Badia di Pomaio

Last summer's Italian vacation was planned mainly to see Pompeii (which I started reading about and had been dreaming of seeing since 3rd grade) and to take the kids to see Rome... so Rome and south were the agenda.

Then I heard about the Prada outlet.

It's located in Montevarchi, in Tuscany, so I orchestrated a little side trip a bit north.  Arezzo looked to be a good base in the area and I found many hotel options, settling on Badia di Pomaio.  I am so glad we made this excursion out of Rome.  What we saw of Tuscany was amazing, and Badia di Pomaio is an absolute gem.  This former abbey (1645) is located up a hill off of a very (possibly slightly scary to some) windy road.  The views of the landscape and the grounds were gorgeous, our rooms (Rosa and Narcisco) were lovely, and the staff was absolutely delightful and truly made our stay an amazing experience.  We had supper outside in the courtyard twice and it was wonderful.  Our children really enjoyed the pool.  It was not a bad drive to the Prada outlet, either (up next).

Here are some pics:

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Wrapping up Italy {Castellammare di Stabia}

I've been thinking about travel lately, with our recents trips to Vancouver and Whistler, and especially with planning NYC and DC this summer - and realized I never did wrap up with pics from our Italian vacation last summer. Here are some pictures from our stay in Castellammare di Stabia. (I'll also share some pictures from Arezzo - and Prada outlet shopping still gets its own post - those are next.)

We stayed at La Medusa Grand Hotel in Castellammare di Stabia because of its proximity to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. It truly was like a little oasis in the area - beautifully decorated inside, with lush gardens and a nice pool. Their website shows great photos of their gorgeous garden/park. The staff was also absolutely lovely, kind, and helpful - and wonderful with our children. We had two rooms that adjoined from a small private foyer and stayed here for four nights while we explored the coast, Positano and Amalfi, and Pompeii, Paestum and Oplontis. I booked through booking.com and found it very easy to use the online reservations process to find accommodations for five. The pricing was exactly as quoted, and booking.com did not require a deposit - we paid at the hotel as usual.

our view of Mt. Vesuvius

breakfast

really fresh orange juice

heading to the pool

hallway on our floor

staircase to lobby

dining al fresco at the hotel

On our first night we arrived rather late and the kitchen at the hotel was closed, so we drove up the street and found a place down a narrow drive behind the "Sava Gas" sign. The food was fantastic.

They gave us an English menu but I don't think I heard anything but Italian from other customers. Definitely didn't feel like a tourist spot.

Here's a little video I shot of one of our drives in the area. Sorry, I don't know exactly where we were (that happened a lot). We didn't get physically stuck like we did here, but our tomtom gps sure did guide us through some narrow streets while we were south:

xoxo

Orange Suede Shoes + Astounding Art {Positano + Oplontis}

We only spent an afternoon in Amalfi, mainly eating gelato, with a short walk in the sand, so I don't really have good pics to post, but here are some snapshots from Positano and Oplontis:

Positano is known for its dress shops and I had also heard about the places that will custom assemble sandals for you.

I had some made by Giovanni:

orange suede with gold hardware

my girls had some made also, at another shop

my kids attacking a pizza for lunch

the view

the other view

supper at Ristorante Bruno the night before

A few more pics around the town:

The Canadian Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium was filming. We just may have been extras. I don't think we'll ever know.

And Oplontis... I am so glad we decided to visit Villa Poppaea (thought to be the villa of the second wife of Emperor Nero) in this town that was an aristocratic resort area back in the day. The colors and details on the walls here are astounding. Some of the best preserved Imperial Roman frescoes - and absolutely gorgeous. Just incredible. If you visit Pompeii, I highly recommend a visit here too:

Some pics from our hotel are up next.

xoxo

Pompeii

You wouldn't believe how many pictures I have from our Summer vacation. Well, maybe you would. Pompeii has to have its own post as I'd been dreaming of seeing this place since third grade. It was breathtaking. What a tragic day in 79 AD, but what specatcular ruins left behind.

Also, hot and dusty. I saw a woman in white espadrilles and felt for her. Our shoes (and probably a lot more of us) were covered in gray dust when we left.

Here are some snaps from Pompeii, July 2011:

And of course I documented lunch afterward, right outside of the archeological site:

Up next I'll be posting some pics from:

Amalfi, Positano and Oplontis

Castellammare di Stabia + The Medusa Hotel

Rainbow Magic Land + outlet shopping

Arezzo + Badia di Pomaio

and...

Shopping Prada at the Space outlet (this was really, really fun)

xoxo