Ti amiamo Italia!

It’s a new month and time for an epic update!

Since the last post, we took a weeklong trip to Florence, Italy for a big week of exploration, relaxation, and a ton of pasta.

So let’s start from the beginning. We took off from Paris on February 21st around noon and were in Italy by 2pm. We decided to spend the first three days of the trip in the city before heading to the Tuscan countryside.

From the airport we took the T2 tram to the heart of the city and then “rucked” our bags and kids over the cobblestones to our Airbnb right next to Santa Croce. After dropping off our bags, we ventured into the city, grabbed a pizza, and soaked it all in. The first night did not disappoint. The pizza was great and the gelato even better. After a full day of travel, we were ready for bed and excited to explore on Sunday. Hailey was already proclaiming Italy was the best and that she loved it.

Our plans mostly centered around 1–2 meals a day, but we didn’t pack the schedule full of “stuff.” Instead, we decided to focus on family time and just walk around. So Sunday we did just that. Our first objective was breakfast, which turned out to be epic: croissants, cornetti, and the best pain au chocolat I’ve had yet (sorry, France). We then found a cute park that, to our surprise, had a giant jump pillow the kids could bounce on. After a few hours there, it was time for lunch and we hit up the famous All’Antico Vinaio, which was EPIC. I cannot express how awesome the sandwiches were.

We then set out for a long walk around the city and took it all in. The architecture alone is worth a full day of exploration. To end the excursion, we headed up to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the full city view. After 20,000 steps (mostly with kids on our backs), we worked up an appetite and headed to a bisteccheria near our Airbnb. We had a giant 1.3 kg T-bone — a Florentine specialty. It was amazing. Emery said the pasta was 10/10 and the best she’s ever had. Fischer loved his fries and ketchup. And of course, we topped it off with gelato.

That’s when things got interesting.

We woke up at 3am to Fischer throwing up pink gelato and fries, which we hoped was just from a wild day of eating — not a preview of what was coming for all of us. Luckily, he woke up like a new man, ready for the world. Phew. After a lot of cleanup, I was ready for a shower… which was eventful. Turns out the water setting at this Airbnb was set to skin-melting temperatures. I brushed against the hot water line and got a nasty burn on my back. At least that woke me up.

And as they say, trouble comes in threes. We went to see the statue of David only to realize I had bought tickets for the wrong day. Our main “thing” was actually booked for Tuesday — the day we were heading to the countryside. So… change of plans.

We explored the city instead. We went to the market, found two really cool parks, hit up Pino’s (another bomb sandwich shop), and visited a beautiful basilica (not the Duomo though). We finished the day at Trattoria Za Za. While we had a few good dishes, we’d probably skip it in the future. It was good — just not great. That said, it was still a really great day despite the rocky start.

Tuesday we packed up and headed to the airport to pick up a rental car before driving to the countryside. After taking the wrong tram line (whoops), we made it to the airport and got the car… only to realize the bags were way too big for the trunk. After some serious Tetris, we managed to fit the car seats, kids, and bags safely inside.

Our first stop? McDonald’s — because that’s our thing. I have to keep my shareholder value up. McDonald’s was great. Not France great, but still better than what we get in the U.S. The little block of Parmesan was a nice touch.

A quick 30-minute drive later, we were in the countryside and arrived at our Airbnb. It’s hard to describe how picturesque it was. Nestled between rolling hills and right on a vineyard, it was exactly what you picture when you think “Italian cottage.” We were met by our host Beatrice, who was amazing and gave us the full rundown. After exploring, letting the kids swing and run around, we headed to a nearby town to grab food so we could eat on the patio and enjoy the fresh air. It was a perfect end to the day and start to the back half of the trip.

Wednesday we went to the small town of San Casciano and let the kids play at the park. For lunch, I stopped by a small bakery where the lady made us a super simple sandwich that turned out to be a major hit. The focaccia was perfect and the mortadella was out of this world. The olive trees and blue skies certainly added to the moment.

We raced home for our pasta-making course at the Airbnb — something we’d been looking forward to all week.

At 3:30 Chef Leopoldo arrived and the course began. We started by prepping, cutting, mixing, and making fruit tiramisu. We were all surprised that it’s made with raw eggs (and btw, if even a single drop of yolk gets into the whites, they won’t fluff). We then learned the process of making fresh noodles. We made the dough, rolled it out, and turned it into pappardelle and ravioli.

By 6pm we were sitting down to a four-course meal. First was winter bruschetta, followed by the “7 Sins” pappardelle, then spinach and ricotta ravioli, and finally the fruit tiramisu. Wow. Each pasta dish was better than any pasta we’d ever had. And the tiramisu — I still can’t wrap my head around how it was that good. We were completely stuffed and could not have had a better time with Chef Leopoldo.

The last two days we explored Greve in Chianti and went back to San Casciano. We ate out a few times and cooked a few meals at home. We explored the countryside, took long walks, and took a ton of pictures — including some really fun astro photos thanks to the clear skies and lack of light pollution. One highlight was a simple spaghetti dinner on the patio as the sun set. Another was watching the kids spend hours digging in rocks and swinging on the swings.

It was really hard to leave this trip. It was exciting, amazing, epic, fun — and at the same time relaxing. We’re already planning our next trip in the fall. Maybe back to Tuscany, maybe North Italy, maybe Corsica. But one thing is for sure: we’ll be back to Tuscany again. It absolutely blew the doors off Paris and was something I think we all needed.

Now we have three weeks here before a three-week trip to Houston for work. The next few months will be a whirlwind — but all exciting things. We’re looking forward to the guests, trips, and excursions ahead.