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Published: April 14th 2023
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After a wonderful meal at Ipuqi
We love making memories together on our travels. Such great family time. Keira: “Which would you prefer: (1) a place that is boring and has nothing to do but has amazing food, or (2) a place that is interesting excellent but horrible food?”
Asha: “Boring. Because food is better than views. You can see a photo but can’t eat that.”
Sidd: “Um, I like food more”
Me: “Isn’t that a rhetorical question?”
Fortunately in Italy you don’t have to choose. Everything here revolves around history and food. Turn the corner and find yourself in a square with a beautiful fountain and elegant marble statues, surrounded by a bustling market selling the freshest fruits and vegetables. Nearby, there is a bakery, pasticceria, salumeria and enoteca. Oh, and likely the ruins of some Ancient Greek amphitheatre.
Travelling with tweens is more difficult than with babies. One must ensure that you achieve a balance between historical sites, food and the ever important down-time (aka iPhone time). Hangry-ness is very real and layer on sleep-deprivation? May you have bottom-less pool of patience. Emotional outbursts can be triggered by a single look, as can embarrassment by their super cool parents (“why does Daddy have to keep pointing at everything?”). To add to it, Asha and Keira have perfected the art of sibling squabbling.
While Asha and Keira have their moments, these don’t last long. In a blink they are once again the best of friends insisting they were simply “plarguing” (play + arguing). Fortunately food remains a great motivator and they enjoy the historical sites, although perhaps they would prefer those in
Valley of Temples
Well preserved Greek architecture dating back to the 6th century BC smaller doses.
We have compiled some tips on how to travel together in harmony with two tweens…….. most of the time:
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One must always share food. At all times. To even suggest that you will have your own dish will spark much angst and argument. Once the food arrives, do not even think of touching the plate until pictures have been taken. To do so will again cause angst and argument, plus a delay in eating. When finally allowed to start eating, it is common and accepted practice to meticulously count how many pieces of pasta each family member will receive. Not doing so results in, you guessed it, more angst and argument.
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Be prepared to walk. We traverse at least 8-10km per day but it may be upwards of 15km. Ensure you have comfortable runners and orthotics (we all have bad feet and ankles). Cappuccino helps. But if you ask how much farther or complain, it will likely result in a lengthy detour of another 2km or more. And maybe no gelato.
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Look for free fruit. Why pay for oranges when you can pick them straight from the tree?
Kiki in search of oranges
Look for Kiki in the vegetation. She is hiding just to the left of Asha in the trees! We had to pretend to take many selfies while waiting for the official to leave. First try to climb the tree. When the oranges prove to be too high, get a big stick, climb on Daddy’s shoulders and try to bat them down. Still unsuccessful? Climb over the fence and sprint for the tree with low-hanging fruit. When the park officials amble by, hide in the bushes and get eaten by mosquitos while waiting for them to leave. Once gone, vault over the fence and rejoice that you have succeeded in obtaining free oranges! Never mind that they were extremely sour.
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Pay for taxis only as the absolute last resort. It is fun to haul a large and heavy suitcase up steep staircases and have multiple transfers on buses and trains. At least there are no more baby strollers. And the girls are now strong enough to carry the suitcases!
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Food is entertainment. Be prepared to devote the majority of the day in search of a specific dish or perfect bite. Yes it is necessary to try 3 different pizza joints at lunch to see which is best. Yes we will walk countless kms between each one, and yes we will wait in line for over an hour for
The amazing Roman pizza
We waited in line for over an hour, but it was worth it! supposedly the best pizza in the Eternal City. It was worth it.
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Be an aggressive driver. Controlled intersections in Sicily are almost non-existent and the few traffic lights we saw typically blinked amber. What does that mean? Proceed aggressively. Same for the multitude of traffic circles. Pick a line, stick with it and others will make a tiny space for you. Sidd was an amazing driver in highly stressful conditions, particularly when the GPS routes included the most narrow and winding side streets.
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Only one planned activity per day. We rarely plan our days and some of our most memorable experiences have been completely random. We arrived at a church and experienced an elaborate Good Friday procession complete with a live orchestra, an opera singer and two flower-laden palaquins. Our Air B&B host (who happened to be a Baron and related to the Prince of Sicily) surprised us with a visit to his ancestral villa in the heart of Palermo, where we were treated a stunning view of the Basilica.
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Fish markets are fun. The girls were initially intimidated by the chaos (all the vendors compete for your business by shouting),
Delicious seafood at the market
So fresh! The octopus was just boiled and served with a lemon and Olive oil. We had to order an extra plate as Asha devoured one in seconds. smells and suspicious murky puddles. But they were soon enthralled with the variety and colours of the seafood. Plus where else do you get the freshest octopus (Asha’s perfect breakfast food)?
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Modesty is best. Stare determinedly away from any painting or statue depicting a naked human body, especially a male one. This may prove difficult in Italy where almost every painting and statue (large 12ft ones) are of very anatomically correct humans. Pretend you don’t see. Get highly embarrassed if mentioned. Refuse to take any pictures.
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Be adventurous! Why take a gondola when you can hike? Never mind that there was a foot of snow and we lost the path, hiking up Mount Etna was a unique experience and good exercise to boot! Asha was troubled that we essentially hiked up a blue ski run. Keira, meanwhile, was so tired that she said her soul stayed on the volcano. Good thing the hot chocolate at the top was well worth the exertion!
Our time in Italy is drawing to a close and we have only scratched the surface of this wonderful country. The kind people, the history, the adventures, the food!
Valley of temples in Agrigento
The girls did not like this statue. They refused to even acknowledge it. Sidd loves it. Arrivederci (goodbye until we meet again) and
Grazie Mille (a million thanks).
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Dioni Rico
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Arrivederci Italia.
Enjoyed reading your adventure in Italy. Such varied activities and sites that showed the splendor and grandeur of the various places you toured in Italy. Thank you for sharing your holiday experience with nice blog entries and beautiful pictures.