Our summer roadtrip continues...a delicious shaved ice in Rome and a family-friendly seaside getaway in Vieste, Puglia.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Grattacheca in Rome

After leaving Pian della Chiesa in Lerici, we headed to Rome for a few days before driving across Italy to Vieste, Puglia. I last visited Rome many years ago and had forgotten how much I absolutely love so many things about it. Upon entering the city, you can't help but feel a powerful, buzzing energy, and after living in a city like Los Angeles my entire life, this type of energy makes me feel at home. Warm, sun-kissed light dances across the pastel-colored buildings, the worn-down cobblestone roads, and the ancient ruins that greet you so unexpectedly, making for beauty and inspiration around every corner. There's been a lot of talk about how busy and chaotic Rome is right now (or always is), but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that our new neighborhood feels very residential yet still has a vibrancy and pulse that encourages you to get out and explore. And, even in the heat of a summer day, you want to. Between trying to unpack a bit and having some repairs done on the apartment, we took the kids to a few places and got them excited about their new city. 

We were all very hot and sweaty on our first afternoon, craving something cool and refreshing. In my Rome research, I came across a place called Alla Fonte D'Oro, which serves grattacheca, a shaved ice originating in Rome that is like the Italian version of a snow cone. Prepared by hand and topped with sweet fruit syrups of your choice and big chunks of fresh fruit, this sounded like exactly what we needed to help cool our bodies down. We may no longer have central air conditioning, but we do have grattacheca! As we walked up to their kiosk in Trastevere, we were met by a friendly Italian woman working the stand who recommended some terrific combinations. I opted for a Pineapple Coconut Grattachecca topped with lots of lemon pieces and a squeeze of tart lemon juice (I think this is a great addition to balance the sweetness of the syrups), pieces of coconut, and cherries. Oh my god, was it good. Cold, sweet, tart, and refreshing. I'm still daydreaming about it, and it's a must if you are in The Eternal City on a hot summer day.

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A Family-Friendly Getaway In Vieste

When planning our month-long summer adventure, I wanted to be mindful of creating an experience we would all enjoy while staying on a reasonable budget. A month is a long time to travel, and costs quickly add up between places to stay and eating so many meals out with a family of five. Italy has also become increasingly expensive over the past ten years, especially in the once less touristic zones. Places like Puglia, which used to be substantially more affordable and local, are now some of the most crowded and costly for a summer vacation. So, when I came across a list of family-friendly recommendations on Emiko Davies's Instagram and saw pictures of an affordable resort in Vieste, Puglia, I got very excited and quickly emailed them to make a reservation.

Cala Molinella in Vieste, Italy

Cala Molinella is an eco-sustainable getaway in Vieste Puglia, immersed in the Gargano National Park. It's comprised of a series of white houses tucked away a few meters from the beach, where they have their own beach club for guests; amidst olive and fig trees, it feels like an Italian cross between Ojai Rancho Inn and El Capitan Canyon Campground, only Italian and seaside. The accommodations are very simple, just providing the basic essentials, but if you're up for doing most of your own cooking and keeping things tidy yourself, it's a great place to spend time with kids in the summer months. The minimum stay is a week, and it seems like most families come to stay for a while, making the house their home, buying fresh produce and seafood from the local purveyors who deliver each morning, and opting to cook meals themselves after long days at the beach club or after hanging out at the pool on the hot afternoons. And, unlike many places now, this still feels very local and Italian, with no other Americans in sight.

Cala Molinella In Vieste, Italy

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, after a relatively calm drive from Rome with the kids to a place buzzing with families in full vacation mode. After a quick walk around the property to check out the playground and pool, we headed to a local agriturismo called Chalet degli Ulivi for wood-fired pizzas. On Sunday, our friends Vika and Elad and their two young boys arrived, and a week of entertaining, feeding, and corralling five kids began. While it's been exhausting in many ways (I always have to remember to not call this vacation… it's family time!), it's also been filled with an immense amount of joy, cooking, and memory-making.

Delicious food we made all week

Witnessing the boys navigating new friendships in a new language, spending mornings swimming and floating in the warm clear blue sea while searching for seashells, playing soccer in the piazza at sunset, and losing track of time coming up with new games in the treehouse has been a highlight. We've cooked incredible meals in a very tiny kitchen, including delicious seafood pasta with the freshest shrimp and calamari from the fishmonger's truck. The Puglian mozzarella is unbelievable. I know all of us have felt the warmth and kindness of this family-run resort. Last night, they hosted a community dinner for all the families on the property, preparing a feast of local dishes and specialties, including fresh orecchiette with broccoli rabe, grilled sausages, and tomato bruschetta. The evening felt like something out of a movie, with live music playing and a local dancer teaching the children traditional Puglian dance routines as the twinkling lights lit up the night sky above us. It was a special night for the kids as they all played together, laughing, staying up way past bedtime, and enjoying the freedom to run around the property together. Costa actually asked Andre if he could go to bed because we were up so late! We all woke up this morning with tired eyes, but luckily, there were warm cornettos straight out of the oven and strong Moka pot coffee (made by Andre) to help us get things moving. 

Cala Molinella is a special place run by kind people, where sweet kids and warm families go. I'm grateful that we had this week to make these kinds of memories with our boys.

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This & That

• An old Mark Bittman article I stumbled across recently, Getting Your Kids To Eat (Or At Least Try) Everything.