Our week in Madrid and the inevitable comparison to Rome.

Plus, a city guide for your next trip to Madrid.

By: Andre Vippolis

As Barrett mentioned in last week's newsletter, we booked our “ski week” travel plans a bit late. But somehow, in the final hour, we managed to pull off a trip to Madrid—our first international adventure since moving from Los Angeles to Italy. Sure, it's just a quick flight from Rome to Spain, but crossing borders with three little kids, even within Europe, is challenging to say the least and feels like stepping into a completely different world.

You're quickly reminded that with a family of five, travel in Europe isn't designed for you, especially when you come from the U.S., where larger hotel rooms, bigger cars, and an expectation of kid-friendly conveniences are the norm. Taxis, trains, and buses often assume a smaller headcount. Hotel accommodations can be similarly tight, requiring a direct request for "family" rooms since they're rarely available as a simple online booking option. And, although in the past, we've considered ourselves seasoned travelers, navigating European cities definitely requires a different level of adaptability, flexibility, and patience. With Bruno now a tiny tornado of energy, Costa entering the world of preteen opinions and general disgruntled aggravation, and Paolo refining his role as the middle-child diplomat—travel has become more exhausting, less predictable, and undoubtedly less smooth.

For many years now, we've often wondered whether Spain—Madrid, in particular—could potentially be a place we could one day live. So, while we were there, we kept our eyes open, trying to observe what it would be like to actually live there and comparing it with our daily life in Rome. It didn't take long to notice some immediate differences. Madrid is clean. Not just "better than expected" clean, but very well-kept. Trash cans were not overflowing, streets were tidy, and public spaces felt deliberately maintained. Dog poop, cigarette butts, and bad graffiti weren't all over the place. Building exteriors felt updated and maintained. It feels... functional. It feels like the first world. I love Italy, but in all honesty, Italy often feels as though it's teetering between being a third-world and first-world country.

Another thing that stood out was this incredible thing called efficiency. Credit cards are widely accepted. Streets and crosswalks were organized, safe, and had oratory signals for the time to cross. Van taxis/Ubers were easy to get, clean, and, remarkably, reasonably priced. More than that, nearly every van taxi we used was equipped with a booster seat—a detail that felt borderline mind-blowing. Madrid also excels in the parks department. Retiro Park was a huge highlight for our kids, as was the incredible playground near the Palacio Real de Madrid—modern, safe, and well-designed in a way that puts Italy's public play areas further to shame. The boys loved it, and we found ourselves appreciating how well the city considered families in its urban planning.

Of course, no place is perfect. And for a family traveling with young kids, Madrid had its fair share of difficulties. The biggest struggle? Meal times. Oh man, Spanish dining schedules do not align with the natural rhythms of our children. Italian restaurant schedules are challenging enough! In Spain, though, lunch doesn't start until 1:30/45 p.m. at almost all restaurants, and dinner is rarely an option before 8:00 p.m. Try explaining this to a hangry 3-year-old.