From late January to early February of 2023, we spent a week in Barcelona, a week in Sardinia Island (Italy) and a week in Rome. Kids were 3 and 6 years old. We (or definitely me) loved Rome the most, Barcelona the second, and Sardinia was almost a mistake (for that time of the year). Here’s a brief summary:
Barcelona was for seeing friends, and there was a direct flight from Copenhagen. You can never go wrong with Barcelona: parks and playground almost every other block (though can be smallish), wide pedestrian only and tree-lined boulevard right in between busy traffic of both ways in city center, charming neighborhoods to stroll for all the family, great and affordable food (especially the cafes and bakeries) and the unbeatable year-round mild weather. There were only two problems (with small kids):
Highlights of Barcelona:
We didn’t do much in Barcelona except for the mentioned above. We spent three days in a little beach town an hour south of Barcelona called Vilanova I la Geltrú, which was very peaceful and picturesque. We stayed at an Airbnb gem: The house of English. Book it if you ever get to Vilanova (I don’t get any commission). It was nice to be able to walk to everywhere, and see kids gather at the end of day after school and play at the central plaza of the town with an ancient fountain, probably just as kids did several centuries ago. There’s something magical and touching in this slight slice of continuity of life. We visited the Railway Museum of Catalonia, twice, with a family ticket, because my kids loved trains. It was cool to see a real round house and many locomotives from different ages, some of which you could get on and see the details. We took the train from Vilanova to Stiges (the weekly public transportation ticket still worked) which was very convenient. Stiges is a pretty beach town, with a beautiful Baroque-style church on an elevated terrace overlooking the Balearic Sea. Wandering through the alleys by the sea was fun and the restaurants at the end of the alleys served delicious food. Sardinia is not for winter. It’s a quiet island floating in the Tyrrhenian Sea, away from the crowds. Its only “neighbor” is another quiet island, the French Corsica. I can imagine it’s beautiful and lively in summer with its beaches, caves and harbors, but in the end of January it was sleepy, and chilly and windy. Still we tried to make the best of the week there. We toured only the southern part of the island. Places we liked:
Rome, the Eternal City, the “cradle of western civilization and Christian culture”! Why did I wait 36 years to come to see you? One week was just enough for the touristy essentials. With 2000 years of history around me, I suddenly remembered the lectures of “European Civilization” that I attended about 18 years ago in university, given by my favorite professor. One thing I know is that I will be back, to feel the history in the city and to feel the youth in me. While in Rome, do two things: EAT and WALK. Every day we got out of our Airbnb around 8 or 9 in the morning, walked, ate, and came back right before or after dinner. Don’t drive in Rome. Walk or take a taxi. Places we loved:
For tour tips about Rome, check the Romewise videos on Youtube. Great tips from a local. Guess where the picture was taken.
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