A bunch of you emailed and asked where all we went exactly and what tips I had.
So here’s what. We started out in Lake Como, at Villa d’Este. Twas lovely, magical. Like literally heaven on earth. We were there for a full week, which was about 4 days too long, though.
Como, the biggest town, itself is kind of crummy. I think they have a problem with their youths because their was tagging all over the place and it just felt really industrial and charmless. But Cernobbio, the town Villa d’Este is in, is charming and fun to walk around and has some cute shops and a great park by the water.
Villa d’Este was amazing, the service, the facilities, the grounds, the restaurants…perfecto.
So the “problem” with Lake Como is that everything is pretty spread out, and you have to take a boat everywhere. If you WERE going to stay there for awhile I would recommend taking a day trip into Switzerland.
Around Lake Como my tips would be these. Il Gatto Nero in Cernobbio…
…that’s where George and his flavor of the month are known the dine. The view is UNREAL and the food is pretty fantastic as well.
A boat ride away is Isola Comacina which is a fun boat ride, and a great little dinner theatre situation.
Finally, I would pay a visit to Bellagio.
Such a neat charming town, lots of great shopping. 
This was some gnocchi situation on a pea puree with caviar. Made for my mouth.
We ate at Mistral which is a Michelin star rated restaurant in Bellagio with a fantastic ambience, but I am sure it is hard to find a bad meal there.
After Lake Como we drove south to Portofino which was pure magic.
We stayed at the Splendido which is where all that fab deco decorating was. The service there was..meh…But the food and hotel itself were awesome.
In town we ate at Splendido del Mare which is Splendido’s in town local base, best pesto of my whole freaking life. And I have eaten a lot of pesto. Trust. We also ate at DelFino’s- good and baby friendly and got drinks at Jolly Wine Bar.
If I were staying in Portofino I would recommend going to this monastery town for lunch, we didn’t get to eat there because of poor planning but it looked stunning, only accessible by boat or a two hour hike. I am pretty sure they only serve lunch and maybe do dinner once a week with some theatre.
I would also go to Santa Margarita for the day, and if possible over to Cinque Terre for a day of hiking, eating, and drinking.
In terms of traveling with a baby Gracie’s age…I highly over estimated how much stuff she would need. I brought two bags of toys and she played with like four of them. Also, we brought her carseat on the plane and bought her a seat hoping she would sleep in it…and she did not. I think having an airplane seat with her was worth it, just for the extra space and she played in her seat. But the carseat was completely unnecessary. She was never in it, all of the cars we took provided a carseat, and overall it was just a waste.
We brought earplugs for the other passengers but got lucky in that she was pretty good and no one really complained. Lots of snacks. An iPad full of ELMO.
She got sick the second we landed and was sick for the first week, not unhappily so, but enough that our family who was joining us later had to bring us medicine. I would travel with medicine basics: vicks, saline solution, nose sucker, maybe some Tylenol. That might seem super obvious, but it didn’t occur to us.
Does that look like an unhappy sick baby to you?
We also brought this portable high chair which was a winner.
Hooks onto almost any table and folds flat.
Traveling with a baby Gracie’s age is tough/tiring. But I couldn’t have enjoyed the trip without her, missing her so, and we were fortunate enough to have a lot of help along the way. Traveling with Pete’s family was so special, and bringing our girl and getting to see her eating crazy new foods (who knew chick loves figs??) and taking pictures of her in these unbelievable places filled my heart for a long long time. I know she won’t remember everything she was exposed to, but Pete and I will, and it was priceless. So sweet. Delicious. 
It’s all for da meeeemories.
Thanks for the insights and tips. My husband and I took the kids (girls ages 12 14) on a Disney Mediterranean cruise last summer. Hit 8 stops in Italy and France. Had to keep architecture and historical places in check. Beaches were a hit. Cinque Terra was a great discovery day. Gelato always bought you another hour. Was a wonderful time. I’m dying to go back with everyone. I’m going to save your tips.
Hi Bailey. This post could not have come at a better time. I am about to go to Paris with my 15 mo old and was debating the car seat issue. I feel like he won’t sleep in just the seat, so was contemplating bringing it on board and wheeling it through the airport. It is me and my dad flying there together- no hubby. So, basically, it is just me and baby boy. How did Gracie sleep on the plane? Any tricks to getting her to sleep?
Love the blog and we have crazy similar lives- from Houston, married in Aspen and Honeymoon babies
Xo,
Ash
Good looking family!
Since finding your blog from DesignSponge, it’s become my new favorite! You have a great personality and beautiful photos/such fun fabulous style.
I’m not surprised to read that Gracie didn’t use all the toys. I read somewhere (can’t remember where) that children actually do better when they’re given less options. When I was younger I think I usually traveled w/ a teddy bear, a blanket and a coloring book, but I don’t remember very well (Gracie might be a bit young for the coloring book thing, but it’s a good idea for the future). When I was older I remember making lanyards on an airplane w/ my mother.
I traveled to Italy multiple times when I was younger w/ my mother and then a teen group, but I’ve never been to the Lake Como region. It looks STUNNING! New potential honeymoon destination (OK, I don’t even have a boyfriend right now, but here’s hoping)…haha.
Good looking family!
Since finding your blog from DesignSponge, it’s become my new favorite! You have a great personality and beautiful photos/such a fun fabulous style.
I’m not surprised to read that Gracie didn’t use all the toys. I read somewhere (can’t remember where) that children actually do better when they’re given less options. When I was younger I think I usually traveled w/ a teddy bear, a blanket and a coloring book, but I don’t remember very well (Gracie might be a bit young for the coloring book thing, but it’s a good idea for the future). When I was older I also remember making lanyards on an airplane w/ my mother.
I traveled to Italy multiple times when I was younger w/ my mother and then a teen group, but I’ve never been to the Lake Cuomo region. It looks STUNNING! New potential honeymoon destination (OK, I don’t even have a boyfriend right now, but here’s hoping)…haha.
That’s crazy about Lake Como…always wanted to go–I’ll definitely remember your suggestions during planning!
Thanks for the great recap! We went to Italy on our honeymoon two years ago- Ravello, Rome, and Florence- and Lake Como was on my list of places to visit next Spring. I’ll definitely reference back to this post. Glad that you and your precious little family had a great time!
You are looking gorgeous!! Also, your wavy hair is so pretty!