Italy Trip

 Glass on the Island of Murano

Hotel room in Venice. Todd: "This is the most romantic place that I have ever stayed!" So true.

Private balcony and view from our room in Siena.

Sleepy boys.

Oh the David!

Making wishes in the Trevi Fountain

We bought this little hat to keep Theo's face and ears out of the sun. He looked so cute in it!

Olive tree on the Palatine Hill

Marble from the original floor of the Emperor's mansion on the Palatine Hill

Always looking for ways to entertain Theo...

The Pope was at the Vatican during our visit! He was in St. Peter's behind us in the morning which shut down most of Vatican City for the morning.

Taylor wanted to try carrying Theo. Taylor: "I feel invincible in this thing!"

Tired baby

Italy is the most picturesque place that I have ever visited. Everywhere you go you want to stop and take a picture, it’s unreal!  We left for Italy the day after Todd’s graduation with my parents and sisters. This was Theo’s first trip outside of the country, and being only nine months old, I was a little nervous about the flights, but he did great! He was a happy traveler and we had four extra family members wanting to hold him whenever we got tired. We even snuck in a date night in Florence. We couldn't have done the trip without our Ergo 360 carrier. He was able to take tons of naps and adjust to multiple positions to give our backs breaks. Seriously, if you are traveling with a baby, you need one! A stroller is only feasible in a handful of places.

On our trip, we hit Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice, and Milan. I have to say my favorite place was Siena, I felt less like a tourist and more immersed in the culture during our stay. I also tried the best gelato and the most interesting pizza combination during our stay (American style pizza topped with hot dogs and French fries… yuck!). We also made a dance video for the Sonnet James contest on the balcony of our room. If you haven't seen it, or you need a good laugh today, head over to my Instagram account (@thetravelingrunner) and check a few posts back.

I also loved Rome and all of the history, I am fascinated by the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. We booked an incredible tour through LivItaly that allowed us access to the entire Colosseum, which included the Colosseum floor, the underground, and the third tier, which are restricted to general admission. Our tour also included the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill. Our guide Rachel was very knowledgeable and also happened to be a Tarheel!

I can’t even begin to describe how amazing the food was, all I can say is it’s a good thing we were walking everywhere hauling a 20 pound baby, otherwise we would have been in trouble! Some of my favorites included Nutella pizza, fresh macaroons, daily pastries, sandwiches at Luini in Milan, and of course tons of pizza, pasta, gelato, and chocolate bars.

We had some travel delays on our way home which resulted in spending an entire day in the Milan airport followed by a night in a hotel, more waiting in lines the next day, motion sickness on the flight home, and lost bags. BUT we made it home all in one piece and loved our trip! We are happy to be back in the United States, but I hope we can go back someday! 

I'll be posting travel tips (specifically international travel with a baby), AirBnB vs, Homeaway, what to see, and more on the Hunter Girls DIY Life blog in the coming weeks.

-Makenzie