“How can we possibly beat this? Maybe Spain?”
Motivation
Time to walk the walk, Part 1: After years of telling people how important and easy it was to travel it was time to try doing so with a 3 and a 1 year old. We cheated a bit by bringing our 13 year old niece for back up.
Time to walk the walk, Part 2: “You’ll be back. Don’t try and do it all.” Time to go back to Italy. 2 kids and 8 years later.
We, too, have bills, full times jobs, school for the kids, school for the grown-ups (Dan), and other life stuff that go in the way. But we made travel a priority and were lucky enough to take another great trip.
Itinerary
- Venice
- Florence
- Rome
Planning
- Open jaw plane tickets
- Train tickets VEN-FLO, FLO-ROM
- Woven wrap baby carrier and backpack
- Snacks, snack, snacks, and 1 new little toy for the 19-hour flight
- Airbnb in each city
- Rick Steves Italy guidebook
- Smarthistory videos downloaded
- Italy prep for kids: stock photography + bedtime stories for months
- Operation “Can’t-pee-in-the-Vatican” potty training prep for 9 months
- Map out all public restrooms
Memorable Moments
- 3 year old correctly identifying Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Venus, and other works of art
- Up close and personal with spectacular Renaissance sculptures
- Walking out onto the floor of the Colosseum during underground tour
- Daily chocolate gelato stains on back of my jacket from my son
- Gondola ride on first day in Venice
- Vatican tour day before Easter in jubilee year (walking through Holy door)
- Morning spent at Ostia Antica (better than Pompeii and only 20 minutes from Rome city center)
- Impromptu picnic under 2000 year old Claudian aqueduct
Lessons Learned
- 1 big site + 1 alternate per day
- Skipping naps comes with risks
- Kids can appreciate art and history if you give them a chance
- Managing lines still worth weight in gold
When we return…
- Hadrian’s Villa (outside of Rome)
- Pompeii?
- Lucca, Assisi, another hill town in Umbria