What surprised You Most About Italy?

Casey: How friendly everyone was. Seriously, everyone was so nice! Another big thing was how big everything was. The buildings were way bigger than I had anticipated and the pictures didn’t do them justice.

Tara: Everything was SO BIG! I’ve seen pictures of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, statue of David and many of the other sites we visited, but actually being there and seeing them in person was amazing! I think I was also surprised with how easy it was to get around. We did a bit of planning beforehand, which was helpful, but taking the bus, trains and other public transit made getting around so much easier (and lessened our 7+ miles of walking per day a little).

Jacob: A lot of the sites that I had seen pictures/videos of a thousand times definitely did not disappoint and some even were way cooler in person. I had this slight fear that I was watching too many travel videos about Italy to the extent that actually going there would be very underwhelming. Luckily, it was even better than I expected! Like Casey mentioned, everything was just so huge and fascinating. Also, Italians love babies! Everywhere we went people were smiling and playing with the kids.

Carlee: Everyone loved our babies! And the babies got us to the front of a lot of lines After living in Germany for 18 months, I expected Italy to be similar, but Italy was very different.

What were some of your favorite sites in each of the Areas?

Rome

Casey: The Vatican City. The museum was amazing with so many cool things to see. The best part was Saint Peter’s basilica. I couldn’t believe how big that church was. I think I could have spent the entire day just in there.

Tara: I loved the Trevi Fountain (maybe inspired by my love of The Lizzie McGuire Movie? haha) and loved the Colosseum! The tour that we took inside the Colosseum was really cool, but I was blown away by walking around it as the sun went down and the lights illuminated the outside. It was one of those “I can’t believe I’m actually here” moments I’ll never forget.

Jacob: Seeing the Colosseum at dusk when it was all lit up was incredible. The Pantheon and Vatican City were also some of my favorite parts. It was just incredible to walk into the Pantheon and stare up at this ridiculously high dome and wonder how in the world people made this almost 2000 years ago. Similarly, St. Peter’s Basilica was unfathomably big on the inside.

Carlee: I can’t pick just one. I would say the Colosseum, Palentine Hill and Roman Forum.

Florence

Casey: The Duomo for sure. Just an incredible building.

Tara: I really enjoyed walking along the Arno river and the view of the Ponte Vecchio at sunset.

Jacob: Hands down the Duomo. The inside wasn’t quite as cool as you would expect, but considering how incredible the outside is, I suppose I can live with that. The view from Piazzale Michelangelo is also a must-see.

Carlee: The Duomo was amazing! Pictures do not do it justice! You can’t get the whole thing in one picture, and if you do it’s not close enough to see the incredible detail!

Cinque Terre

Casey: I really liked Monterroso al mare the most. That might have been partially due to the fact that it didn’t seem as crowded at the time. Plus, it was the only town with a somewhat sandy beach.

Tara: There is something magical about being on the water, so everything about the Cinque Terre was wonderful! I loved getting to go down to the beach and stick our feet in the ocean, especially after our long hike. It was so beautiful and I loved each of the towns we visited!

Jacob: How can I choose just one spot? Honestly, it was all so beautiful and amazing. I loved the crystal clear water and seeing the different towns. Each had its own unique feel to it. I really enjoyed hiking between Vernazza and Monterroso as well. The views were incredible.

Carlee: I think Vernazza was my favorite, but it’s so hard to choose! I loved hiking between two towns and getting away from the big cities and enjoying the fresh air!

What sites did you find Over/Underrated?

Casey: Underrated would probably be the Pantheon. I probably didn’t look into it as much as a should have, but the size of the building was incredible. Overrated was probably the Pitti Palace. It was cool, but not as interesting as I thought it would be.

Tara: I feel kind of bad for saying this, but I feel like the statue of David really didn’t live up to the hype, at least for me! I’m glad we went just for the fact of being able to say we did, but it was not my favorite.

Jacob:  (Underrated) The Theatre of Marcellus (Teatro di Marcello) was really awesome! It kind of had some architecture that reminded me of the Colosseum and ruins around it that were interesting. Also, the Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla) was worth going to and exploring. It had some really cool remains of ancient mosaics and it was fascinating to imagine that place in its glory days.  An overrated site for me would maybe be the Trevi Fountain. I mean, it was cool, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t blow me away. Maybe that was due to the crowds, I don’t know.

Carlee: The David was cool and I’m glad we went, but it was really hyped up. People told me they cried when they saw it. I didn’t feel the same…

How much time would you recommend for each area?

Note: We spent 3.5 days in Rome, 1.5 in Florence, and 1.25 in the Cinque Terre.

Casey: I felt that we could have spent a lot more time in each area. We kept saying to each other that a month would have been nice. A full 2 weeks may have been the most ideal.   

Tara: Ten days sounded like a long trip, but I easily could have spent double the time! I think it depends on what your priorities are, such as nature, historical sites, etc,  and then putting more of your time there. I would have loved to have had a day or two more in the Cinque Terre to enjoy the ocean and scenery, and would have also loved an addition day or two in Rome to see more without being in such a rush!

Jacob: I would’ve loved another day in Rome, maybe even two. That being said, you can see quite a bit with 3 days, so it depends on what you want to do. I would’ve loved at least one more day in Florence and the Cinque Terre to be able to enjoy the areas a bit more.

Carlee: I feel like we could have easily spent more time in each area. With that said, I really like the percentage of time we spent in each place. I liked starting the trip in Rome, it was a lot more fast-paced and more to see and we each area we slowly took it easier.

What were your favorite gelato shops and flavors?

Casey: My favorite place was La Gelateria Romana in Rome. We discovered this place the last night and Iwish we had discovered it sooner. Nobody spoke English, so that’s how you know it’s good

Tara:  My favorite was also Gelateria Valentino in Rome, and I got an Oreo gelato that was so much more than just “cookies and cream.” It had little cookie pieces and fudge throughout it- my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I spent the rest of the trip trying to find something similar and never did, I would go back to Rome just for that gelato (;

Jacob: Near the Trevi Fountain, there was a place called Gelateria Valentino, and that place was spectacular. I got mint and strawberry, and both were mouthwatering good!

Carlee: I agree with Casey. It was soooo good! I asked the server for her favorite flavors. I got a cone with white chocolate on the inside and three flavors: chocolate/ coconut/ toasted almond (kind of like AlmondJoy), raspberry/ pineapple and cream on top. My go to flavors are strawberry, lemon, mint or coconut.

Favorite dish?

Casey: I had a really good mozzarella and prosciutto calzone at a place called That’s Amore in Rome. We found this on our second day and I couldn’t find anything similar.

Tara: I am totally with Jacob and Carlee in saying that the carbonara was my favorite! It was my go-to dinner on this trip and never disappointed! I also really enjoyed the pizza!

Jacob: Hmm, that’s tough. I would probably have to go with carbonara. I mean, I ordered it like 10 times, so I must’ve liked it, right? There was this restaurant a few blocks away from the Vatican (Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale) that had homemade pasta and their carbonara was delicious!

Carlee: It’s a toss up between ravioli at Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale and carbonara at a restaurant by the train station in Florence.

What are some good things to know before traveling to italy?

Casey: I think it’s good to know that you can get around in the big cities with public transportation pretty easily and for cheap.

Tara: I think it is smart to have somewhat of a plan, or at least know the places you want to visit so you make sure to fit them in! There is so much to see and do and the days just go so fast. Also know that multiple gelato stops a day is a MUST.

Jacob: A lot of people say this, and it is true: buy your tickets ahead of time for the big sites (e.g. Colosseum, Vatican City). We got the Rome Pass for the Colosseum and other sites and it was super nice to be able to go in a separate entrance and avoid any lines. Likewise, with the Vatican Museums we bought skip-the-line tickets on their website ahead of time and got to walk right past the long line of people waiting to get in (although a guide there mentioned we could’ve skipped the line with our babies alone… oh well).

Carlee: I wish I had learned a little more Italian before we left. Having a baby on me most of the time made people especially friendly and I wish I could have responded more than just smiling.

What is the biggest thing you learned about traveling with kids?

Casey: It’s not as bad as you would think. We braced ourselves for the worst and it really wasn’t bad at all.

Tara: It was not as stressful or hard as people had made it sound like it would be. A lot of people were shocked that we would even consider traveling internationally with a baby, but really it just made the trip so much more special! Our son also seemed to love being on the go, watching the world around him and spending time all together as a family and friends! That’s not to say he didn’t have his moments, but he is a baby and has “his moments” at home too. I think you just need to know your child and cater to them and what they can handle.

Jacob: Bringing kids changes the dynamic of the trip. Generally, you have to go a bit slower due to kids needing to nurse, be changed, etc. That being said, I enjoyed traveling with our daughter! It’s fun making memories as a family and it’s worth sacrificing the ability to travel at a faster pace.

Carlee: I loved spending so much time together as a whole family. I’m always with my baby, but I loved that Adelyn and I got to enjoy Jake being with us. Traveling with a baby is very doable.

What tips do you have to help prepare kids for long travel?

Casey: Get them used to having their schedule messed with beforehand. There were lots of times where we had to catch a flight or bus during normal “nap” time.

Tara: Practice practice practice! We carried Rhett on us the whole time, so before we left we made sure he spent a good amount of time in the carrier each day so it wasn’t a huge change.

Jacob: One thing Carlee and I did was to go on a lot of hikes with our daughter in some kind of carrier. This got us physically ready to carry her around and helped her get used to being on us for long periods of time.

Carlee: We tried to have a solid routine with a flexible schedule especially with bedtime. I also started putting our baby to bed an hour earlier each week for the last 4 weeks leading up to the trip.

What were the roughest moments with the kids?

Casey: Flying home was probably the worst for me. I was sick and Rhett started to get sick too. It was miserable.

Tara: This seems to be everyone’s answer, but the flights really were the hardest part. Something about being confined and sitting down after such a long day just set him off! Once we were actually in Italy and he would start to get tired or fussy, it was much easier to calm him. This is the biggest reason I would recommend getting as direct of flights as possible.

Jacob: Adelyn didn’t really sleep much on our first two flights. Finally, by the time we got on our final flight to Rome, she had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, the stewardess made us put a buckle around her and that jostled her awake. The next 30 minutes or so were h*ck. She was just screaming and would not relax. Fortunately, people around us didn’t seem bothered and we were also lucky enough to have an empty seat next to us that we laid her in. She ended up following asleep for the remainder of the flight, thank heavens!

Carlee: Ugh the flight from CA the NY was rough! Our baby just would not relax and sleep in our arms, but she did get used to that about halfway through the trip. The flights home were a lot better. It was also frustrating every time we sat down to eat, Adelyn would get frustrated. I would usually order my food first and then try to nurse her while we waited for our meal to come. This helped, but it was still tricky trying to eat and not let throw everything off the table.

In hindsight, what would you have done differently with the trip?

Casey: Extended our vacation by at least a couple of days. It would have been nice to take it easy a couple of days with the kids and to see more, especially in Rome

Tara: I would have flown more direct, saved us time and layovers. The long travel days were difficult on the babies and it would have been nice to not feel so dragged out.

Jacob:  Although 10 days was a lot, it didn’t feel long enough by the end of it, but that may just be the nature of traveling. I would also try and minimize the number of layovers we had both to and from Italy. I suppose that’s the price you sometimes have to pay when you try to travel as cheaply as possible, though.

Carlee: The long travel days were difficult. Having more direct flights would have saved us time (instead of money). However, I was so tired by the time we finally went to bed that I adjusted to the time change quickly.

Wrap-up

Hope you enjoyed our round table discussion about what our trip was like! Traveling to Italy really was such a blast, and bringing kids was awesome! If you are debating whether to go on a big trip like this with your child, JUST GO!! It was so worth it to make that memory with our little families.

Do you have any other questions about the trip or what it was like traveling with kids? Comment below!