Ciao Italia!
About 5 months an idea was floated around about a trip with our friends, Matt and Dana, fast forward and here we are! We originally planned on Greece and Italy, then the wine wore off and we decided Italy was enough with 3 children, 6 and under. This trip included taxis, walking, planes, trains, buses, and ferries, 4 different AirBnB’s, visited 5 cities (Rome, Florence, Impruneta, Forio, Ischia), bathroom stops at every destination (read: 3 kids). and a birthday celebration for Dana. This post is partially because I promised myself to blog frequently, but more it is because I never want to forget the memories.
Our friends made the long journey over the pond to Rome, and we arrived later that evening. Rome, was Rome. Fast paced, loud, congested, and lots of walking. A gorgeous city with an old European charm urban appearance. I adore the outdoor eating, loud passionate talking, and walkability of the city. It wouldn’t be a Rome tour without visiting the Colosseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, random fountains, gelato, Pantheon, and pasta! It was whirl wind of walking, eating, laughing and catching up since we hadn’t seen each other in a year, and taking in all the sites in 24 hours before our train left to Florence.
5 Rome Tips:
Use the children’s early rising habits to get out an about before crowds really started filtering in.
When in doubt, buy the gelato to keep everyone happy.
No need to buy water, there is ice cold water around the city streaming out of fountains.
Afternoon Colosseum tour is prime after lunch, and the crowd wasn’t terrible. Buy your tickets in advance, they sell out quickly! Great photo opportunity on the lower level as you are leaving, no need to fight crowds at the top for a photo.
Eat a late lunch, around 2:30. Restaurants don’t open until 7 for dinner, but don’t miss the 5-7 spritz o’ clock.
We woke up on our second day in Rome and packed our bags to head to the train station in route to Florence. Traveling around Italy is easy compared to other destinations we’ve been. The train system is relatively cheap, clean, and on time. Our travel companion, Dana, was a rock star and handled all ticket arrangements for us, and upgraded our tickets to prima. It was almost too easy. We scanned our ticket, boarded the train, sat for 3 hours…TA-DA! We were in Florence. We grabbed an Uber van from the train station, and went to our AirBnB to drop our bags and start exploring. I’m a fan of Florence. I love the fast past cities, but Florence won my heart for a second time. It’s slower, calmer, yet still has the old, urban, European charm of Rome. I find the food in Florence to be divine, appreciate the street art vendors, and can’t ask for a better Chianti. As with any popular attraction be sure to purchase any tickets to galleries or sites ahead of time (Thanks, Dana!) Florence is also a hop, skip, and jump to the wine country, which I strongly recommend going to visit for a day. We had quite the adventure when we journeyed to Tuscany for a day.
5 Tips for Florence:
Visit the leather market, but buy from one of the store fronts for authenticity. Be sure to negotiate prices, the price you see is not the price you should pay.
Try steak or veal in Florence. Obviously pasta is amazing throughout Italy, but a delicious Florentine steak with a red wine is *chefs kiss*
Uffizi Gallery is remarkable, but not for littles. It was hard for Audrey to find the appreciation, and I ended up leaving with Maxwell. It wasn’t fair to have him complaining and whining while others spend lots of money that want to enjoy the art. Some day, but not now.
The Academia is cool, and small. I would chose this over Uffizi with kids. In and out 30 mins.
Grab a gelato across the street from the Duomo, and sit to enjoy the magnificent architecture of the building. It is massive. (Another plus for Italy in general are the large piazzas. Great for kiddos to run around, people watch, and take a snack break).
We concluded our time in Florence after 3 days, and moved on to the next adventure in Forio, a village on the island of Ischia. By this time we thought we were seasoned, but really we were just getting started. We took the train from Florence to Naples (1.5 hour). We didn’t have prima class this time around, and felt it, so much so that on that train Dana booked prima class for us on the return train from Naples back to Rome. The seats were tighter, the train was louder, and we were all stressed trying to make our train. We knew the time schedule was tight, so we grabbed breakfast outside the train station to take aboard. To include the hottest cup of coffee known to man. We navigated 3 children, 4 adults, 5 suitcases, 4 backpacks, a stroller, and a number of affectionately called “charm bracelet bags” (smaller bags) onto the train, We didn’t anticipate there being zero overhead space for our luggage since previously we had no issues. So we pushed ALL the bags onto the train to our seats and then fought to push all the bags back since the trained was loaded with people. It’s at the moment, where you are sweating, hot, stressed, frustrated, and have to pee, that not one but all 3 kids start crying in unison about different things. Jamari and Dana were loading suitcases in one section of a different car, Matt handling the bags that were closest to him in another car, and me with the 3 kids trying to pass out lollipops and bribe them to stop screaming. Every passenger staring at us like we are a circus. But wait! We aren’t done. Matt’s fuming coffee accidently spilled while we were trying to organize 3 ipads, snacks, and water bottles (why do kids need everything instantly when you sit down?) and burns Audrey’s legs and stomach. Superficially. Not a big deal, but big enough for her to scream as if we poured the coffee intentionally and she was dying slowly. We wiped it up, calmed everyone down, and laughed hysterically announcing, “Americans are here” and Audrey joked “we look like a bunch of dirty cockroaches”. No truer statement had been spoken! And Jamari…you may ask where Jamari was during this experience? After he was finished finding a home for the 1 suitcase he was responsible for, he sat quietly in the seat behind our 4 person table seat (where we had 6 people, since Ella and Maxwell were lap seats) and relaxed with his coffee and snack peacefully.
We arrived into Naples, took a taxi to a restaurant near the port (where I ate the best pizza of my trip), and boarded our ferry to Forio. Naples isn’t my favorite destination, not even one I would willingly stay in. It’s rough. But the taxi from the train station to the ferry port is 15 mins, and very easy to navigate. (Pro tip: If you are traveling with kids, request to stand in the family section for the ferry boarding. You’re moved to the front of the line.) We boarded our ferry to Ischia and 1 hour later were departing the ferry and heading to our AirBnb.
Ischia is a beautiful island off the coast of Naples, there are many villages attached and is typically a destination for tourists to visit. Forio, the village we stayed in with a beautiful, beachside villa in a much less tourist friendly location. Forio was very much a destination for Italian only-tourists and didn’t offer the welcomed feel Ischaia provided.
It didn’t help that one evening during spritz o’clock Audrey and Maxwell were playing in the street, bumped into a Nonna (wearing wedge sneakers, seriously, why?) and she hit the ground…HARD. Could’ve been worse, she was ok, but long story short; we were known around the island quickly and Nonna has some clout in Forio. After falling, she sat at the table directly next to us cursing out Audrey, and our group. Other patrons started getting fiesty too starting to stand up and confrontation was inevitable. Now, we know how I become Mama Bear pretty quickly, but we also know that Mama Bear in a country where she doesn’t speak the language, in a village that doesn’t want American tourism, and her kid literally knocked down the village grandma; it isn’t gonna end well. However, I also learned Dana is forever my road dog and it doesn’t matter where she is, what language she speaks, or doesn’t, and who is standing up; Dana’s gonna rumble. None the less, words were had, we paid our check, we left, and we struggled to find a restaurant for dinner that evening. We are convinced we made it to the village What’s App group and were banished from the island. Didn’t stop us from enjoying our last days there.
The sunset in Forio is something unlike I have ever seen before. Cotton candy skies that seem to go on forever. There is a lookout near the church in Forio, that is where is entire village gathers to watch the sun fall into the sea each night. They have little stands to buy a drink and grab a snack, sit on bright orange bean bags, and listen to Con te Partiró which perfectly is timed each night as the sun drops into the next day. We stayed near the port in Forio, which provided beautiful views of the water, and brightly painted homes along the coast. The restaurants boast outdoor seating, and seafood and rabbit are the options most plentifully available. There is something incredibly refreshing about the salty air and hint of sand that can be felt as you wipe your face. The next day, we took a quick taxi ride to the other side of the island (where we were less known) to Ischia, and enjoyed lunch and a walk the next day. This side is much more tourist friendly, albeit most tourist are not American and Italian is widely used. Enjoyed our last evening, and hopped back onto the ferry to Naples, then the train, and landed back in Rome.
5 Forio/Ischia Tips
Stay in Ischia. Forio is adorable, but it is not as welcoming as the other side of the island. Although, our AirBnB was hard to beat, I think the other side would be more tourist friendly.
Food portions are much smaller than other parts of Italy.
The sunset in Forio was absolutely stunning. Highly recommend going to the church lookout for a drink/snack, and enjoying the sunset before dinner. This was our nightly routine.
Breakfast is slim in restaurants, almost non existent. Best to buy groceries and make something.
World renowned hot springs are on Ischia island. We didn’t go because of timing but I would definitely check one out next time.
Once we arrived in Rome, we had one last delicious meal with our friends, gave huge hugs until next time, and waved them off. We had an additional night in Rome, so we did some grocery shopping (do you even live abroad if you don’t smuggle back meat and cheeses in your suitcase?) and shopping for essentials, and hit the airport the next day.
It was an incredible 10 days. With all the adventure, nothing went wrong. Despite kid fights, and tantrums; the adults had a blast. It was awesome getting to spend time with friends and share experiences of travel with them. Our life so often involves travel and new places, sharing that with friends was special. Traveling with kids can be challenging because they too have their own opinions, and get tired from all the walking and movement. We found that breaks often with treats like gelato, and playgrounds to allow them to feel special and that we were doing something for them helped greatly.
So Cains…where to next?