Rocco Goes Italian! Fido + Fluffy's #FreebieFriday

Rocco enjoys some lake time at Lago di Mergozzo in northern Italy

Last week Rocco traveled with us to Italy! He did so well on the long plane flight, sleeping the entire way. And once in Italy, he was allowed to go everywhere with us.

Dog owners over there seem to keep their dogs by their sides (and they don't think they all have to "say hi" to other dogs) which made Rocco very happy and very well behaved! Rocco's not a fan of dogs running up to him and getting in his face -- not surprisingly --  which seems to happen quite often here in the U.S.

During our trip, we traveled around the lakes region of Northern Italy, spending some time at Lakes Mergozzo, Menaggio and Como as well as a few other adventures! We'll post more about those in upcoming days. 

We had a fabulous time and love how dog-friendly it is in Italy!

Now it's time again for  Fido + Fluffy's  Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Check out the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.
If you're a blogger with a pet-related giveaway, be sure to link up! Please link directly to your giveaway, not to your home page. We post a new blog hop every Thursday afternoon at 4 pm ET. 
We hope you enjoy the Fido + Fluffy's Freebie Friday blog hop that we co-host with DogTipper and CatTipper!

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet products to be offered. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

Dog-friendly hiking near Lake Como, Italy: Pigra to Monte di Tremezzo

Cows in the hills. Not something we see everyday on our hikes in Georgia.

During our recent trip to Italy we took a couple of nice dog-friendly hikes. The scenery was amazing... with mountain peaks rising above crystal clear lakes, also not something we see on our Georgia hikes!

Take a look!

Rocco enjoys the view high above Lake Como

We stayed in the charming town of Menaggio on Lake Como. And on this day we set out by car to travel to the peaks above Pigra and get in some hiking, too.

Here, you can get an idea of where we were. Pigra and the areas of Tremezzo, Lenno and Alpe Colonno are all pretty close to the arrow that says "you are here".  We were about halfway between Lake Como and Lake Lugano, but in all of our photos you'll see Lake Como.



We started out a little further down the mountain ranges with a nice hike to the Rifugio Caseificio, where we thought we'd be able to hike in for lunch.



We hiked for a few miles down this path...

But when we got the Rifugio they had already sold out of all their food! 

It kind of looks like a big family picnic, doesn't it? What's cool is that dogs are welcome and you actually hike into this location. We took a short look around and headed back down the path to find another place for lunch.

On the way out, we saw this little fellow napping beside the building!

On the hike out, Rocco found a few logs for balancing.

We hopped in the car and headed further up the mountain ranges where we found another Rifugio. This time we were in luck -- dog-friendly, of course, and the food and views were fabulous!

The Rifugio Boffalora was on the way to Monte Tremezzo, the dominant peak in the range of mountains that frame the western side of Lake Como with an elevation of 5,600 feet.

The views in around Rifugio Boffalora were fabulous and you can see there were a few dogs dining there that day!

After lunch we took a walk around the surrounding village, near Monte di Lenno,  and the views were breathtaking!

This is where we spotted the cows grazing! Rocco thinks they're pretty funny!

Next, we headed further up the mountain toward Tremezzo. More amazing views!

View from Monte Tremezzo

After a long day of fresh mountain air and superb views, it was time to head back to Menaggio, along Lake Como.

Dining anywhere is a treat in Italy since you can take your dog most anywhere, even inside restaurants. We mostly ate outside since the weather was so nice, and at this Menaggio restaurant they even pulled up a chair for Rocco!

You won't find that in Georgia, either! The perfect ending to the perfect day!

We'll post more great adventures from Italy in coming weeks, but first we have an exciting special announcement for you!

You won't want to miss next week at FitDog Friday where along with our co-hosts SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life we'll announce a terrific month-long fitness event with lots of great challenges and tips to get your pups (and you!) in shape for the upcoming holiday season. Get ready for cardio, strength training and conditioning -- we'll have a new challenge each week in October. AND, you won't want to miss the chance to win some fabulous prize packs from our terrific Fall Fitness Challenge sponsor. All the details will be announced next Friday... so get ready to have some fall fitness fun!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the hop.

Our Fabulous Italian Vacation

Rocco enjoys the wind beneath his furs at Lake Como

Last week we had a whirlwind week, traveling to Italy for a terrific vacation! And the best part about it was Rocco got to come along with us!

Rocco was a champ (except for a few minor tantrums on the plane) during the long trip across the pond and once he got to Italy he fit in fabulously with the other Italian dogs.

We spent most of the trip at Lake Como where there was plenty of opportunity to hike, swim and take long walks through the little towns.

Rocco spots the ducks directly below him in the Menaggio harbor

We stayed in the little town of Menaggio, where there was a lovely lakefront patch. Rocco enjoyed the duck watching and even swam in after them further down the path!

We took in some amazing views from high above Lake Como.

The last two nights we spent in Milan where we got in some urban hiking!

We'll post more details about our adventures in upcoming weeks. I still need to sort through all the photos!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the hop.

A New Place to Hike With Dogs

Guess where we're heading?!

Rocco and I have been busy this week preparing for our next vacation.  We'll be heading out to ................. Italy! I took the photo, above, the last time I was there with Cosmo. It was taken as we were flying out over the Alps.

Cosmo had the chance to travel to Italy twice, and while we were there we found so many place to explore with dogs. And the best thing about it is you can take your dog almost anywhere! Even inside of restaurants and on public transportation.

This will be Rocco's first international trip... keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be good on the flight!

We're planning some hikes and plenty of exploration. We'll be visiting the Italian Lakes region at Lake Como.

We'll take lots of photos and share them with you when we get back! There's nothing like a change of scenery to inspire your Fit Dog activities, right?!

Where's your favorite place you've visited with your dog? Let us know in the comments below!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the hop.

Travel to Italy with your dog: Seeing the sites of Rome

When we traveled to Italy with Cosmo, seeing the sites of Rome was as much fun for Cosmo as it was for us! There was plenty to sniff as well as see and we were able to do many of our excursions by foot and paw, although taking a quick subway ride was also no problem with a dog.

First stop was the Colosseum, one of the grandest of all Roman monuments. Then we walked past the Arch of Constantine down Via di San Gregorio...

... toward the Circus Maximus.  Once known as THE place for chariot racing, there's not much left to see there now. But it is possible to imagine the splendor of the site and now it's an excellent place for a dog walk. A little further down the road we had hoped to visit the Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth... 

Here, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck test the legend of the Mouth of Truth in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday. The story is that the sculpture represents the face of an ancient god who knows if you are telling the truth or lieing! If you tell a lie while inserting your hand in its mouth, it will bite it off! But since the sculpture is now sectioned off as part of a tour of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, we were not allowed in to try out Cosmo's paw at the truth! While we found dogs are seldom allowed inside of museums and churches, there are still plenty of historic sites to see from the outside.

Next we walked along the Tiber River toward the area known as the Jewish Ghetto, where we passed Rome's main synagogue near the east bank of the Tiber.

Strolling through the Jewish Ghetto, we saw many shops, restaurants and bakeries...

... and stopped for a quick bite of gelato! Most food establishments in Rome do allow dogs, making it very easy to enjoy the journey with your canine companion! After continuing on to the market in Piazza del Campo dei Fiori, we headed on to Piazza Navona.

We enjoyed views of the fountains and activity in the Piazza...

... as well as being able to spend some time viewing the Pantheon nearby. This time Cosmo was allowed inside...

... where he expressed worthy admiration of  the coffers in the concrete dome, and the central opening, or oculus, to the sky!

Nearby, Cosmo provided equal admiration to some meat -- after all he is a dog! The nice lady slicing the mortadella didn't mind too much until Cosmo leaned in just a little closer!!

Later than evening we strolled back toward the Piazza Navona...

And stopped at the famous Four Rivers Fountain. Then it was on to our new evening ritual of hot chocolate, Italian style.

As usual, Cosmo gets to enjoy the experience right along with us and was typically offered some tasty treat by the restauranteurs. After a long day enjoying all that Rome has to offer, there's only one thing to do...

Cosmo dreams about the adventures of the day and whatever lies ahead!...

If you're planning a trip to Italy or an international trip with your dog, here are a few other posts you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese
• Great restaurants to enjoy with your dog in Parco della Villa Borghese
• Circus Maximus: Cosmo says bring on the gladiators
• St. Francis Watches Over All Animals
• Milan: The Duomo

And now it's time to check out what our pals are doing at the Pet Blogger Hop!

Pet Blogger Hop / From Rome to Atlanta

High above the Spanish Steps in Rome, Cosmo Havanese enjoys the view and watching the bride and groom below. Can you see them?


We still have plenty more pictures and posts to come from our trip to Italy including exploring the sights of Rome, day trip to Frascati, the road to Milan and a day at Lake Como! There were also plenty of great meals and shopping along the way.


If you're planning a trip to Italy or an international trip with your dog, here are a few posts you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese
• Great restaurants to enjoy with your dog in Parco della Villa Borghese
• Circus Maximus: Cosmo says bring on the gladiators
• St. Francis Watches Over All Animals
• Milan: The Duomo

Then, back in Atlanta we've come across an amazing deal. If you are even remotely thinking about coming to BarkWorld Expo, now is the time to fetch a few tickets. Until February 28, you can purchase tickets for this pet industry social media event for 50 percent off! The event is scheduled for Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 in Atlanta, Ga., with speakers from Yahoo! and Dogster already on tap as well as bunches of other speakers and activities that look really fun, interactive AND educational. See you there!

And now, it's time to hippity-hop on over to the Pet Blogger Hop!

Wordless Wednesday: Cosmo Havanese says bring on the gladiators!

Cosmo Havanese channels his inner gladiator at the Circus Maximus in Rome. What do you think he was really doing?

Close up... Is Cosmo imagining the life of a dog/gladiator 2,000 years ago?

Now a park, once upon a time the Circus Maximus was THE place for chariot racing and the occasional gladiator fight. Cosmo takes a moment to soak up the significance.


So what WAS Cosmo doing in his gladiator pose?!!


Other posts about our trip to Italy you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese
• St. Francis Watches Over All Animals
• Milan: The Duomo

Travel to Italy with your dog: Eating at Casina Valadier and Casina Del Lago in Parco Borghese

Eating in Italy is one of the great pleasures of traveling to this country and we took this activity seriously!   We had at least one big feast a day, which typically lasted around three hours, with several courses and sometimes an apertivo (before dinner drink), dolce (dessert) and a cafe or digestivo (after dinner drink). And of course wine is a staple of every meal! So how did we manage to eat all this and not come back as contestants for The Biggest Loser?... LOTS and lots of walking ... and only ONE huge meal a day. The others were small!

On our first day in Rome, we strolled through the beautiful Parco della Villa Borghese and headed to Casa Valadier for lunch.  High above the Piazza del Popolo, this 19th-century cafe is a most lovely place to enjoy a leisurely lunch and a spectacular view of Rome.

We entered through a colorful hallway, where famous guests from Gandhi to Mussolino had visited before us. 

It's hard to imagine lunch with a better view than at Casina Valadier. Yes, that is St. Peter's in the background. But no, that is not the Eiffel Tower in the distance (the view's not THAT good.)

Sitting down for lunch. That means EVERYBODY gets to sit down for lunch!  Having cultivated civilized society for a thousand years longer than us, the Italians allow dogs to respectfully join their owners in public more often than not.

 We started with a colorful salad of Belgian endive, apples walnuts and pomegranate... 

... and a traditional "ceci" (garbanzo bean) soup with fried baccala (salted cod).

Our secondo... we shared a French rack (lamb chop) served cacciatora style with artichoke omelette and potato gratin. Yum!

Sharing entrees leaves room for dessert! This was a departure from a traditional Zabaglione, or so I am told, but it was worth every bite of creamy custard goodness! The chocolate crunchy bits on top and hazelnut shell offered just the right texture to complement the fluffy mousse-like custard. Yum! Yum!

Note:  If the weather is not warm enough to sit on the terrace outside Casina Valadier, reserve table 19 for the most prominent view in the dining room.

And finishing the meal in traditional style with a caffè. 

Even Cosmo admired the view ... and the secondo they were serving at the next table!


After lunch we walked through the park and found Casina del Lago,  a nice spot for lighter meal. We returned here the next morning for breakfast.

At Casina del Lago we had very pleasant breakfast of cappuccino and brioche.

And of course, Cosmo was welcome too!


Next up, seeing the sites of Rome!


Other posts about our Italy adventure you might enjoy:

• International Paperwork Preparation
• How to Prepare Your Dog For a Long Plane Ride
• Arriving in Rome, Dog-Friendly InterContinental Hotel, Piazza del Popolo
• A Walk Through Parco della Villa Borghese