We had a wonderful visit! Here are some highlights.
We started at Lake Como.

Breakfast doesn’t get much better: homemade vegan croissants and soy cappuccinos every day in our first hotel. Wow! Italians know hospitality.
We took a daylong hike into the Alps, over the lake.

Lunch break after hiking in the Alps. We got to hike several miles up to a “Rifugio” (mountain hut) at 5755 ft that is only accessible by foot. Best hot lunch ever!
Our next few days were spent in the small towns in Piedmont visiting family and eating, lots of eating!
My cousins joined us in Cinque Terre where we did LOTS more hiking and lots more eating.