Italy

Monday, September 3rd

After a busy race weekend we packed up and left Milan (read about it here) on Monday morning. Miss Sarah rejoined us for the drive to Bologna with a stop in Maranello, the land of Ferrari. We arrived around noon, stopped to eat at a German beer garden for lunch, then went to the Ferrari Museum. So many cars and awards on display; Dom was disappointed that he could not touch any of the cars. Dom did test out a few of the toy cars in the store and we walked past the factory before continuing our drive.

Checking into our hotel was tricky with so many one-way and pedestrian streets in Bologna. Chris backed the car down a street to unload the car, but then had to move it while we were still checking in. He returned the car; Sarah, myself, and the bellboy then took our bags down several streets to our apartment. It was a small but workable space for the two nights we would be staying in the city. Once we settled in, we all walked around Bologna; discovering the Basilica di San Petronio” and piazza. After dinner at Roberto Bistrot, including some local pasta, Sarah and Dom went back to the apartment. Chris and I walked a bit more, bought some groceries and wine before heading back as well.

: He found the prancing horse!

Basilica of San Petronio

Tuesday, September 4th – Dominic’s 2nd Birthday!

Dom started his second birthday with a walk to the playground with Miss Sarah. We all meet up for a bunch of yummy pastries at Pasticceria Bar Miki before taking a bus to the Ducati Museum. Dom ran around looking at motorcycles and picked out a few birthday presents from the gift shop. We all took the bus back to the apartment for nap time.

Dom woke up from his nap, played with his new Ferrari’s and Ducati for a while, then we met up with Miss Sarah who had been further exploring the city. Together we returned to the Basilica; stopping to watch the water at the Fountain of Neptune and chasing a ball around the Piazza Maggiore. This was Dom’s favorite activity – when we said it was time to go get gelato, he looked at me and said “four minutes,” so we spent more time playing. Eventually we found our way to a gelateria, then walked down several more cobblestone streets. One street led us to a quiet courtyard at the Museo Civico Archeologico (Archaeological Museum of Bologna), Dom ran around some more then we found our way back to the Piazza where we listened to the bells ring and watched the sun set.

Dom and Miss Sarah went to bed, while Chris and I stayed out for dinner at 051. We had some wine, a cheese and meat plate, and tried a local soft cheese with bread. Then it was time to go back to the apartment to rest up for our next leg of the trip.

Visiting the Ducati Museum

: So much fun in Piazza Maggiore – running around chasing a ball.

In early September, our family set off on an adventure in Italy. This was a first in many ways; most importantly our first international trip with Dom. I am sure we will write a post about all the lessons we learned traveling with a toddler for 2+ weeks, but first we have the photographic evidence of the trip to share.

Wednesday, August 29th – Thursday, August 30th

We flew overnight through Germany to Milan, Italy. Our car seat did not arrive in Milan the same time we did; fortunately we scheduled an airport pick-up with a seat already installed. It was well after noon by the time we made it to our hotel. Dom passed out almost as soon as he was in his crib allowing all of us a short nap. Slightly recharged, we walked a few blocks searching for food. We had known going in that Italians tend to eat later than we do, but were not fully prepared for how difficult it was to find a place to sit down before 7 pm. Only a few blocks from the hotel was Nhero, a bar with a full buffet of small bites included with a drink. Between that and a convenience store run we were set.

The little prince relaxing at the Westin Hotel in Milan.

Friday, August 31st

Our F1 luck continues, and we woke to heavy rains on the hotel window. Rather than adventure out to the wet track to watch practice we took the metro to the Duomo. From there explored the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Ferrari Store, and shared our tradition of visiting a McDonald’s in other countries with Dom. This marked his first visit to the chain. After everyone enjoyed an afternoon nap we took the trolley to Santa Maria Delle Grazie to see The Last Supper. While waiting for our viewing time we had an aperitif and gelato, the hazelnut flavor did not disappoint. Tip to anyone thinking of going; tickets must be purchased months in advanced for a 15 minute time slot. This is worth it because there are only about twenty people in the chapel during each ticketed period meaning you can actually see the art! Dom was not impressed by the fresco, but did like that they have a version for sight impaired visitors that he could touch. From there we walked a few blocks to the Sforza Castle, enjoyed very yummy pasta at Farinella, and had our first experience with super kid-friendly waitstaff of Italy.

: Watching the “ducks” in the Piazza del Duomo

Picking out his ride at the Ferrari Store.

The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie

: Piazza Castello fountain

Interior courtyard of the Castle Sforzesco

Saturday, September 1st

Rain once again delayed our trek out to the track on Saturday morning – electing instead to wait until after breakfast and nap time with the hope it would clear up. It was quite the trek out of the city to Monza. First we took the metro to the train, from the train we loaded onto a shuttle bus to the massive city park, and then it was several mile walk from the shuttle bus drop off to the race track entrance. By the time we got there, and found our seats, qualifying was almost over. We managed to watch some of Q3, then took part in the party atmosphere in the fan zone. Dom danced, made friends, and just had a great time before we had to repeat the trek back to the hotel.

End of qualifying – two Ferrari’s and one Mercedes

Sunday, September 2nd

Race Day and it was not raining! After room service breakfast, we headed back out the to track for the day. This time we took the stroller hoping to save mommy and daddy’s backs. Even with several patches of mud it went a lot smoother than the prior days trek. Dom enjoyed his first F1 race experience; pre-race he played with a water fountain and tossed his ball to other race fans, loved the jets flying over at the start, and thought the final celebration was so much fun to watch. The adults had a good time as well, but did not leave happy with the race result once again. Daddy had locked the stroller to a tree while we watched the race and once Dom was in his seat heading back to the shuttle bus he passed out. Back at the hotel it was time to prepare for our next leg of the trip – the drive to Bologna.