When Lumina was five, I brought her to the Capitoline Museums in Rome. My plan was that we’d only stay for about an hour, and that we’d stick with just the Palazzo dei Conservatori—especially the courtyard, which I knew would make quite an impression with its Marforio fountain and its fragmented …
Italy with Kids
Escaping the Noise and Crowds of Rome: Babington’s Tea Room, Rain or Shine
Did you know that it actually rains more in Rome than it does in London? While summer days are typically sunny in Rome, the other seasons bring plenty of precipitation—and as this week's forecast suggests, November is usually Rome's soggiest month. I first visited Babington's Tea Room on a …
Sitting Here Could Be Expensive
This photo is from August 2018, but as of July 2019, doing this could mean a fine of up to 400€. No, no - not the flashing (especially when you're only five years old, geez). While Audrey Hepburn ate gelato sitting on the Spanish Steps in Roman Holiday, and I - along with millions of other …
Are You Ready for Roma? Climbing the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
When Lumina was three days old, I looked into her newborn eyes and promised to bring her to Rome someday. They say that three-day-old humans don’t smile, but I swear that Lumina did when I made this promise. I went to Rome - alone - when Lumina was two, and again when she was three, but it …
Lumina’s Top Ten in Rome
For me, planning a trip is almost as much fun as taking one. I love anticipating both the pleasures and the challenges of an ambitious itinerary spun from a combination of daydreams, research, and past experience. One of the best parts of planning our upcoming trip is that since it’s only been about …