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Round Italy with a Toddler: what we learned this weekend

5/27/2014

22 Comments

 
This weekend we hired a car and trundled off to the Ligurian Coast. In case your Italian geography is a little shaky, it’s here:
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It’s the Italian Riviera, where all the fancy-shmancy celebrities go for their Sanremo Music Festival fix every year. It’s also stunningly beautiful, with steep, olive grove-clad mountains plunging straight into the sea. The perfect antidote to the industrialised plains around Milan, even for those who are not so fancy-shmancy.
So as well as sticking our toes in some sand, this weekend we learned that:

1. Agriturismo is the way to go with a toddler in tow
The “agri” stands for agriculture, so what you get is this: working farm + cheap accommodation. The sum is so much more than its constituents though, because it actually means that you get locally grown and home-cooked food without having to cart your toddler to a separate restaurant, stunning countryside views and, best of all, farm animals to entertain said toddler, all at very reasonable prices.
We’ve done this kind of thing three times now and the most we’ve ever paid was €50 per adult (about £40) for:

en-suite room
4-course evening meal
breakfast

I can’t recommend it enough. And in case you’re interested, the three we’ve been to are:

La Virginia near Turin in Piedmonte
Scuderia Della Valle at the foot of the Alps near Bergamo
Le Giare by the Ligurian Coast
2. Toddlers are perfectly capable of falling asleep while chewing
In fact, ours seems to sleep best with a half-eaten piece of bread in his hand.

3. Long drives are excellent for reclaiming couple-time
Mr P&P and I are pretty good at living past each other, most of the time. It’s an inevitable result of juggling two jobs with childcare and little outside help. We realised that a couple of hours in the car, where neither of us is able to blog/write code/do chores is an excellent opportunity for a bit of a catch-up. That is, when the toddler in the back is sleeping, of course.

4. Long drives are excellent for testing your nap time management skills
When it goes right, see above. When it goes wrong, however, it goes something like this:

Driver attempts to drive with ears shut.
Toddler alternates between screaming, flinging food and attempting to escape mid-motorway. Or does them all at the same time if he's feeling particularly frisky.
Passenger becomes Contortionist and Multi-tasker Extraordinaire, map reading, retrieving toys, offering raisin-shaped bribes, and singing nursery rhymes while desperately trying to control the urge to hurl on the windy mountain roads.

5.
When driving in Genova, expect the unexpected
You will find a motorway at the end of the narrowest harbour-side alleyway, realise that going backwards will get you going forwards eventually, and come to see tackling 20 cm slip roads in a decidedly non-grunty Fiat Panda as entirely normal. Welcome to Italy, people.

6. There is very little an end-of-road-trip trip to IKEA can’t solve
Carsick, tired, grumpy? No matter. Stop off at one of Milan’s three IKEAs and get dinner and toddler-tainment rolled into one. It’s like being at someone else’s house without having to worry about their furniture getting a little trashed. I mean, aren’t you meant to test the sofas for bounciness?? Isn’t chucking your child into a vat full of fluffy pandas a great idea??

That's it for pearls of wisdom on travelling round Italy with a toddler in the back seat. And now for the obligatory post-weekend photo bomb:
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22 Comments
Samantha link
5/28/2014 03:05:54 am

Never been to Italy myself - I would absolutely love to go! Sounds/looks like you all had a lovely time. And I totally get that when on a long car journey, you really do get a bit of quality time with the other half! We are heading to Portugal in a couple of weeks and can't wait for some family time and spending a bit of quality time with one another. X

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Eline @ Pasta & Patchwork link
6/1/2014 03:30:52 pm

Ooh Portugal is a lovely country too, have a wonderful time. I know some people say travelling with kids isn't worth the hassle but I always appreciate the time away from chores and work with my boys x

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Jenny link
5/28/2014 02:34:51 pm

AMAZING TRIP! I love this post. I have been twice but never with family or children yet. Only in my travelling days in my youth. hahaha I do love italy though. I am dying to take our next family holiday there so I am glad you gave me some tips here. Looks like you had an amazing time. What a beautiful country. Thanks for linking up to Share WIth Me #sharewithme

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Eline @ Pasta & Patchwork link
6/1/2014 03:34:24 pm

Do come here if you get the chance! It's a great country for a family holiday - the food, the sea, the ice cream, the culture. We've become a little more adventurous since M has turned one and I'm glad for it. We really did have a good time, and it's given us the confidence to do more of these kinds of trips.

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Sarah (TamingTwins) link
5/28/2014 04:47:02 pm

What a fantastic, useful post. Hope I can visit some time to get to use your tips. Lovely to discover your blog too :)

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Eline @ Pasta & Patchwork link
6/1/2014 03:35:41 pm

Thanks for your lovely comment, and I hope you get to make a trip here too some time! There's so much for families to do and see here.

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Michelle link
5/29/2014 08:44:24 am

What a beautiful post and photos. We have been to Italy and had a brilliant time it's amazing! x

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Eline @ Pasta & Patchwork link
6/1/2014 03:36:57 pm

Aw, thank you! Italy is an amazing place indeed, we're very lucky to live here and have these places on our doorstep. x

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Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) link
5/29/2014 03:50:37 pm

Everything is so blue! The sea, the sky and those chaird =P

I wish I can go here. I am a new friend and they are from Milan. I will show this blog entry to her as I know she misses home very much! *Bookmarked* #sharewithme

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Eline @ Pasta & Patchwork link
6/1/2014 03:40:03 pm

Haha, what a coincidence! Do show her. It's so hard to not miss home, especially in the first year or so (and after that too, sometimes!). We've been trying hard to make the most of this beautiful country by being a little more adventurous. Even with a toddler in tow!

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Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) link
4/11/2015 02:37:35 pm

Oh and yes my son sleeps a lot of times even when he is in the middle of something. =P

Clara link
4/9/2015 04:44:10 am

Totally agree about IKEA! Out travelling with toddlers days are now over (just give them a tablet, plug them in and they're done!) but I remember those days well....

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Eline P&P link
4/10/2015 03:38:36 am

Ha, that sounds like a walk in the park! Though I think I might miss the chaos of travelling with a toddler, when he's all grown up...

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Seychellesmama link
4/9/2015 07:31:48 am

Ohhh it looks beautiful! I can't believe I have never been to Italy, it's truly shameful!!! It needs to be scheduled at some point!
Staying in a little farm place sounds perfect too, and such reasonable prices!!!
Thanks for linking with #myexpatfamily as always lovely! Xx

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Eline P&P link
4/10/2015 03:44:35 am

If you get the chance, do schedule a trip to Italy! It's an incredibly family-friendly country so I'm sure you'd all love it.

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Phoebe @ Lou Messugo link
4/9/2015 09:59:51 am

Thank goodness travelling with a toddler is over for us, but we did tons of it and loved it, driving all across Europe many times. Now it's travelling with a teen and tween who sleep, read, listen to iPods and generally entertain themselves. You came very close to Lou Messugo, we're only just over the border from Liguria and often go to San Remo for lunch! I agree about agritourismo and have stayed in some lovely ones. I also agree about time in a car is good adult catch-up time. #myexpatfamily

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Becky Brown link
4/9/2015 10:42:02 am

Agriturismo sounds like a great idea. I wonder if there is something similar in France? Will have to check it out...otherwise we'll just have to come to Italy!

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Jen (4,128 miles) link
4/9/2015 06:18:53 pm

This sounds like a fantastic trip. I love Italy. Such a beautiful country and how lovely to share such experiences with your beautiful little boy. Love 'raisin-shaped bribes' we do this a lot too! Ha ha, you've got to bow down to the power of a raisin or two! Agriturismo is a fab tip - we will be looking into that one. Xx

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Sara (@mumturnedmom) link
4/9/2015 07:00:17 pm

Ha, this made me smile. We've done many a road trip with small children, and I can relate to all of these! #myexpatfamily

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Ruth link
4/9/2015 10:52:52 pm

The trip sounds great, beautiful photos too! I like the sound of agroturismo, I'd like to try that, don't know if it exists here in Mexico or not.
#MyExpatFamily

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Laura Wolf link
4/9/2015 11:07:16 pm

Agritourism sounds awesome! We are an agri family anyway, that is my husbands business....i am going to check and see if this is a thing in Asia. I can totally relate to traveling with a toddler. Your beach pictures were so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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Ersatz Expat link
4/13/2015 10:19:14 am

What a great post. We took the kids to Italy a few years ago and had a whale of a time. We would love to go back, hope you continue to be able to enjoy it for a while yet.

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