We had hill town fatigue. Not only did Aaron’s back still ache from carrying our toddler in the backpack, but those quaint streets and trinket shops began to blur together. We ignored the gathering rain clouds, grabbed our one umbrella and headed off to visit two abbeys: Abbey Di Sant Antimo and Abbey Di Monte Oliveto Maggiore.

We woke up this morning nursing a Lost in Tuscany hangover. We put the map away and chose to visit Montepulicano, a ten minute drive from our apartment. This medieval hill town was where we discovered our second transportation issue: we still don’t have a stroller.

We pulled into San Antonio Country Resort in the late afternoon. This family friendly resort is an old convent that was converted into vacation rentals and is a 10 minute drive from Montepulicano.

We gathered our bags, ate a quick breakfast and waited for our taxi, which would take us to the EuroCar rental office located in the underground parking lot underneath the Borghese Gardens. Our driver was the first Italian we met who didn’t speak English. We showed him our destination on the map and he said [...]

We loved chaotic Rome. But I will admit, we were also exhausted from the constant noise (revving Vespas at night were the worst) and general city chaos. With one day left, we tied up loose ends by revisiting the Trevi Fountain, climbing the Spanish Steps and wandering off into the quiet and rejuvenating Borghese Gardens. [...]

Beautiful blue sky, nothing but Roman ruins sprawled in front of me and I was in love with Rome all over again. As we stood within the Forum, I tried to absorb as much of the Roman marble and brick my mind could consume. But I knew a few hours weren’t long enough to fully [...]

I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose and clouded head. I slept all morning, Ada continued her shower drumming and Aaron took care of us both. We left the house after lunch, made a quick visit to St. Peter’s square and continued on to the Trevi Fountain (for Ada) and a quest to [...]

Various guidebooks warned that crossing a street in Rome can be dangerous. Drivers drive fast and pedestrians don’t have right of way. We had no problems within the narrow streets of the historical center and this made us a little cocky. But this rainy afternoon, we were soon to be humbled. To return to Via [...]

I awoke to thunder shaking the windows. I thought of the ancient Romans sleeping through similar storms and went back to sleep. The rain trapped us within our small abode for most of the day. Ada was delighted.  She celebrated by drumming against the shower stalls, squealing with joy at the echoed rattles. She transformed [...]

Our second day of sightseeing began at noon. Not ideal. Traveling with a toddler means small tasks such as eating breakfast, getting dressed, packing the day-bag, take twice as long. By the time we stumbled out of the apartment, the air smelled of imminent rain, I was impatient and annoyed. I soon discovered that these [...]