Italy {Girls Trip 2014}

Nearly a month later, and I am finally to the point where I've uploaded, edited and poured over more than 1000 pictures chronicling our trip to Italy.

Disclaimer - this post is going to be long. Like SUPER long. In an effort to keep it readable in under 30 minutes, I will keep the text to a minimum, and focus on the pictures.

I knew going into this trip that Italy was going to be pretty. But I was totally blown away by the overwhelming beauty of this country. From the beginning of our trip in Florence, to the hills of Tuscany and the ancient buildings of Rome, we truly got a genuine taste of Italy.

Many were skeptical about my decision to take a 4-year-old on the trip with us. Despite the obvious, (I literally could not have gone without taking Isla as we would have no real childcare options available), I really enjoyed having her there with us. While at times it was tough, and not the most exciting of a trip for a toddler, there were some real bonding moments, and memories that I will treasure forever. I was extremely proud of my world traveler, and a very happy Mama when the compliments from strangers came pouring in after our flights. I literally could not have asked for her to have been better behaved. The only time she got upset was when I was trying to force her to sleep. I know next time, that she will not go to sleep on an overseas flight, and it will be better for us both if I just accept that from the beginning… and don't take a sleeping pill. :-/

And so it begins: Houston --> Atlanta // Atlanta --> Paris // Paris --> Florence

Florence, Italy

The door leading into our hotel, and the view from our hotel room

Isla especially loved these "statues", she mentioned them multiple times throughout the trip and was always on the lookout for more

Ponte Vecchio

Obviously this carousel in the middle of a piazza was a big hit for Isla

Along with this sweets store, there was no less than three gelato places within mere steps of our hotel room

Il Duomo

Yes, thats Isla blowing out the candles… I was mortified!

We climbed the tower to get better views of Florence. Okay, I climbed a tower while carrying Isla. Needless to say we only made it to the first level...




Isla was even more adverse to the camera than usual for the vast majority of this trip. However, there were times when she requested her picture taken. And these were the poses she gave me...


While waiting for everyone to go to dinner one evening, Isla and I happened upon this old man in the piazza outside our hotel. He carried a pouch of food for the birds and fed them straight from his hands.

Isla was amazed.

She desperately wanted to feed the birds from her hands, but unfortunately, she just didn't have this old mans magic touch.

Our last night in Florence we spent drinking wine out in the piazza and entertaining Isla, (and ourselves), with the toys that they sold to the tourists.


Cinque Terre

The next morning we packed up and headed to Cinque Terre (The Five Lands). It's a grouping of five villages along the sea that are connected by trails and steps. Luckily, they have also built a train to travel to and from these different villages.

Isla was especially interested in this little cat. Unfortunately, the cat did not feel the same way, and attacked as soon as Isla got the nerve up to pet it.

Alice, Mary Ann, Isla and I opted to walk the trail to Corniglia. It was about 400 steep steps up. That was made even worse by the fact that Isla refused to walk, and I ended up carrying her the whole way in our Ergo baby carrier.

Still, it was absolutely beautiful, and so worth the hike.

Once up in the village, we stopped for lunch, and to take in some more of the beautiful scenery before heading to the next village.

Unfortunately, the trains were a little off this day, and our driver was set to pick us up at a specific time, so we were unable to visit anymore of the villages.

It was hot, and super crowded. And the day definitely took it's toll on us, but it was SO worth it - an absolutely stunning place, and in my opinion and must see if you are in the region.

Cinque Terre would probably be best done in more than a day, staying in one of the hotels, and breaking up the experience would probably be the best way to avoid the frustration.



San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a medieval walled town located in the province of Siena. Referred to as "the town of fine towers" the village is surrounded by towers and ancient buildings covered in ivy. It was super idyllic and a wonderful place for us to spend 4 days unwinding before we traveled to our final destination; Rome.

I can't imagine waking up as a 4 year old to this fairytale scene rom our bedroom window… the photo on the left is part of San Gimignano from one of the towers.


Seriously? A painting class on top of a hill in Tuscany?!?! Are we in a movie?



San Gimignano has no shortage of laid-back charm. From the many dogs, to the old men who bring their own chairs to sit and watch the tourists in the piazza, this place is oozing with "awwwww"



Chianti Classico Wine and Castles Tour

While in San Gimignano we booked a day trip to the Chianti wine region to visit and sample some of the areas wineries and castles.


Our first stop was Monteriggioni, a medieval walled town, that was used as a defensive fortification in the Middle Ages.

I am not sure what the name of our next stop was… And this was BEFORE any wine! It was absolutely beautiful all the same!


And next up - the wineries!

It all went off without a hitch - until Isla puked in the car on the way back home. And I'm pretty sure she didn't even sample any of the wine…


Rome

The end of our trip came faster than any of us had expected. But I know one little girl who was super excited to be in a big city, full of comforts from home. Namely, McDonalds Happy Meals…


I'm not sure I saw her more excited the whole trip!

Much of the city was covered in scaffolding, which was a bit of a disappointment, but even with the construction going on at many of the monuments, Rome was definitely something I was glad I got to experience.



Isla was super excited to wash her hands and face in the vatican water, which is said to have all sorts of healing properties and benefits.

A very special thanks goes out to these two - for bringing us all together and making this trip happen. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go on it with y'all!

I was also super grateful to be doing a lot of the above. While landscape photography is definitely not my forte, it was such a nice experience to have the time to spend on a hobby I love so much.

And of course, Instagram was there to document what the DSLR could not.


While this post took an insanely long time to put together, believe it or not, I got it done in just the nick of time. On Friday Jordan and I travel to the UK for a week, and I will have just as much work to do chronicling that trip!