Europe |ˈyo͝orəp| a continent in the northern hemisphere, separated from Africa on the south by the Mediterranean Sea and from Asia on the east roughly by the Bosporus, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Ural Mountains. “They loved being in Europe together.”
Ciao! We recently returned from our 2019 summer family vacation in Europe touring some of our favorite spots in London, the Amalfi Coast, and Rome. I’m so glad our kids were able to join us on this trip. I love taking them to places I’m inspired by and love so much!
Our first stop was in London where we spent some time with Field’s family and celebrated his brother’s engagement at Restaurant Ours (beautiful, and would recommend!!). We enjoyed meeting his finance’s sweet family and then took the kids to see some of our favorite spots in the city. We spent time visiting Hyde Park, the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, the beautiful Westminster Abby, and the Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards (the ceremony takes place at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. on Sundays). I always love watching this—and it was so fun to show the kids!
We stayed at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. They had a great gym and beautiful rooms—but I wouldn’t recommend this location if you’re taking kids. They only allow one hour per day for pool use and that was hard to explain to them… *LOL*. But we did enjoy seeing Disney’s Aladdin Broadway show together at Prince Edward Theatre. It was an amazing performance and I would definitely recommend seeing (before their last performance on August 24th!).
Field will always find a golf course when we travel and now that the kids are getting older, we’re having fun taking them too! Our favorite courses in London from this trip were The Court Country Club and Foxhills. It’s fun to watch Field teach Camila how to swing and I’m always amazed at how quickly Field Christian picks up any sport. Golf is becoming one of our favorite activities to do as a family!
Our next stop was Italy, so we took a short flight from London to Naples and then drove down the coast to Ravello to stay at the beautiful Hotel Palazzo Avino. We explored the city of Ravello and took a day trip tour of Positano and Amalfi. The Amalfi Coast is one of the most colorful and beautiful places in the world and the food is incredible. Some of our favorite restaurants in the area include lunch at the Marina Grande in Amalfi, Rossellinis (at Hotel Palazzo – the most incredible view!), Villa Maria in Ravello, Trattoria da Cumpa Cosimo (where “Grammy” makes all the pasta fresh that morning!!!), and Field and I enjoyed a delicious date night dinner at Villa Cimbrone. If you’re craving pastries, you’ll want to stop at Sal de Riso in Minori on the Amalfi. This is Italy’s most famous pastry shop and the home of Italy’s most famous pastry chef! My kids agree! 🙂
We took a ferry to the island of Capri where we rented a boat to tour the islands, the caves, and to scuba dive. This was a really fun day trip and a great idea for families (only $5 per ferry ticket and a short 50-minute boat ride each way). I love Italy and decided to take some family photos in Ravello—super happy with how they turned out. Thank you to Andrea with Flytographer! I’ll cherish these forever!!!
We ended our trip in Rome (only a 3-hour drive from Ravello) and enjoyed our stay at Hotel Eden. I love their elegant decor, the location and hotel views, and the accommodating hotel staff. A must-try restaurant in the area is Clotilde—a wonderful end to our beautiful trip!
The kids were exhausted when it was time to go back home but we enjoyed every moment of this trip together (thankful for the non-stop flight home from Rome to Dallas!). Now, we’re gearing up for school to start this fall and grateful to have had this time together as a family. Photos and experiences I will never forget!
Until next time—Ciao!
XO-
Sabrina
