Having just returned from a wonderful Tuscan Press Trip with a group of female writers you may think I would be booking my next grownup getaway!
We were lucky enough to be guests of luxury villa company Bookings For You in the small village of Monte San Savino. We stayed at their property Villa La Tornaie and were hosted by the welcoming Mansalto Vineyard group.
Read MoreThis week I’ve been chatting to a very inspiring friend of mine, Lisa Francesca Nand. A travel journalist, writer, filmmaker and regular on radio and TV in the UK, Lisa has a long list of accomplishments!
She is also a brilliant, kind friend, mum of two gorgeous boys and the creator of what has become one of the top rated podcasts on iTunes around the world, ‘The Big Travel Podcast’.
Read MoreI wrote about why we love Bormio a year ago now and nothing has changed. We will be off there again in February to take both our children, one who can now ski. Partly from learning in Bormio and partly in the UK at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
My youngest is too little being only 3, although the Swiss start at 2 years old! However a good ski instructor friend of ours told us the perfect age is 4 years old.
Read MoreI’m sure people think that because I have an Italian Husband, back in Italy there is an army of ‘nonni’ or grandparents waiting to look after our children!
I wish this was the case! Sadly we have just one Nonno (Grandad) and he’s in his 70s and still outraged that he has to cook his own meals! So leaving him to look after a 6 and 3 year old is not really ideal.
Read MoreWith the most joyous time of year approaching for family occasions, festivities and fun. Some of the cultural differences for the merriest time of the year vary between England and Italy. If you have an interest in visiting either country, here are some of the cultural traditions you can expect or may even wish to use on your stay. Alternatively, you may also decide to use the below as inspiration for your own Christmas traditions.
Read MoreThis week the wonderful author Martha Miller has shared her Italian story with us. Martha and her Husband, John sold everything and moved to Italy! How many of us would be that brave?
They were searching for adventure, but also the desire to feel settled in their community. To have a truly authentic experience not touristic one. So off they went!
I love this story and am slightly jealous we haven’t done this yet!
Read MoreThis week I'm delighted to welcome Gemma who blogs about parenting and lifestyle over at Yorkshire Mum of 4!
Gemma and her gorgeous family have ventured round Italy and loved it, but their hearts are well and truly rooted in beautiful Yorkshire. Read all about it here
Read MorePre-children Hubby and I used to travel A LOT! We do it much less now but there was a time when we would rather travel than do much else with our spare time.
I remember 2010 it got to Christmas and I said to my Husband that I didn’t want to go anywhere, I was so exhausted. He agreed we would do nothing for Christmas and New Years Eve. Then at the last minute we booked a quiet trip to Cornwall. I guess this is what people now call ‘FOMO’ meaning - Fear of missing out!
Of course this is what life can be like when you’re young, spritely and both earning a salary without any kids in tow.
But that doesn’t mean we always got things right then, or now!
This month on the Dolce Vita Bloggers linkup we are all writing about ‘Hilarious travel mishaps’.
Read MoreThis week I'm delighted to welcome Rochelle Del Borrello from the wonderful blog Sicily Inside & Out Rochelle is an Australian with Italian heritage and lives in Sicily. She is married to an Italian and has been raising her little boy with her native English from birth. I love that she explains so well the real daily challenge of raising a bilingual child. You do need to be persistent but the rewards are immense! I’m very excited to look for podcasts for children as well!
Have a read of her lovely insights into raising a child in the minority language but in an area of Italy where English is not widely spoken.
Read MoreIf you’re planning your next trip for you and your family, and are unsure of where to go, Sicily has your name written all over it. The perfect place for families, Sicily has different activities for every family member. Thanks to its sprawling nature that includes both beach and mountain options (including the famous Etna volcano), the infinite culinary options that are great for family meals, and its many different monuments, you will hardly be bored on this vacation.
Read MoreThis month for the #Dolcevitabloggers link up we're writing about our experience of 'Culture shock' in Italy.
You may think that being married to an Italian is plain sailing and you just gaze into each others eyes while your partner gesticulates, talks loudly and cooks you heaps of pasta.
The pasta part is quite true! However there have been many times over the years when I have wondered if I could have taken an easier route.
Read MoreWe all think about ice cream as soon as the sun arrives. It seems to be a food whose popularity crosses all age groups!
Gelato the Italian version is made with milk and sugar, not cream. It's usually lower in fat because of this and is softer due to being churned slowly. This decreases the amount of air getting into the mixture, it becomes more dense. It's isn't stored at such a low temperature as ice cream so there are no ice crystals.
Read MoreAre you off on holiday soon and not sure who to keep up with your child' language learning? Or maybe you're around this Summer and would love to begin or continue the momentum you've created?
If so I've gathered together 7 products which can be used at home or away without taking up too much space.
Read MoreThis month our #Dolcevitablogger topic is to describe our 'Dolce vita'. What does it mean for each of us?
While the famous film, Federico Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita' shows us a frivolous, carefree life with a dark undercurrent. My version of 'a sweet life' is something much simpler and more transparent.
Read MoreThis week I'm delighted to welcome Emma from the superb travel blog Wanderlust and Wet Wipes! Emma has traveled more and further than most of us and is now an expat in Doha. We're delighted to have her on Mammaprada this week and I hope you enjoy her tips... there isn't much she doesn't know on this subject!
Read MoreI wish it was that simple to look in a magic mirror and be told which Italian lake is the most stunning and should be your next holiday destination!
I've been to many of the Northern Italian lakes. Como, Garda, Trasimeno, Lugano. They all have a certain beauty to them. Their own personality.
Read MoreThere are some places you want to keep for yourself. But then you can't believe somewhere so wonderful exists and really want to share!
So I'm going to be sharing a restaurant and hotel. Except it's not just any hotel, to us anyway. As this hotel is where we ended up having our wedding reception.
Read MoreAs most of you know by now, we are huge fans of the Italian lake region. We've been holidaying and visiting family around Lake Como for 12 years. We were married there, our babies were baptised there and we really feel like it's a home from home.
However recently we were persuaded by Jo of Bookings For You to consider a different lake for our next holiday. Lake Maggiore.
Read MoreTurin Epicurean Capital is a 3 day event in Turin, Italy. The year 2018 marks the 5th edition of the festival and it will take place from 20-22nd June. I organize the event to help promote Turin and shed some light on our beautiful royal city that is still pretty much under the radar despite most famous Italian brands and products being born right here.
Read MoreToday we have a fantastic Guest Post from Jo Mackay, founder of Italian Villa rental company Bookings For You. Jo has kindly gathered together 12 beautiful villas which all suit different types of holidays. Have a read and find the perfect break for your family and friends.
Read MoreMammaprada features: Raising Bilingual Children, Italian culture, Italian travel, Italian Food and Posts in Italian/ Italiano. We also offer Bilingual Resources for language learning, such as bilingual books, bilingual audio CDs and DVDs,. Other topics we write about are Parenting and Lifestyle.
Sono Kristie! I’m English married to an Italian and Mamma to two little ones. This is our story of raising bilingual children & navigating cross-cultural life. Bacio!
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