San Gimignano was a blip on our itinerary. It was quite literally a footnote just in case we had some time to kill. But as we were enjoying the meal we had lovingly cooked at our family cooking class, the hostess asked if we were headed to San Gimignano. We said we weren’t sure we …
The town closest to our Christmastime Italian villa was Santa Brigida. On our last day in Italy we decided to stay close to home and explore this small town. I’m glad we did, because although it probably won’t make your must-see list it reaffirmed that getting off the beaten path is always a good idea. …
Pisa and Lucca are neighboring Italian cities that provide completely different experiences. We visited them both on the same day and enjoyed what they each had to offer. Visiting them as a pair will round out your trip, one for checking off a must-see and the other providing an authentic experience. Pisa Pisa was our …
Although we stayed in a villa outside of Florence we ventured into the city on Christmas Eve and Christmas to enjoy all the city has to offer. We opted to take the train into Florence. Certain roads in Florence require a special pass to drive on. The maps are confusing and the fines are high (90€). It …
An easy 10-minute walk southeast of Rotterdam Central Station, Museum Rotterdam is a home run for kids! It took us over a year of living less than 20 kilometers from the museum to finally make it there. The Maritime Museum in Rotterdam tends to get all the accolades because it has a kids play area on …
The small town of Fiesole probably won’t be on your radar. We were looking for a morning outing where we could spend two hours exploring. Fiesole, on the outskirts of Florence, was a perfect fit. Fiesole sits at the top of a hill affording, on a clear day, amazing views. Unfortunately, our visit fell on a misty …
We decided to spend our first Christmas as a family of five in Italy. The trip was divided into two parts. We started in Rome where we explored the city with kids and baptized our new little one. We then moved the whole group to Tuscany, enjoying more space and adventure. We were treated to (mostly) …
Wine tasting tops the list on most Tuscan itineraries. I’ve read lots of comments online that say taking the kids wine tasting is impossible. Even more state that wineries aren’t open in the winter. I’m here to tell you that wine tasting, in winter, with kids in Tuscany is lovely with a bit of preparation. …
This was the type of day that makes your trip. I scoured the Internet high and low for a cooking class that would accommodate our group which included cooks of varying levels and our kids – two four-year-olds and two two-year-olds. The few classes that took kids were pizza making classes. We had a pizza oven …
There are a million rental properties in Tuscany. I instantly became overwhelmed looking for the perfect place for the family to spend Christmas. At some point, with all of the adults sitting around the computer, we found Castello Del Trebbio. Castello Del Trebbio has two villas and several apartments for rent on their sprawling property. …