[trip style = luxury + urban + beach + food + wine]
As we boarded the plane for our three-week immersion into Italy, I wasn't sure whether the trip would be BANANAS or breathtaking with Baby Styler in tow. Was it crazy to take a tyke to Italy? Feeling adventurous, I'd been told by multiple Italophiles how much Italians love babies, so I thought we'd give it a go.
Turns out, Italy with Baby Styler was one of the best trips we've ever taken, and not just because he tried his first pizza—by a Michelin-star chef no less!
Don't get me wrong, there were moments of mayhem, like the time we had to call housekeeping at our chi-chi Relais & Chateaux hotel when a leaky diaper "situation" ensued on top of the comforter, or when... actually, I'll spare you the details. All in all, I came to the conclusion that if Italy is on your travel list, don't avoid it when you have kids; sprint there as fast as you can.
Because we're ultra-respectful of other hotel- and restaurant-goers with our wee one, and refuse to sacrifice style when we jet-set, we stay and eat well at the kind of places with white tablecloths. Sometimes that's a problem in North America; in Italy, it's the opposite.
If you walk into an "it" restaurant or hotel in Italy, the staff and other diners welcome you with open arms {some even offer to pick up your child while you eat}. At first, we were taken aback by this outward affection and social grace, but after observing the cultural love for children, we eventually said to ourselves "when in Rome" and for a few minutes ate our pasta while Baby Styler danced beside us in the arms of his new BFF.
Here are some of our favorite moments with our "bello bambino".
[photos by @tripstyler]