Our Family Vacation Photo contest is in full swing! 50 families submitted favorite photos from travels with kids around the world. Literally, there are photos from Lapland to Hong Kong to Mexico to the Grand Canyon—practically every continent is represented.

We are trying something new and the photos are published on the Ciao Bambino Facebook page. Vote for your favorite photo by adding a comment to the specific photo in the Family Vacation Photo Album.

Help celebrate the launch of our Facebook page by participating on our Family Vacation Photo Contest. The winner of the contest will receive a free week-long stay at one of our favorite resorts in Tuscany - Casa Cornacchi Country House - a $2,000 value!

A visit to Tuscany is an excellent addition to any Italy travel itinerary with kids. Despite the touristy element, vacations in this region are easy to manage and there are loads of things to see and do for all ages. Family-friendly accommodations are plentiful, and little tummies appreciate all the pasta and gelato.

Although there are endless wonderful cultural and historic attractions, you can’t see everything in the usual week-long trip. Five of my favorite sights …

Italophiles take note … our friend Kathy McCabe, the Editor of the esteemed Dream of Italy newsletter, just announced a Christmas in Italy e-book that is free to the subscribers of her new Italian Daydreams daily email covering food, wine, culture, and the arts in Italy.

I contributed to the e-book with a few highlights from our properties offering Christmas/New Year’s promotions, but there is much more to know if you are lucky enough to be spending the holidays in Italy this year.

It’s been several years since we last spent the holidays in Europe and managing our accommodation reviews is a constant reminder of what I’m missing.

Most families visit Tuscany in the warmer months when they can travel for longer periods of time and outdoor activities are plentiful. Despite the rain and cold weather typical of the winter months, I love the opportunity to get closer to the local way of life, as countryside villages are not packed with tourists. Even the Christmas period is comparatively quiet, although there are always special themed activities …

Ciao! I’m posting my very first travel blog … I’d like to share a bit about my recent trip to Italy. It had been two years since I had been there. Cancer treatments and recovery have kept me grounded in New York for a while, so I was thrilled to get an e-mail from my dear friend Jill asking if I’d go with her to the Amalfi Coast. I was to fill in for her husband who canceled at the last minute because of work. Sigh.

There really isn’t much better than going on a spontaneous tripanywhere with your best girlfriend. We had a ball. This was a trip sans children …

You don’t need to be a hard-core foodie to appreciate the culinary offerings in Italy - and you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a truly Italian dining experience every single day. In fact, in most places, it’ll cost you less than €2 total. What am I talking about here? Why, Italian coffee, of course!

The typical Italian breakfast consists of a tiny cup of espresso (or some similarly small espresso drink) and a pastry, consumed in a minute or two while standing at the bar.

When hopping from city to city within Italy it’s easier - and actually more efficient - to travel by train. But traveling with kids often means not traveling light, so train travel becomes a challenge.

Ciao Bambino’s roots are in family-focused trip planning to Italy and it is still our most requested destination by a long shot. Incredible food, a rich culture that loves children, amazing sights …

One of our clients traveled through Italy two years ago for 3 weeks—at the time their kids were 6 and 8. They loved their experience so much that they are doing it all over again this year—this time for 7 weeks!