Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in the world, and it doesn’t get old even the second time around. I could spend hours wandering its streets, eating the food, ogling the architecture. But you know what makes Barcelona even better? When your bestie since you were 12 hauls herself from Stockholm with your fave kiddos in tow to come visit! @bettinabergendahl love you dorky!
Our last trip to Catania was short, so this year we decided to spend a few days days at a crazy art boutique hotel in the center of town. We explored, we ate, we went antique shopping, took guided tours of crazy lava surrounded monasteries entirely in Italian (and survived!), found outdoor live music performances, spent more time than necessary on our roof bar watching the swifts - all in all, a lovely few days.
Next stop: Catania and Taormina. The last time we went to Sicily, we hadn’t seen White Lotus nor did we visit Taormina. So we figured, why not? The hilly locale was crowded and touristy, but still filled with pockets of quiet and cool.
Agrigento’s ruins were a highlight of this trip. It’s mind boggling to think about just how old some of the structures are. The fact that our hotel overlooked them was icing on the cake. Breakfast? Looking at the ruins. Sitting by the pool? Looking at the ruins. Hanging in the room? Looking at the ruins. Could not recommend this spot more.
Then we were off to an old baglio turned boutique hotel in the countryside where we lounged poolside and took day trips to surrounding beaches with crystal clear water, small towns with the sweetest restaurants, and drives through the hills where the only traffic-causers are the sheep.
This year’s Italy trip kicked off in Palermo, on the northern coast of Sicily. With layers (literally) of history piled on top of each other, this city had so many different corners to explore.
After Lisbon, we reunited with our fave Pickups for a few days by the beach in Comporta. The cutest country home, glorious beach days, and more fresh seafood than we could ever imagine.
3 days eating our way across Lisbon on our first mom + kiddo solo trip. We had a blast exploring this gorgeous city that felt a lot like home - hills, cable cars, bridges - you get the picture. Beautiful architecture, delectable cuisine, and lots of cool shops to explore, can’t wait to go back!
