Italy 2017

My family absolutely loves Italy. Normally we try not to go to the same destination multiple times, but Italy is a special place that warrants multiple visits. Each region has very distinct cultures, cuisines, and historical sites making it difficult to see everything in a single visit. Italy captures your heart, especially if you consider yourself a foodie. Endless delights of pasta, cheese, pizza, espresso, and rich desserts will capture your stomach as well as your heart. 

We had previously visited Rome, Siena, and Florence with our good friends and two year olds in tow (post coming soon)! When my Italian grandmother, who had never been to Italy turned 80 we took her to Milan, Venice, and Verona. All of this was before my youngest son was born. We really wanted to see southern Italy, but he had asked to visit Venice since he was 3 years old. He wanted to ride in a gondola after seeing them in movies. More importantly, Zack loves pasta and was always miffed that his older brother Dylan had been to Italy twice, but he “never got to go”.

Normally it wouldn’t be my first choice to traverse in complete opposite directions over long distances with only 9 days. But after looking at various options for transportation and travel times within Italy, I made the decision to cross off everyones wish list items.

• Zack wanted to see the Coliseum in Rome, and to ride in a Gondola, see the canals, and paint Venetian masks.
• Dave wanted to go to Naples to the birthplace of pizza, and see the Vatican which we had skipped on previous trips.
• Dylan wanted to go to Amalfi for fabulous seafood dishes and to swim in the ocean.
• Mom never really makes too many requests. She’s happy to go with the group. Although she had been to Italy years ago, she had never made it to Naples or the Amalfi Coast.