A Week in Italy | Cup of Jo

After visiting our English relatives this summer, we met friends in Italy for a week. The boys were so excited to go to another place and, of course, eat all the paste and ice cream that their little hands could have. Here are some photos, if you want to see …

We found a couple of stone houses owned by a charming family just outside Montepulciano. The property had a beautiful pool, six rooms in total and lavender bushes with buzzing bees.

Our group had five children and seven adults, including the lovely Sharon Beesley, above 🙂 The first night of a group trip is always a bit stressful for me, as the organizer: Do children get along? Will they click on adults? Will we get stuck in a vortex of small talks? Fortunately, everyone immediately fell into an easy pace, and was very happy.

The mornings were usually quite relaxed, with people who ate cereals, drinking coffee and reading books. The previous celebration occurred when our friend discovered how to work the video game system. Children are still children, no matter where they are, haha.

In the afternoon, we swam or play card games by the pool. Here, we are playing trap. Any other game that you like?

The view was so beautiful, and we judged many hand stop competitions.

And this photo made me laugh: just when I took a photo of Toby and his friend, Anton swam and posed. His arms crossed, hahaha.

We also explore the surrounding area. In Italy, each region has its own specific dishes and ingredients, and one day, the children and I went to Pienza, the nearby city for its pecorino cheese. We ate Crostini with sharp slices and with nut aging, as well as a arugula salad with a younger pecorino, which knew soft and covered with grass.

One of our favorite meals was Ravioli with butter and sage. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best, don’t you think?

As a score, my packaging strategy was to bring a battery of light shirts with buttons and a pile of jes and skirts of Jean. Then I just mixed and combined for the whole trip. This shirt, especially, was a very pleasant blue.

One night, some of us adults sneaked into the Podere Ciona winery in the heart of the classic Chianti wine region. During our one -hour trip through Val d’Orcia, full of wavy hills, spotters and towns of the hill, I kept saying: “Oh, my God, you, wow, my God, sight, I am having an experience outside the body.” At certain times, I honestly felt that I was dreaming. He was so beautiful and so vast.

The winery is directed by a married couple: Lorenzo, Italian, and Jennifer, an American (and former Yorker). We tried their pink, white and red wines, while we ate frittata, grapes, bread and cheese. How impressive is the landscape?

At night, we played Rummikub, we see movies or simply absorbed the relaxed time together.

Finally, we said goodbye to our friends and spend our last night at a hotel two hours north of the airport of Rome, where we would take our flight the next day. I thought about booking an airport hotel, but I thought we could try to introduce a final adventure.

I’m glad to have done it because our hotel (which was super comfortable but had terrible food, for your information), was on the hill of a small beach club. The club was full of Italian families, teenagers and older couples. I love that every woman, of any age, shape and size, used a rope bikini: everyone only lived life, swam at sea and enjoyed the sun.

In addition, this group of friends playing my heart swollen. Can we be us in 25 years?

Thank you, Italy, for such a beautiful week! Of course, not in the photo: disputes between brothers, mosquito bites, jet delay, long trips, violent sick the first night with the stomach insect that I caught in England, etc. But everything was worth XA million. Italy, we love you and feel very lucky.

PD: family holiday ideas and the #1 trick to enjoy family trips.

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