25 Years, Italian Miles, and a Cuttlefish Incident
In August 2024, to mark twenty-five years of marriage, my wife and I packed up the kids with a wildly optimistic itinerary and headed to Italy. It would be part art pilgrimage, part family vacation, part culinary enlightenment, with a vow renewal to inaugurate our next 25 years. It ended up being all of those things… and also a lesson in humility, traffic navigation, and cephalopod regret.
Our adventure began with a sixteen hour flight from the Pacific Northwest into Florence. We pulled into the Grand Hotel Baglioni, near the center of the city, where art stares down from every wall and the ghosts of the Italian Renaissance follow you around every corner. But, before soaking in all the city had to offer, we set out to Cinque Terre the next day to recover from jetlag.
Cinque Terre: Beaches, Sun and Sea
Sun-soaked joy in Cinque Terre: Our family’s beach day surrounded by classic umbrellas and lively Italian seaside scenery. My son going to change into his swim shorts.
On our second day, we escaped the city bustle for the enchanting coastal villages of Cinque Terre. The kids swam in sunlit coves and we drank aperol spritz under umbrellas that seemed like set decoration for Alfred Hitchcock film. At night, we drove back, testing our collective Italian language skills with our driver, Leonardo (who preferred speaking english) and tasting the finest of Italian roadside dining at Autogrill. Delicious, by the way.
Florence: Overwhelmed by Genius (and Gelato)
Back in Florence, we toured the city with our guide and into the Uffizi Galleries, home to Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and a few others that will make you question your own productivity. We strolled the Ponte Vecchio, gazed up at the soaring dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, and wandered countless winding streets in search of the city’s best panini. Every meal, incidentally, was the best meal—Italy seems to have been designed that way. And, weirdly, even though I ate like a maniac, and mostly carbs, I still lost weight somehow!
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation” (c. 1472–1475), an early Renaissance masterpiece at the Uffizi, blends spiritual grace with natural detail as Gabriel delivers his message to Mary. Picture by Micah Champion
We spent our last day in Florence shopping, before renting a car and driving to..
Tuscany: Vows, Vines, and a Michelin Mishap
Castel Monastero, tucked in the hills of Tuscany. We soaked up the amenities, tasted phenomenal local cuisine, and took some wonderful wine tours.
The evening began with a culinary display at Castel Monastero’s Michelin-star restaurant—bite-sized starters, creative plating, and the promise of twelve memorable courses in Tuscany. Picture by Micah Champion
The real highlight: renewing our wedding vows under the Tuscan sun after twenty-five years of marriage to my wonderful wife with our son and daughter as witnesses. After the ceremony, dining at the Michelin-starred restaurant in the resort, it became something of a comedy of errors. Thinking we ordered one chef’s sampler menu, we had actually ordered four individual 12-course gourmet meals that took two plus hours to serve in an eloberate display of coordination and timing many Olympic-level syncronized swim teams would find jaw-dropping. Each course was presented as individual bits, reduced, infused, emulsified, and described in exquisite detail by the Maitre di sala. One item—the cuttlefish—may be lauded by critics, but will not be a staple in the Champion household.
I, personnally, have never been treated so well. Even if my palette wasn’t quite sophisticated enough to enjoy all their food, they served us each dish with the coordination of an Olympic-level synchronized swim team. To honor us and our vow renewal, every member, including the executive chef, sous chef, the host, and the entire waiting staff presented us with our final desert course, and appluaded us. It was quite overwhelming and joyful.
Umbria: Friends, Medieval Towns, and Local Artisans
Our adventure continued to the Umbrian countryside, where we visited friends renovating a house amidst olive groves and ancient stone walls. We explored the towns of Montefalco, Deruta, and Todi, and brought home pieces from local artisans who sculpt with the same patience old towns are built with.
We toured the church of Saint Francis of Assisi and local ruins, standing where history’s dust is ankle deep and every echo tells a different story.
Rome: Chaos, Wonder—and That Ceiling
Our last leg was Rome. I drove. That’s a story by itself. We stayed near the ancient city center, walked the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, toured the Colosseum, and Julius Caesar’s supposed tomb; joined a cooking class; and, of course, visited the Vatican. Standing beneath the Sistine Chapel’s impossible ceiling, I thought about what it takes to devote yourself to a vision so fully—and how impossible it is to fully take it in.
Strolling toward the legendary Pantheon—where ancient engineering and Roman history meet the buzz of the city. WE just kind of ran into it. Picture by Micah Champion.
The Gift of Getting Away
Traveling Italy as a family was less about checking off must-sees than discovering small wonders—on paper, in the street, or over a meal. The trip changed us, just a little, and left us with stories, sketches, and maybe one-too-many souvenirs.
