Welcome to the Dolci Vita!

This is the first post in the series – Kai’s Travel Adventures.  More to come!

Some 10 hours after we departed cold Washington, DC we felt the plane hit the tarmac in none other than Rome, Italy.  It was a cool December day and the sun was shining.  Kai was bright-eyed and excited as he peered out the airplane window and marveled at the vista, he had no idea what lay ahead for the next 10 days.  In fact none of us knew what would lie ahead, this was our first real adventure to an unknown land since Kai was born just 10 months ago.

Just getting off the plane, I got a sense of the food that Italy had in store for us.  There was a picture perfect antipasta bar with fresh buffalo mozzarella, plump red tomatoes, white bean salad, and perfectly grilled fresh artichokes dressed with lemon.  A food lovers dream come true!  And this is just airport dining.

We travelled light (which made it so much easier!) with one backpack for each of us (which included Kai’s stuff), plus Kai’s car seat & diaper back pack.  So in no time we met our driver and headed across Rome to our hotel.  The hotel (Villa Morgagni) was great, historic and very accommodating to families – we’d stay there again. Despite the jet lag, we were so excited to be in Rome and were operating on adrenaline, so off we went by foot walking the streets of Rome.  First we stopped for lunch at this amazing local restaurant that became our favorite eatery in Rome.  We feasted on a plate of house made meatballs in marinera, giant prawns (with the head on! Yum!) cooked in garlic and sherry, and of course a caprese salad – simple and completely delicious!  They don’t call Italy the ‘Dolci Vita’ (Sweet Life) for nothing!

Our journey continued on foot towards city center, Kai was mesmerized by the all the new scents, people, new language, and really everything that we were just as equally fascinated by.  It made me realize that we really aren’t any different after thirty than we are at just 10 months.  We wandered and wandered, found ancient city walls dating back before Christ.  Ancient stone churches in every niche of the city that are still operating today, with centuries of family tradition still attending weekly mass at the same churches their ancestors did.  We made our way to the train station, got our Roma Pass’ and spent some time checking out the map and subway.  Kai and I found a little kiosk selling nothing better than authentic gelato, and there in the chaos of the train station we devoured out first (of many) real Italian gelato.  Yes, we literally ate our way through Italy… more to come on the food.  Then we headed to the iconic ancient Roman Colosseum right in the heart of Rome.  In all its grandeur and magic.  All its windows and crevices were lit up against the indigo sky just after dusk.  This is Rome…  We were all breath taken.

We strolled around the grounds of the Colosseum for a while, admired the Arch of Constantine, and a few of ruins in Palatine that were within sight. We knew the day ahead so much yet to be discovered.  We headed back towards our hotel, grabbed a couple of glasses of Chianti and our first authentic Pizza, which was also divine!

It occurred to me that evening as we found our way back to the hotel via subway that travel has a different meaning now than it had before baby Kai.  Now traveling is more about showing Kai the world, its about guiding him in truly experiencing the world.  He is also teaching me how to look at the world differently.  I pick-up on the very things he marvels at, and in turn marvel with him at things that would otherwise be unseen.  And with that, it was time to rest.  More on Kai’s Italian Adventures to come!

Tags: adventure, ancient history, baby travel, Europe, Italy, Rome