Christmas Tradition In Italy La Befana


January 6th is the Epiphany, a major holiday in Italy which wraps up the Christmas season. The story comes from the Three Wise Men. The legend says the three wise men stopped by la Befana's house on their way to find baby Jesus and they asked for help. She said no, and has felt bad ever since.  
La Befana is a kind old which who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy. Italian children leave out their stocking for la Befana. Children are excited to receive candy and naughty children will receive coal or dark colored candy. After the gifts are delivered it is rumored she sweeps the floors of each house. Symbolizing a clean slate for the new year and seeping away last year's worries. This tradition closes out the Christmas season.

If you are around Rome during this time of year you will find many stores adorned with La Befana stocking filled with treats for children.  The newly restored Piazza Navona holds a yearly event for children of all ages. On January 6th The Befana is mounted on a broom suspended on the fireman's ladder over the beautiful and restored Bernini fountain. During the Christmas season Piazza Navona turns into a Christmas Market. If you are looking for a cozy market to enjoy a carousel ride or a warm holiday drink, make sure to stop by. A fun and festive environment for everyone. 

 Here are a few pictures of our time celebrating in Piazza Navona. 











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One Night in Bordeaux, France


Bonjour from Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷 🍷 
My husband surprised me with a trip to Bordeaux, France. 
He asked me to be ready to leave the house by 3:00 pm, pack for one night and to bring something nice to wear for dinner. I assumed we were going on a little getaway somewhere in Italy. To my surprise he packed our passports and we hopped on a Ryanair flight to Bordeaux for one night! 
I was super excited when I found out we were going to France for the night. I absolutely LOVE Paris, this was my first time visiting  Bordeaux, France. 
Photo taken from Blinds Website

After settling into our hotel room at Renaissance Bordeaux. Fun fact- they upgraded our room to Suite. Which was a nice surprise for the both of us. Our room was beautiful with a fantastic view of the city. 
-Dinner at Blind-
Blind  Restaurant is a one of a kind experience in Bordeaux, France. A wine tasting experience that will have you guessing the wine variety, appellation or country of origin of the wine you are tasting. 
Our waiter explained the menu to us and explained how he will bring over a wine that pairs well with what we ordered.  We were asked if we could guess the country or the type of wine or the region where the wine was produced. Our waiter was very attentive and informative to our wine journey. Our A really nice interactive wine and dining experience. 
We started our evening with Causa a la Limena and Squid al Olivo.
Cold and fresh potato with Aji Amarillo, Peruvian pepper, prawn, and avocado. Grilled marinated squid with botija olive sauce. 
Ceviche de Pescado
Pork Anitcucho- Filigh Mignon skewers with Peruvian spices. 
Cheers to all of our blessing coming to us this year. 
All of our meals were perfectly paired with delicious wine from Bordeaux and a few were paired with German, and Italian wine.

Desserts-Lost Brioche and Chocolate Brownie 
Vanilla and cinnamon ice cream with a caramel drizzle on top of brioche bread. 
Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and a caramel drizzle. 
Dessert was paired with dessert wine. Were too busy licking our spoons, I forgot to take a photo. 

Blind Restaurant has quickly became one of my favorite restaurants. The environment, food and wine were all spectacular. The part that really stands out about Blind is the staff. Everyone was friendly and helpful helping us pick out the best wine to fit our taste profiles. We even bought a bottle of wine to take back to our room. 
La Cite Du Vin Museum 
To continue with the wine theme of the trip, he planned for us to go to La Cite du Vin an interactive wine museum. Im not a huge museum lover, but when the exhibits are learning about wine and you are offered a tasting after the museum.... Sign me up!! 
La Cite Du Vin is a multi sensory museum. You are taken through the production, history, sight, and aromas of wine. Plan to stay about 2-3 hours or more in the museum. 

A cool experience where you are encouraged to smell different aromas.
A space to visually see where Bordeaux wine origin came from. 
Upstairs on the 8th floor you continue with the sensory experience. This time it's Taste! Head up to Belvedere where you are invited to test one of the museum's selection of international wines. The panoramic views from the top are incredible. Sip on a glass of champagne or wine and enjoy the 360 degree view. If you are not a drinker they have a non alcoholic choice. 


Keep an eye out for a selfie kiosk. Just add your email address and your photo/GIF will be delivered to your email. A fun free souvenir. 
We ended our 24 hours in France with a walk across the street to Les Halles de Bacalan. A covered food hall. You will have so many choices of foods to try. Since we were in France we wanted to try seafood. And boy it did not disappoint. We shared french fries, fried calamari and the BEST lobster roll we've ever tasted! 10/10
Oh and a glass of local white wine. 

Thank you to my husband who planned the best mini getaway! 
Until next time Bordeaux 💋 
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Underground Colosseum Tour and lunch


  Imagine standing in the exact place where gladiators and wild beast fought for their life. 
On your underground tour you will be immersed in tales that date back 2,000 years. You will have an up close and personal look at what it was like to walk down on the base floor of the Colosseum. Both man and beast fought to the death in the ancient arena. With your ticket you will also have free access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Make sure to take advantage of both. 
  People from all over the world flock to this historical site. With the being said, pack your patients! The colosseum and surrounding monuments are full of tours and tourist! 
This blog post is our experience for our day tour. Im not going to give all the details of the tour, I want to leave some surprises for you. 
Trust me When in Rome take the tour, or at least make your way to the Colosseum to experience history. 
Tour  Tips 🗺️ 
* Make sure to book your ticket well in advance. They do sell out during the summer months. 
*Bring water- Liquids are allowed in the Colosseum if they are in plastic containers. Plus there are kiosk with water stations across the street from the Colosseum. 
 *Wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking for over 2 hours. 
 *Bring your PASSPORT/ID, they will be checking for the correct names on your ticket and your ID. 
 *Small bags are allowed. 
*Bring a charger for your phone. 











  After our tour we headed over to one of our favorite Pizza restaurants in Rome. We walked over to Trastevere to eat at Pizza Re. They have a large variety of pizzas and traditional Italian dishes that are made fresh to order. 
Save tine to walk around the eclectic neighborhood of Trastevere, they have cute boutique shops, cafes and bars. In the evening it's a nice place to go for an apertivo and stroll around the alleyway. 


Ciao from Rome  🇮🇹 🍕 🛵










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Weekend in Ischia, Italy


Ciao from Ischia Island 
Starting off the summer season with a short getaway to the island of Ischia. We woke up early in the morning to take one of the first train from Rome to Naples. We used Italo to book our train tickets to Naples.  Transportation to Ischia, we suggest you take the Hydrofoil from Naples Beverello Port to Forio (the nearest port to the hotel) 
💕Travel Tip- Make sure to arrive at the port 30 mins early. You can have a coffee and shop for anything you may need for the island. Sunscreen, sun hat, towel or a water before boarding your ferry over to the island.
Beverello Port. 
Bleow is the ferry we took over to the island 
 We booked the Semiramis Hotel de Charme  for our weekend getaway. Located on Citara's Bay the west side of Ischia in Forio. The grounds are lush and full of exotic flowers and palm trees. 
We booked this hotel because of the Hanging Park of Pools.You will find many sun beds, four healing thermal pools and countless exotic flowers. We loved the infinity pool located at the top of this multilevel oasis. The perfect place to watch the sunset. 
💕Travel Tip- you must cover your hair while in the thermal pool.
 (We only took ours off for photos)
 The front desk offers swim caps for a small fee. You are welcome to bring your own cap.  




Breakfast is located on the top level the hotel. The views of the ocean from the upper terrace is stunning. The hotel offers a a delightful breakfast. Eggs, cheese and assortment of meats, breads, pastries and so much more.  
After breakfast we wanted to explore the island more. We decided to rent a Vespa 🛵 I'd been seeing tons of people on mopeds and I wanted to join in on the fun! 
You can rent a vespa from many different places along the coast. The price is between 15.00-25.00 Euro for a 24 hour period. Here are some pictures of our time exploring the island. 

We stopped at Torre Sant'Angelo for a bite to eat. This restaurant is worth a visit, even just for the views! 


The island of Ischia is really cute. It's a chill and relaxed atmosphere with a Mediterranean vibe. The perfect place to sit and enjoy a traditional Italian apertivo. 
Cheers🍹



That evening we headed back to the other side of the island to have dinner at  MartinRosa Pizzeria.  
What did we order? We ordered the fried calamari with eggplant parmigiana and we shared a pizza. Our food was decent. The highlight of the evening was the sunset view of the harbor. After dinner we took a walk along the harbor and ended our evening with a firework show.  A perfect ending to our weekend in Ischia. 




Until next time Ischia 🌺

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