2,593 km and 327 pictures later, we are back in Basel after an amazing week-long vacation in Italy. With our trunk packed to the brim with suitcases, pack ’n play, groceries and pool toys (no room for a stroller!), and Eli, Ethan and babysitter Brittany strapped in nice and tight in the backseat, we took the country by storm.
TOSCANA
Our first destination was San Gimignano, a popular hill town in Tuscany. Despite watching “Under the Tuscan Sun” just days before the trip, we were unprepared for how truly gorgeous the Tuscan landscape is. The rolling hills of vineyards and olive trees literally brought tears to my eyes when we arrived at our agriturismo and I saw the view from our apartment; and in the three days we were there, the scenery never ceased to amaze us. The farm, Fattoria Abbazia Monte Oliveto, offered a nice change of pace from our city life. The kids enjoyed swimming in the beautiful pool and exploring the grounds one morning at sunrise. And at sunset, Ben and I enjoyed sampling the estate’s wines and olive oil in the garden overlooking the hills.
The town of San Gimignano was within walking distance from where we were staying, so we ventured into town a few times during our stay. We enjoyed wandering the cobbled alleys and found the medieval architecture and piazzas so alluring. We spent a good amount of time in the Piazza della Cisterna, where the boys enjoyed their first gelato and made lots of wishes in the old well. And we climbed to the top of Torre Grossa, the tallest of San Gimignano’s remaining medieval towers, for amazing views of the town and countryside.
While in Tuscany, we did a day trip to Siena—another fantastic hill town, or city rather. We enjoyed lunch in the Piazza del Campo, where the Palio horse race takes place, and sampled some more gelato along one of the narrow pedestrian streets. For a real touch of local flavor, Ben and Eli put their heads in the “scissorhands” of a local barber, Mauricio. I cringed in fear that our vacation photos would all be plagued with matching mohawk-mullets, but the guys actually walked out looking pretty handsome.
Ben, Eli and I also took an afternoon drive to the Vicchiomaggio vineyard in Greve in Chianti. Eli was very well-behaved as we toured the grounds and the wine cellars, and he got several laughs from the group when the guide announced that we’d be heading down to the shop for wine tasting, and Eli responded with a loud “mmm”! We bought a bottle of Chianti Classico wine from the vineyard and returned back to our apartment, where we enjoyed a pasta dinner on the terrace and toasted to a great start to the vacation.
CAMPANIA
From Tuscany, we headed south to the Campania region, where we stayed four nights in Sorrento. The cliffside town on the Mediterranean was such a contrast from the rolling hills of Tuscany, that it felt like an entirely new vacation.
Much to her surprise, Brittany’s parents had been in touch with me before the trip and had arranged to join us in Sorrento for a few days. We happily shared Brittany’s time, and the arrangement allowed us a great mix of family time and couple time.
The Hilton Sorrento Palace was a great family spot. We started each day with a big buffet breakfast, and the playground and pools kept the boys entertained for hours. Ethan, who started out the vacation clinging to us in the water, was racing down slides headfirst by the end of the trip.
We also took advantage of Sorrento’s location and did small outings along the coast. Our first outing was a ferry trip to Capri. Though Ben and I found the experience to be overly touristy, the island was really beautiful and the boys enjoyed the boat tour of the Blue Grotto and a funicular train ride up to the town for lunch.
Ben and I took another ferry trip the next day to visit Positano, a gorgeous beach town on the Amalfi Coast. We hiked all over the cliffs in search of the perfect picture, ducking into shops and galleries along the way. We finally concluded that it was impossible to capture the town’s beauty on camera, so we gave up and stopped for a leisurely piadini lunch before heading back to Sorrento.
Ethan and I spent the last day at the pool while Eli and Ben ventured to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. Despite nearly running out of gas half way up the volcano and having to descend, fill-up and climb it all over again, Ben reports that they had a great bonding day. Nerd Jr. couldn’t wait to show off the volcano rocks they collected to his friends back in Basel.
By evenings, the boys were exhausted and were happy to get room service and watch movies with Brittany, so Ben and I got to enjoy a couple of great date nights in downtown Sorrento. We watched beautiful sunsets and had really nice dinners in town, but one of my favorite memories of the trip will be wandering off the beaten path to a gorgeous seaside hotel terrace for moonlit cocktails overlooking the Mediterranean.
LOMBARDIA
To break up the drive back to Basel, we stopped off in the Italian lake district for a night in Sirmione, a peninsula at the bottom of Lake Garda. Navigating to our hotel in the pedestrian-only historic section proved to be a little stressful, but we managed not to run over anyone and celebrated our arrival with big beers and big gelatos. After getting Brittany and the boys settled into the hotel and ready for bed, Ben and I went out to explore the lake town. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the cute boutiques were all closed so I could only window shop, but we found a cozy little osteria where we enjoyed a great bottle of wine and reflected on the vacation.
In the morning, we took the boys to the Rocca Scaligera—a thirteenth century castle around the corner from the hotel. The inside of the castle is mostly an empty shell, but we were able to climb the towers for amazing views of Lake Garda and the surrounding mountains. We then took a ferry trip over to the town of Garda and walked around a bit. We thought Sirmione and Garda were really charming and the scenery was so beautiful; we’d love to go back someday. But after nine days on the road, it was time to grab one last gelato and head home.
Home Sweet Home
Now, back in Basel and back to the grind, I still get a big smile on my face when I think about the trip. It exceeded my expectations on so many levels and we have so many fun memories. I hope the boys will remember bits and pieces from it, but, if they don’t, this longwinded blog post will serve some purpose!
Ciao!
