Going to the beach in Italy was the part of our vacation plan Maddie and Ada were most looking forward to. After visiting Florence and Rome, John and I were on the same page. We were very excited to slow down our sightseeing and spend some time on the beach. On the way from Florence to Monterosso though (one of the five towns in Cinque Terre), our train happened to go through the Pisa. So, we were able to take a small side trip to see the leaning tower.
Later that day, we arrived in Cinque Terre, and the beach was exactly what we needed. We were lucky because the weather on our first and second day at Monterosso was perfect beach weather. Because the water was still quite cold, John and I chose not to get in the ocean, but Maddie and Ada, accustomed to the freezing temps in Norway, had a blast playing in the water,
They also loved getting gelato nearby.
When the weather turned rainy the next day, we wandered around old Monterroso which was just beautiful.
and we went to a local vineyard for a wine tasting:
After Cinque Terre, we headed for our last town in Italy- Venice! Venice was of course, just beautiful.
We loved visiting the Doge’s Palace which houses one of the largest oil paintings in the world (the one on the wall, directly behind us).
and watching the gondolas (though we all chose not to ride on ourselves).
Venice did feel like one of the most touristed cities we visited. I was saddened when I found out that Venice has only 50,000 residents and in the busy tourist season experience 150,000 tourists a day. On our last day in Venice, after traveling for more than 2 weeks, our longest vacation as a family, we were all ready to return “home” to Norway. Below Maddie and Ada watch Venice recede into the distance as we head in a water taxi to the airport.
A Year in Norway 