Babymoon in Italy

Amanda is 26 weeks pregnant with our little Mars and we’re off to Italy to celebrate, relax, and enjoy our peaceful time together while we have it. There isn’t a better place to do that than Italy! The baby weight gained on this trip was the most enjoyed pounds put on due to the delizioso pizza and pasta!

There are a few key differences traveling with a pregnant Amanda compared to earlier adventures: 1) she wants to sleep a lot more including being happy to join me in my constant quest for daily naps! 2) we walk slower and take more breaks which is a good reminder to take in the beauty and not rush from place to place.

Rome

Trastevere, Castelgandalfo, and Polambara Sabina

First stop Rome! We stayed in a lively, trendy, local-heavy neighborhood just on the west side of the Tiber River from all the tourist attractions in Rome. This cute little neighborhood was by far our favorite part of Rome. We enjoyed wandering around the winding cobblestone streets finding seemingly hidden cafes, pizzerias, and gelaterias. It was fun and interesting eating meals and walking through streets side-by-side with the local Romans.

One of many little cobblestone winding streets of Trastevere.
One of many little cobblestone winding streets of Trastevere.

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I worked in the evenings in Rome to be online from early morning to just after lunch back home. I decided this would be lower stress for me than taking a full two weeks off as I feel like I have a lot to do before the baby comes to be prepared to take a low-stress paternity leave. It was fun to adventure during the day and then come back and work in the evenings in some ways taking a break to go get dinner. It felt like we were living in Europe! We could definitely do this one day with me working an odd but totally doable schedule.

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Amanda with her baby bump out snapping some good pics of the Coliseum
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Part of the same “pretty pregnant lady taking photos” series. This time the Roman Forum.
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We found our own private dock at Lake Castelgandolfo about an hour train ride south of Rome. It was a beautiful place for a picnic!

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oil
I love olive oil! Since we couldn’t go wine tasting I convinced Amanda to go olive oil tasting with me. We had a fantastic experience getting a private tasting experience in a kitchen with an amazing view of Rome. There are some very good olive oils out there!
pizza
We ate a lot of pizza. This was one of our favorite spots called Pizzeria Marmi. We were the only non-Italians in the place and it was a very lively dining experience!
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We took a cooking class in Polambara Sabina that was really fun! It is a small town about 1.5 hours northeast of Rome and the class was a girl and her grandma teaching us how to make several pasta dishes from scratch. We’re thinking we’ll make raviolis at the holidays with family from flour and eggs!
stairs
Rome was all about stair workouts for us. Lots of stairs! In case anyone was wondering, Amanda kicks your butt as a trainer. She seems to think I’m in better shape than I am and I can’t let her know I’m not in good shape so I just run up and down the stairs as much as she challenges me to until I feel like I’m going to die. These stairs had pretty art! There is tons of “street art” in Trastevere, most of it not nearly as pretty as this.

Amalfi Coast

Praiano, Praia, Nocelle, and Positano

The Amalfi coast is one of our favorite places. We came here together our first time traveling together. I met Amanda at the airport in Rome 6 years ago when we just graduated from Cal Poly and embarked on the several hour journey on trains and busses to the Amalfi coast. That trip was special and was really a turning point in our relationship.

This time it has been just as enjoyable!

In the Amalfi Coast we have really unplugged and relaxed for a week. We spent days laying on the beach, wandering around the cute towns, kayaking, swimming and cooking fresh Italian food. We also did a lot of yoga in the mornings – a perfect way to start the day together.

We spent time discussing how to be the best parents we can be and establishing and writing down family values to help steer our decision making around our family. I think we’re going to get these written down and hung on the wall in our home so you won’t have to guess what they are for too long!


We decided the Amalfi Coast is our second favorite vacation spot besides Thailand! We also found maybe our second favorite AirBNB ever in the spot we stayed in Praiano called Casa Dionisia. It had a cozy bedroom, easy-to-use kitchen, breathtaking private patio, and fun outdoor shower. Plus, our hostess Melinda brought us fresh fruit and eggs from her garden that were all delicious!

We spent three days in Praiano and loved how quiet it is sitting between the increasingly touristy Amalfi and Positano. Positano has about 4000 locals and grows to 50,000 in the peak summer months!

Swimming and hanging out on the beach in Praiano
Swimming and hanging out on the beach in Praiano
Enjoying the view of the coastline from our balcony
Enjoying the view of the coastline from our balcony

 

Dusk view off our awesome Praiano terrace :)
Dusk view off our awesome Praiano terrace :)
Our favorite little hangout spot in Praiano. Spectacular view and tasty lemon granitas
Our favorite little hangout spot in Praiano. Spectacular view and tasty lemon granitas (aka slushy)
From that favorite spot, Cafe Miramonte
From that favorite spot, Cafe Mirante
I ran to the top of the town one morning to catch the sunrise with my dog friend I made. Very steep, lots of stairs. Worth it.
I ran to the top of the town one morning to catch the sunrise with my dog friend I made. Very steep, lots of stairs. Worth it.
Cute little "streets" in Praiano
Cute little “streets” in Praiano

exploring

In the main town square in Praiano. In the evening the kids would play soccer in this square in front of the church.
In the main town square in Praiano. In the evening the kids would play soccer in this square in front of the church.
This is Praia Beach basically in Praiano. Fun for exploring and swimming. There are some cool restaurants around the corner to the right here built into caves in the hillside.
This is Praia Beach basically in Praiano. Fun for exploring and swimming. There are some cool restaurants around the corner to the right here built into caves in the hillside.
Pretty impressive this 6 month pregnant lady is cruising around with this pack on with no problems
Pretty impressive this 6 month pregnant lady is cruising around with this pack on with no problems
She does like to fall sleep randomly though :)
She does like to fall asleep randomly though :)

After Praiano, we ventured to small town of Noccelle that sits in the very quiet hills above Positano. It was a fun location! You can only get to town by walking. To get up to our place you take a very local bus from Positano to the last stop and then walk about 5 minutes down a bunch of stairs. To get into Positano and the beaches it is an absurd probably 1000 stairs down to the coastline. It takes about 40 minutes and Amanda braves through all the steps with a smile even carrying little Mars along the way! (we could take the bus down if we wanted but that’s no fun)

Positano is a very cute little town. It is certainly picturesque. It is also full of tourists and is expensive. We found our favorite little areas that are more off-the-beaten-path. The farther, smaller Fernillo Beach is awesome. Better than the more popular main beach in every way: prettier, calmer, cheaper, more rocks to climb on and jump off, caves to explore, less boats, etc.

From Fernillo beach we kayaked out around the corner to the west exploring caves, a castle on the cliffside and lots of very pretty rock formations. It was a fun adventure!

Our AirBNB in Noccelle may be haunted and has very uncomfortable beds, rocks for pillows, and a fan in the bathroom that howls like a pack of wolves for minutes even after you’ve turned it off. We wouldn’t recommend it. Makes for a story though! However, it’s nice to wake up with the sound and smell of nature and an amazing view.

Amanda blending in on the local bus.
Amanda blending in on the local bus to Noccelle
Taking a break. This is generally a new concept for us!
Taking a break. This is generally a new concept for us!
Our small hillside town of Noccelle above Positano uses donkeys to take trash and other heavy things in and out as there are a lot of stairs and no roads!
Our small hillside town of Noccelle above Positano uses donkeys to take trash and other heavy things in and out as there are a lot of stairs and no roads!

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We went to a couple fancy restaurants with beautiful views in Positano!
We went to a couple fancy restaurants with beautiful views in Positano!
Having a relaxing lunch at Da Ferdinando on Fernillo Beach in Positano
Having a relaxing lunch at Da Ferdinando on Fernillo Beach in Positano

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Kayaking!
Kayaking!
This cave was below a castle build into a point protecting Positano. We're assuming this is a secret passageway to/from the castle.
This cave was below a castle build into a point protecting Positano. We’re assuming this is a secret passageway to/from the castle.
Eric's version of deepwater soloing. Did eventually make it up to the top of that rock and jump off!
Eric’s version of deepwater soloing. Did eventually make it up to the top of that rock and jump off!

 

What a great trip! You can see a bunch more of the photos from our trip to Italy on our new SmugMug account here.

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