Venice itself had been on my must-see list for years but, shockingly, even after nearly four years of living in Milan I’d never made it there. It’s not the most obvious place to be taking a toddler, but after getting some great advice on twitter (more on that later), we decided to give it a go.
I’m so pleased we did, despite a hair-raising moment when the toddler’s enthusiasm for water got a little out of hand.
(WARNING: This is a very photo-heavy post)
Once the Bean was awake we searched for a random town to find a park and some coffee. We happened upon Lonigo, a very pretty and historical town where there happened to be a Christmas market and band: instant toddler entertainment! We spent a very pleasant couple of hours milling around, then carried on driving to our hotel once darkness had set in.
Once in Venice it was time to pull out the light-weight buggy and start exploring the back streets rather than braving the main thoroughfare (both great tips by Gretta Schifano of Mums do Travel). It was a lovely, relaxed way to take in a city that is always busy.
Whenever the Bean’d had enough of his buggy, one of us would “do bridges” with him:
Monday morning was spent offsetting all things city by taking a walk around the premises of our hotel as well as the surrounding countryside. Even in the bareness of late autumn, there is something soothing about rolling hills and neatly lined up vines.