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Posted by Danielle 27 June 2025 11 July 2025
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Danielle From Ciao Family Travel

Ciao! I’m Danielle!

 

I’m an American mom raising my 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy.

After traveling to over 48 countries, I’ve figured out how to make family travel meaningful and rewarding! I spend hours on hours researching my trips and am ready to pass all that along to you!

DESTINATIONS
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If this is the year you’re ready to get your finan If this is the year you’re ready to get your finances in check and start spending your money in ways that *actually* make you happier, here are the three books you NEED to read. 👇🏻

1. I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi 
2. Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier 
3. The Simple Path to Wealth by J. L. Collins 

Your future self will be incredible grateful…and so will your kids (when they’re older 😆). 

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#firecommunity #travelwithkids #getabudget #financiafreedom #familytravel
If this is the year you’re ready to get your finan If this is the year you’re ready to get your finances in check and start spending your money in ways that *actually* make you happier, here are the three books you NEED to read.👇🏻

1. I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi
2. Financial Freedom by Grant Sabatier 
3. The Simple Path to Wealth by J. L. Collins

Your future self will be incredibly grateful…and so will your kids (when they’re older 😆). 

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #travelwithkids #financialfreedom getabudget #familytravel
The best New Year’s resolution I ever made… ✨ At The best New Year’s resolution I ever made… ✨

At the end of 2022, I was feeling overwhelmed with life. Small things (like not remembering my passwords) and some big things (like not having a will) were weighing on me. 😔

📅 So in January of 2023 I decided to take one full year to tackle all the important tasks that I’d been avoiding and create systems that would make my daily life easier. 

I literally wrote down EVERYTHING that was weighing on me…make emergency backpacks, organize my passwords, create a pantry setup that actually worked, find a dedicated place for library books, write a will and last testament and set up the kids’ 529s. 😅

I had about 20 things on my list and worked through them one by one. 🏃‍♀️

I started off 2023 feeling overwhelmed and ended the year with SO much mental clarity and freedom! ☀️ It was truly the best gift I have ever given myself and became the foundation to pursue even bigger things in 2024. 💛

If your brain feels as full as mine did back then, this kind of reset is the best gift you can give yourself this year. 🎁

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#newyear #newyearsresolution #2026goals #lifeinitaly
Taking space-saving to a whole new level…🤣 But se Taking space-saving to a whole new level…🤣

But seriously, have you ever seen this toilet/sink solution??! 

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #travelwithkids #lifeinitaly #expatinitaly #familytravel
The most memorable pit stop ever… ✨ Lake Resia in The most memorable pit stop ever… ✨

Lake Resia in South Tyrol, Italy is hands-down one of the coolest road trip pit stops!

In the 1950s, the village of Graun (Curon Venosta) was deliberately flooded to create Lake Resia. After WW2, Italy was expanding its energy infrastructure, and engineers decided to merge three natural lakes into one larger reservoir to generate electricity for the region. 

In 1950, residents were forced to leave their homes, and the village was submerged. Today, this bell tower is the only visible reminder that a town once existed beneath all that water 😮.

What you need to know before you go. 👇🏻

1. There’s a small parking lot near the edge of the lake by the bell tower, and it’s completely free. 😁 It was winter break (aka peak season) when we visited, but there were still a few spaces left. 

2. A 30-minute stop was perfect for us before everyone started getting cold but you could stay here for even a couple hours, especially in the summer! ☀️

3. At the parking lot, there’s also a café and bathrooms, but make sure you have 50 cents to open the door….gotta love Europe. 🙄😅

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #travelwithkids #lifeinitaly #expatinitaly #familytravel
Merry Christmas from our family to yours. ❤️🎄 “Th Merry Christmas from our family to yours. ❤️🎄

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
2 Corinthians 9:15
Truth be told, I could probably make a reel about Truth be told, I could probably make a reel about why the Italians think our kids are 100% American. 😆

But it is one of the strangest things to watch your kids grow up and adopts customs and habits that felt so foreign to you 15 years ago. 

For the longest time I couldn’t understand handwritten numbers in Italy and now my kids are telling me that how I write my 1s and 9s is odd! 🤪

Anyone else have this experience? 

👋🏻 Ciao! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #travelwithkids #lifeinitaly #italy traveleurope
✨Here’s a full itinerary for the greatest girls tr ✨Here’s a full itinerary for the greatest girls trip ever! (Trust me, that’s not an exaggeration!!) 

📍Dinan - The most adorable, medieval French town! Just enjoy exploring all the streets and the old port. Thursday morning there is a fantastic market that has been happening for centuries! 🤩 DON’T miss my favorite French pastry from this region the kouign amann. Our favorite was from Steve McKouign. 😋

📍Saint Malo - Walk the ramparts, take a dip in the Bon Secours swimming pool (it fills up with ocean water at high tide!!), admire the stained glass at Saint-Vincent Cathedral, and relax on the beach. 🌊 For lunch get crepes at Le Corps de Garde. 🍽️

📍Mont Saint Michel - This is an absolutely incredible island town/abbey. ✨ Wander the streets, tour the abbey, and explore the mudflats…a tour guide will even show you the quicksand! 

📍Arromanches - Spend one day seeing the D-Day beaches and historical sites. ❤️ This day was sombering and learning so much about the sacrifice really changed my life. 

📍Paris - End with the City of Lights. 🥐 So much to do and see in Paris depending on your interests. Even just walking around and going up the Eiffel Tower is magical! 

↗️ Send this to the girlfriend/s you want to go with!! 

📚Best way to prepare for this trip…

🎧 D-Day: The Tide Turns Poscast 
🎬 “The Longest Day”
📖 All The Light We Cannot See 

*For#

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#girlstrip #europetravel #france #normandybeach
Learning this set me on fire. 💛 I still have a vi Learning this set me on fire. 💛

I still have a vivid memory of washing dishes in our old kitchen, while listening the podcast that changed my life. 🌎

The interviewee said, “Research shows that the best predictor of academic success is how much your child ALREADY knows about the world before going to school. And the best way to give them this ‘background knowledge’ is to give them experiences in the world and read books to them.” 🤯

I literally froze to take it all in…

The best way to give my kids a strong educational foundation wasn’t flashcards, or teaching them to read at 4, or math worksheets….It was going on adventures together and reading books?! 📚

Not only did that sound much easier, but it also sounded FUN!! 🤩

I become obsessed with seeking out experiences…taking them to the zoo, making mosaics, going to the lake, making homemade apple juice and butter, and showing them as much of the world as possible!! 🗺️

I’ve spent years now taking my kids on adventures near and far and reading aloud to them almost every night. 

And it has turned into one of my favorite parts of motherhood, giving us so many amazing memories. Plus I’ve seen the magic work in my kids. 🎈

↗️ Send this to another mom so you can take your kids on more adventures together!! 🎉

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, a mom of 4 living in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹 

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytravel  #travelwithkids #familyvacation #parenting
Knowing this will save you hundreds of euros…💶 Al Knowing this will save you hundreds of euros…💶

All kids under 18 (and all EU citizens under 26) have free admission to national monuments and museums!!🤯

Instead of a family of 6 paying 132 euros to visit the Louvre, it’s only 44! ✨

Instead of 96 euros to walk up the Arc du Triomphe it’s only 32! 😃

In addition to giving children free admission, some museums in Paris (like Musée de l’Orangerie) give adults an extra discount if they accompany a child. 😍
(So instead of 72 euros for our family of six it was 20!) 

Ready for the best part? This isn’t just the case in Paris, but all of France gives free admission to young people. When we visited the prehistoric cave paintings in Dordogne Valley last spring with our kids, this saved us SO much money. Way to go France. 👏🏻

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, a mom of 4 living in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹 

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytravel #travel #travelwithkids #familytime #paris
Seriously, taking your whole family out to eat for Seriously, taking your whole family out to eat for 2 or 3 meals a day can put a huge dent in your travel budget. 💸

And if you have little kids, the experience of waiting to be served and trying to keep everyone quiet and sitting can also be stressful. 😅

This is why, most of the time eating at home or making sandwiches on the go feels like the easiest option for us.

Here’s how we usually eat when we’re traveling… ✈️

1. Breakfast at home. It’s so easy. You can quickly do cereal or bread with jam and fruit. 🍞🍓 Plus, it’s nice for the kids to have full bellies BEFORE you leave the house.

Lunch is usually a sandwich on the go or something easy that doesn’t require us going back to the Airbnb. 🥪 We also usually stock up on snacks the day we arrive. One of our family’s favorite things is going through the grocery store in a new country looking for foods we’ve never tried before. 🛒✨

3. Dinner at home. After a long day of walking and touring, we usually come back to the Airbnb and cook a simple dinner. Again, we try to mostly cook foods that each specific country is known for. In Finland we did a lot of meatballs, reindeer, mashed potatoes, and karjalanpiirakka. 🇫🇮 In Poland it was easy to find tons of different flavored pierogi! 🇵🇱

Most importantly, remember to keep it simple. You don’t want to be spending hours cooking while on vacation, but if done correctly, eating at home most of the time will save you money, avoid long wait times at restaurants, and give you a reason to check out the local grocery store. 💛

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #travelwithkids #lifeinitaly #expatinitaly #familytravel
Two years ago we started this stocking tradition w Two years ago we started this stocking tradition with our kids, and it has become our favorite part of Christmas morning. 🎄❤️

The week before Christmas, I ask everyone to write little love notes for each member of the family and slip them into the stockings. The kids write whatever they want (I don’t hover or suggest anything) and my husband and I write notes too. 

On Christmas morning, in between little knickknacks from Santa, the kids find words of love from their siblings and parents. It pulls them out of the me factor that can sneak in on Christmas morning and leads to the most tender hugs and sweet connection. 

If you’re looking for a tradition that’s easy, costs nothing and means everything…this is the one. ✨

👋🏻 Hi! I’m Danielle, an American mom raising our 4 kids in my husband’s hometown in Italy. 🇮🇹

I share our family travels with an emphasis on unique and educational experiences. So glad you’re here! 💛

#familytraveltips #christmas #lifeinitaly #expatinitaly

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