Thirteen years ago I explored Switzerland and Italy with a backpack and my gal-pal Romi. It was my first time out of the country, the first stamps on my passport, the first velvety rich taste of Gelato! Three, almost four, weeks of adventure.
This last March we were deciding which country to visit and of our choices, Matt was most excited about Italy. I hesitated because part of our debate was to visit a place neither of us had been. However, if there is a chance to see the Vatican, one should take it :-)
We scour multiple websites and deals all the time, thinking through what might work best. My fave is groupon, though the challenge is being flexible with dates and flights. It's crazy cheap, and the flights can be awful, and you have to be flexible with the off season dates they offer....but c'mon! It's another country :-)
This particular trip was $599 per person with air and hotel. That does not include taxes, fees, or travel insurance. Leaving on a Wednesday, returning on Monday, it was to be a quick trip! We felt good about that though, last year's adventure was just Matt and me. This year the kids were going. A shorter trip was just fine for us. We didn't want them to miss too much school, plus we were budgeting to feed four people instead of two!
It was very hard not to tell them. We tried real hard not to say anything. One day, one of our precocious children was reading over my shoulder and screamed out loud, "We're going to Italy?!" First, she scared the mess out of me- where did she come from?!?!?! Second, I think it was only April or May at the time. Which meant the next 5 months were going to be filled with daily inquiries from two children who have endless questions! That is the only thing I would have changed about our entire trip- we told the kids way too soon!
The girls did fabulous on all the plane rides! The overnight was timed perfectly, we left Toronto, had dinner on the plane, slept all night, woke up to breakfast and landed in Roma. The next best surprise was that our hotel, was not a hotel. It was an apartment downtown, walking distance to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. OMG! Two bedrooms, fully remodeled bathroom, and a private terrace. Not to mention each bedroom had a small balcony. So beautiful! There were three grocery stores nearby, one was 24 hours. So this saved us a ton of money as we could cook right there!
For this trip, we only made one plan in advance. We purchased a family tour of the Vatican. They only offer them on Saturdays. The Vatican is free on the last Sunday of the month and I remember standing in that 3 hour line with Romi years ago. No way did my kids have that much patience :-) This tour let us skip the line and it was less crowded because we were there Saturday! Downside was no opportunity to hear a service at the Basilica, upside was getting to see so much!
Cassidy and Savannah love museums. They took charge of their little audio guides like pros. And shushed me when I tried to talk to them! The tour included a walking tour of the gardens and some fountains. Then surprise! A train took us 40 miles outside of Roma to Gandolfo , the summer residence of the Pope. A tour of the gardens here was followed by lunch overlooking a cerulean lake.
Savvy's wish was to ride a double decker bus. Which is super touristy, but also so efficient and fun! We did a hop on/hop off tour bus and it was such a great mix of sitting (thank you, my feet hurt!) and walking around places.
I'm not going to talk about the food. It was somehow better than I remembered it. I will say, anytime the girls asked for gelato, I said yes. Our fave place ended up being a small, organic shop in a little alley where everything was small batch and one euro. So many places that cater to us tourists don't make it on site, just order in bulk. It's the best to find a small place that makes it right there. It all tastes fantastic, but there is a little extra sparkle in the homemade :-)
The flight back felt pretty quick even though it was three planes instead of two. And we got back Monday night. The girls slept on all the planes, and all night Monday. They woke up ready for school. Matt and I were exhausted! We slept most of Tuesday. And a good time was had by all!
I wonder where we'll go next year....
Anyhow, here are some pictures, in no particular order. Ciao!
This last March we were deciding which country to visit and of our choices, Matt was most excited about Italy. I hesitated because part of our debate was to visit a place neither of us had been. However, if there is a chance to see the Vatican, one should take it :-)
We scour multiple websites and deals all the time, thinking through what might work best. My fave is groupon, though the challenge is being flexible with dates and flights. It's crazy cheap, and the flights can be awful, and you have to be flexible with the off season dates they offer....but c'mon! It's another country :-)
This particular trip was $599 per person with air and hotel. That does not include taxes, fees, or travel insurance. Leaving on a Wednesday, returning on Monday, it was to be a quick trip! We felt good about that though, last year's adventure was just Matt and me. This year the kids were going. A shorter trip was just fine for us. We didn't want them to miss too much school, plus we were budgeting to feed four people instead of two!
It was very hard not to tell them. We tried real hard not to say anything. One day, one of our precocious children was reading over my shoulder and screamed out loud, "We're going to Italy?!" First, she scared the mess out of me- where did she come from?!?!?! Second, I think it was only April or May at the time. Which meant the next 5 months were going to be filled with daily inquiries from two children who have endless questions! That is the only thing I would have changed about our entire trip- we told the kids way too soon!
The girls did fabulous on all the plane rides! The overnight was timed perfectly, we left Toronto, had dinner on the plane, slept all night, woke up to breakfast and landed in Roma. The next best surprise was that our hotel, was not a hotel. It was an apartment downtown, walking distance to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. OMG! Two bedrooms, fully remodeled bathroom, and a private terrace. Not to mention each bedroom had a small balcony. So beautiful! There were three grocery stores nearby, one was 24 hours. So this saved us a ton of money as we could cook right there!
For this trip, we only made one plan in advance. We purchased a family tour of the Vatican. They only offer them on Saturdays. The Vatican is free on the last Sunday of the month and I remember standing in that 3 hour line with Romi years ago. No way did my kids have that much patience :-) This tour let us skip the line and it was less crowded because we were there Saturday! Downside was no opportunity to hear a service at the Basilica, upside was getting to see so much!
Cassidy and Savannah love museums. They took charge of their little audio guides like pros. And shushed me when I tried to talk to them! The tour included a walking tour of the gardens and some fountains. Then surprise! A train took us 40 miles outside of Roma to Gandolfo , the summer residence of the Pope. A tour of the gardens here was followed by lunch overlooking a cerulean lake.
Savvy's wish was to ride a double decker bus. Which is super touristy, but also so efficient and fun! We did a hop on/hop off tour bus and it was such a great mix of sitting (thank you, my feet hurt!) and walking around places.
I'm not going to talk about the food. It was somehow better than I remembered it. I will say, anytime the girls asked for gelato, I said yes. Our fave place ended up being a small, organic shop in a little alley where everything was small batch and one euro. So many places that cater to us tourists don't make it on site, just order in bulk. It's the best to find a small place that makes it right there. It all tastes fantastic, but there is a little extra sparkle in the homemade :-)
The flight back felt pretty quick even though it was three planes instead of two. And we got back Monday night. The girls slept on all the planes, and all night Monday. They woke up ready for school. Matt and I were exhausted! We slept most of Tuesday. And a good time was had by all!
I wonder where we'll go next year....
Anyhow, here are some pictures, in no particular order. Ciao!
This is our apt!
What a great adventure! Those hats are amazing too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! They picked those at their 1 souvenir :-) Soooo silly!
DeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! :) Cole & I are headed there on our Europe Trip next March! :) Your blog makes me feel like I'm ALREADY there! :) Can't wait to have the same adventures as you all did!
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the little alley deli that became your favorite? We're staying at a BNB in Florence & Rome so we'll get to cook as well. :) <3 Thank youu!
OMG I should check the blog more :-) Hey Athiwan!!!!! You and Cole will love it!!! The smaller gelateria we liked was an organic shop and I will ask Matt if he remembers the alley it was on, it wasn't far from the Spanish Steps. Your trip is around the corner! Email me please, I would love to chat more about Italy and catch up! (jeannette.smith2008@gmail.com)
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