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Rome
A city filled with history and culture, Rome can quickly overwhelm by the abundance of sights and crowds. Luckily, I had a local friend to guide my family and me through the city. The first stop was The Spanish Steps, a very popular tourist sight a short walk from our hotel, the Le Meridien Visconti. We walked around the area and admired the many public fountains, with the Fountain of the Boat at the foot of the steps being our favorite. In the summer, the hot weather can make your time in Rome a bit more challenging, but there are plenty of cool spots to wander around and indulge in delicious gelato.
A cool place to relax is the Atlante Hotel, where you can enjoy breathtaking views of both Rome and Vatican City from the rooftop. Rome may be overwhelming, but with good company and a well-planned itinerary, it is a city that is not to be missed.
Day two took us to old Rome: Circus Maximus, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. We did a Colosseum tour that was meant for families, but the heat was a lot for the kids (aged 5 and 8 at the time). They made it through after a little goriness about the animals that fought the gladiators (entering from the trap door – middle picture) and a lot of gross talk about the toilets and sanitation. If you visit in the summer with kids, I highly recommend paying for skip the line tickets. They are absolutely worth the price if it is hot outside. I also recommend personal fans.
As soon as we left the Colosseum we had more gelato which gave the kids more energy. They enjoyed the Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain, even though they were both crowded. We threw in our coins into the fountain, ensuring our future return!
Day three was all about The Vatican. A friend of a friend knew a Priest in Rome, who joined us for an amazing lunch at Ristorante dei Musei. It was very affordable and the servings were quite large. We had authentic Cacio e Pepe, pizza, a couple of other dishes, plus wine and limoncello. Every was happy. Father Mike then took us on a tour, providing us the ability to skip the line. It was AMAZING. He was fantastic and patient with my children. We saw the Laocoonte sculpture, the oldest art in the world, at 1900 years old, its incredible detail down to the bones in the toes, veins and even wrinkles. We saw the Apollo statue, of which Michelangelo copied for the face of David in the Sistine Chapel. We also saw the Belvedere Torso. The reason the torso is special is because it shows the body in motion and the muscles complimenting the movement perfectly indicating knowledge of anatomy, This was a big deal because it was against the law to dissect the human body to study muscles and anatomy.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica is where you can see Michelangelo’s Pietà, the only piece he ever signed. As we departed, we came across another fountain that people were using to fill up water bottles, while the horses were drinking from the same fountain.
Galzignano Terme and Padua
Spending a week in an old Italian farmhouse in Padua is a delight. We rented a house in Galzignano Terme, a tiny town with small wineries all over the countryside. Da Castegna Pizzeria Ristorante was a short walk away and was a perfect restaurant for families.
It was a great base to explore the Verona and Venice areas. We went to Verona to see the Juliet Statue (The shoes I am wearing were worn almost every day on this trip, including all over Rome. You can find them here.) and then Soave to see a castle and try some local wines.
One of our days in the area, we drove a little far, into SLOVEnia to the Postojna Caves. It was very worth it. The kids loved it, as did the adults. There is even a train you take deep into the cave.
Another day took us to a balsamic vinegar tasting at Villa San Donnino. We learned there is a significant difference in the balsamic vinegars we buy in the United States versus what you get from the source in Modena. You can certainly purchase legit Balsamic Vinegar online here, but it is much more fun (and less expensive) to get it from the source. There is also a white balsamic that is fun to try and tastes amazing drizzled over vanilla ice cream. After our tasting we went to the Ferrari Museum (where you can drive a simulator) and spent time in the town of Modena, location of one of the best restaurants in the world, Osteria Francescana
Venice
A day and night in Venice is not enough, especially if you have kids. My kids were fascinated by all of the boats and the bridges. They loved touring the Doge’s Palace, where we had a wonderful private guide. One of my favorite stories was about the mailboxes around the Palace. Citizens could submit information on neighbors thought to be violating the law. Anyone could write a name on a piece of paper and slip it into the “lion’s mouth”. All accusations were investigated and sentences were harsh and often without appeal.
You can walk through the Bridge of Sighs, the place that prisoners would walk and see their last sight of freedom before entering the prison.
I loved walking around Venice and shopping. We didn’t have time to get to Murano Island where the Venetian glass is blown, but there were plenty of stores selling it or you can buy glasses here. We saw the Rialto Bridge and an outside view of the Bridge of Sighs. Of course no visit to Venice is complete without a ride in a gondola as the sun sets.
As it turns out, Venice probably had the most impact on my children. Rome might be better visited in the Fall or Spring in order to avoid the heat and high prices. Regardless, we look forward to returning.
Milan
Milan is a name brand shopper’s dream. It is also crowded and very touristy in parts, the worst being Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. The building is beautiful and filled with stores, primarily being high end fashion (although you can also find H&M there). It is also adjacent to the Duomo. I can highly recommend going early in the day, because it will just get more crowded. Near one of the entrances is the Bull Mosaic. You can easily find it by looking for a circle of people all taking turns to put their heel on the bull’s balls and spin three times for good luck. The damage that has been done to the bull is a bit sad.
Another important sight in Milan is the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Don’t miss the rooftops. I booked Fast Track Private Tour: The Rooftops, which was absolutely perfect. The company was very responsive and provided everything I needed. They can be reached at: tour@fabbricaservizi.it and duomomilano.it. The ticket also includes entrance to the cathedral and the museum.
Visiting the Last Super is “important” when you are in Milan. Even if you aren’t into religion, the painting is an incredible feat in a building that has been through a lot. Supposedly you can get tickets online for a small price, but I had no luck. You can pay for a guided tour, which I thought was a waste since you only have 15 minutes to view the painting. However, I was going to be there on the 1st Sunday of the month, which meant tickets are available the Wednesday before at 6amET. I set my alarm and had the tickets in minutes.
The Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie was built by the Sforza Royal Family who then commissioned Leonardo Di Vinci for the painting. It was done as a one-point perspective which means every angle of the painting draws your eye back to the focal point, which, in this painting means Jesus. Da Vinci did this by driving a nail into Jesus’ head, then strung thread in every direction so he could paint from different perspectives. It is a tempera and oil painting on dry plaster, which gave bolder colors but made it prone to deterioration. He did this because it is difficult to make cages on a fresco painting and he needed time to paint all of the detail. Unfortunately choosing this method meant it began to break loose less then two decades after he started the painting. Further, the room was used as a cafeteria, a horse stable (under Napoleon) and was bombed during WWII.
Piedmont
I’m not sure what oenophile would feel complete if they visit Milan and don’t drive 90 minutes to Piedmont. I hired a private driver and planned each stop. There are many ways to book day trips to the area, but I found them to be excessively expensive. I planned the day choosing the furthest spot and then made my way back toward Milan, which meant I started in Barolo. Pira Luigi in Serralunga did not disappoint. I enjoyed everything I tried here. After trying Barolo in La Morra, I went to lunch in Alba, a cute walkable town that would make a great base to explore the area if you have more time. Then I moved on to Barbaresco. One of the wineries I visited provided a perfect view of the Ferrero Rocher factory. Unfortunately the factory is closed to the public.
