We thought it would be great to put the kids and animals and my mom and ourselves in the car and head down to Bari, the south of Italy. I mean, why not, right?

So we set off on a Thursday evening and wanted to arrive by the morning but of course it did not go as planned. I tried to work on the way but the connection was not working properly so we went on instead. We felt a bit sad knowing we were passing by beautiful places on the eastern cost of Italy but in these cases you just need to stick to the plan as much as it is possible. The weather was not the best unfortunately.

As soon as we got to Bari, towards 18:00, we got robbed.

I was arranging stuff at the boot of the car while my husband went up with the family and first round of stuff. Somebody just opened the front door of the car and took my camera from the seat.

I was so shocked I did not know what to do first. By the time I closed the car the guy was gone with my camera.

We called the police but they could not do much. It just took 2 more hours away from us.

It was very difficult to start a holiday with this mindset.

I mean for some people it is just a camera, but I worked so much for that camera and lens, I didn’t want a new one , I was perfectly fine with the one I had, I got used to it, we became a good team.

So I was sad that my beloved camera is gone.

But a next day came and we have to move on…

By the way, our host was cool he tried to help in communication with the police and also suggested that we put the car into a guarded parking lot for a relatively reasonable price. I think it was 10 € per day… but the police also mentioned that the location where we found the Airbnb is not the best and if we want to avoid being robbed next time we should go to the other part of the city. Here is a link where we were:

It might be useful for those who are planning to go to Bari and are looking for an Airbnb.

We had a short visit to Monopoli. I would like to return there one day. I am sure it is a fantastic destination during the summer.

We drove through Matera as well and we had a look at the famous old town. We decided not to go in there as we wanted to arrive to our destination the same day in Naples which is quite a distance from there. It took like 4 hours…

The road was incredibly beautiful.

I would totally do it again but I would spend 2-3 days at each location we have passed.

One of the places, I regret not visiting, is the Amalfi coast.

Anyway arriving to Napoli was very overwhelming. We loved that city so much.

Our Airbnb accommodation was a very good one there. I can only recommend!

The hosts were very nice people, they even bought us local cakes.

About the parking, it was the same issue, we had to leave the car at a private parking.

It seems to be a common thing in these big cities in Italy.

Not in Rome though. But we’ll get there.

The following day we went to Terme Stufe di Nerone, a very nice thermal bath with both indoor and open-air pools. The thermal water is salty, which I have never experienced before. And they have the old natural pond in the garden which you can also use. We gave it a quick visit also of course we had to try the mud for fun 😆

After chilling here a bit we continued our way.

At first we wanted to stay another day in the area but at the end we have decided not to due to the weather. It was rather rainy and foggy. We did not even manage to see the full Vezuvio. We did not go visit Pompei either. We left something for next time as well.

So we found ourselves in Rome that very same day and found an Airbnb last minute. It turned out to be one of the best Airbnb we ever had. It was right in the center and they accepted animals which is not too common. We each had our rooms it was spacious and nice for a reasonable price.

That night we walked to the Colosseum in 15 minutes and went to see the Trevi fountain as well.

I had to work the following day but the family went to explore the sights close by.

Rome obviously cannot be done in a day because it was not built in a day 😂

We will need to go back there one day to finish the sightseeing tour.

So we decided to end the trip end start our way back home as we had to continue working, the kids had to go back to school and my mom got a bit tired of the trip.

Also she was not so amazed by these sights as she had been to Rome like 40 years ago and saw everything.

So we stopped in Firenze for a quick photo of Ponte Veccio and added that town too on our bucket list.

We arrived at last safe and sound. My mom promised it was her last trip with us but she always says that so we already expect her to say that.

So 5 things I have learnt in Italy:

1.Everything is delicious.

2.Have to be alert, always, everywhere!

3. One needs at least two weeks for a full Italy road trip!

4. The weather might be better from May until end of September.

5. Massive amount of cultural heritage combined in this tiny country.