Christmas 2025 saw us on an Adventure – Andrea’s friend was working at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Slovenia, Hiša Franko, and we had the opportunity to join her for a dinner and some adventuring. We jumped at the chance, hopping a flight into Northern Italy before the drive out into Slovenia itself… with a few exciting adventures along the way.

Late December, 2025

Our adventures in Italy actually spanned three different adventures: Our first evening in town, a visit with friends, and then our final day before the flights home.

Our first evening was simple and clean – We flew in, found our rental place, and grabbed a lovely dinner with lovely drinks out in the town of Trieste. The next morning we had pastries for breakfast, wandered around the city a bit… it was calm, quiet, and a beautiful start to our Christmas adventure.

Our second adventure in Italy was to a small town on the border between Italy and Slovenia – Cividale del Friuli. There wasn’t really a big reason for us to go, aside from that it was nearby… and that it was absolutely gorgeously cute, especially then, with most shops closed and people home with family. The whole group of us went, wandered, and enjoyed the quietly beautiful architecture.

Our final adventure in Italy was a brief one – we aimed to get a train to the airport, and so got dropped off at a nearby train station… though we still had maybe 3 hours before needing to leave. So we wandered. Exploring the small town, appreciating the views, and just being happy that we were in Italy, quietly visiting and spending time on holiday together before flying back to Dublin.