verona proved to be one of the most pleasant surprises of their Italian travels. The city strikes a balance between romance, history, and liveliness without the overwhelming crowds found in larger destinations. For travelers already visiting Venice, the Boozy Blondes recommend adding Verona for at least one or two nights—long enough to explore, indulge in great meals, and perhaps turn a little sightseeing into a wine-fueled adventure.

Have you explored Verona? Leave a comment below about what you loved most!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 024 | Drinking Abroad – Italy & Greece

Listen here!

Settle in, lushes! We are crossing the pond and drinking abroad today! We highly recommend this episode if you’re planning a trip to Greece or Italy, or if you’d like to live vicariously through one of the Boozy Blondes and her fabulous trip overseas!

The DOE is aperol spritz (3 parts Champagne, 2 parts aperol, 1 part sparkling water over ice). In Italy spritz is big, made with any aperitif + Champagne + fizzy water. All the locals drink spritzes (especially as a day drink) and most often they are served with crisps (chips) or snack towers. This is your pro tip – order a spritz, it’s the best value – for about 5€ you get a drink and snacks!

Chrissy’s trip spanned over 19 days – and it was full of planes, trains and automobiles. And boats. Her trip was in late March/early April which is typically the off-season in Italy and Greece. During the off-season you can expect a low amount of tourists, it’s easy to get into restaurants, hotel rates are discounted, but the weather is hit or miss and not everything is open. Locals recommend traveling In September.

In this episode Chrissy shares travel tips, favorite bars and differences in the drinking culture as she takes listeners through her adventures in Italy and and cruising through Greece. She visits:

  • Milan, Italy
  • Venice, Italy
  • Padua/Padova, Italy
  • Verona, Italy
  • Madonna della Corona, Italy
  • Bolzano, Italy
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • Mykonos, Greece
  • Santorini, Greece
  • Bari, Italy

One drinking culture difference in Italy – the coffee game is strong. Coffee bars are actual bars, and there are different trends for different times of day. In the morning grab coffee and snacks, breakfast pastries or meatballs. Meatballs for breakfast?! This may be the one exception to Molly’s “no morning meat” rule. They sound delish. Don’t get comfy though; locals enjoy their coffee and snacks while standing at the bar and move on. Starting around 11am the coffee bars start serving spritz and chips (crisps) – unlike breakfast, you can sit down for this one. Later in day, around 7 pm-ish is cicchetti (happy hour), then after 8pm, it’s time for wine with dinner.

Chrissy’s favorite bars in Italy:

Vino Vero (Venice) – Chrissy enjoyed a cooking class in Venice with Lorenzo. (Lorenzo’s house made the favorite bar list too). He recommended his favorite at Vino Vero, Amarone wine.

– Sophias cafe (best craft beer)

Santa Maria (brewery in Verona – taproom)

Retro Wine & Cocktail Bar (Venice)

Cafe Rialto (Venice)

Caffe Vergnano (comparable to Starbucks)

Marie Bistrot (Verona)

Bottega Vini (Verona with 198 pages of wine)

Antica gelateria del corso (base of the Madonna della Corona church – Spiazzi, Italy)

Hopfen & Co (Bolzano, Italy)

Chrissy boarded her cruise ship from Venice and immediately noticed a big difference from the cruises the Boozy Blondes frequent in the Caribbean (listen to Episode 013 Booze Cruise for tips to making the most out of your weekend cruise). This particular European cruise was filled with young families, the drink package was not a priority (she was willing to bet she and Phil were the only ones with a drink package – they were ship favorites with the bartenders!), the activities were not in English, and it was a “commuter cruise” – people were boarding and debarking in all the ports. But similar to the Caribbean cruises, the ship docked in beautiful places!

The first stop was Kotor, Montenegro which was so picturesque or rather, Game of Thrones-esque, as Chrissy describes it. There were cats everywhere (they are protected), and Christmas is very big there. Chrissy recommends Caesar’s Wine Bar for the best charcuterie board and inexpensive wine.

The next port was Mykonos – a party place in season, but it was pretty much shut down when Chrissy was there. It reminded her of a little Venice and she visited Mykonos Brewing Company with Yoshi!  (This is the only brewery on the island). She recommends Katerina’s Bar on water with great views and Captain’s.

There was one place Chrissy wanted to visit more than anywhere else – Santorini! “I had happy tears the whole time!” she says. While more places were open here than in Mykonos there still weren’t many tourists. If you visit, go to the Meteor Cafe in Oia and the Venetsanos Winery. Guests can take a tour here, and they offer a tasting flight with a meat and cheese board.

The last port was Bari, but Chrissy didn’t get off the boat this day. Perhaps an excuse to go back?

Chrissy’s parting tips in this episode:

  • You know it’s a long day of travel to get overseas – it helps to have airline club level (check out airline credit card deals if you aren’t currently a member) – long layovers = expensive bar trips otherwise
  • book First class on trains – she experienced both First and General fares and the ease of logistics and lack of stress in First Class is well worth the price
  • Pay for the international data plan for phones – download google maps and gps routes to avoid getting lost when there is no service or Internet
  • When in Venice, splurge for a private water taxi, not a vaparetto (Chrissy describes a vaparetto as a bus on water – it’s only 7 to 15 euro OW or you can buy daily, weekly or monthly passes, whereas a private taxi is about 90 euro but it takes your door to door rather than a random vaparetto stop. When you arrive in Venice, depending where the stop is in relation to your lodging, you may have to drag your luggage through streets quite a ways

Have you traveled to any of these locations? What are some of your must-sees?