This December, I packed up my little family, and off we went on another adventure. Now, after spending almost a decade working in fashion, I’ve learned to love Milan, but never felt it suited children much. However, due to our flight possibilities and logistics, a stop in Milan was necessary. Oh it very much took me by surprise. Firstly, arriving during the festive season is magic. Particularly around the patisseries and cake shops. We stayed by the Duomo and every evening they had live performances that just serenaded us through our open window.
Some of the places my children loved were The Fondazione Prada. Be sure to check with reception any pieces that are inappropriate for children first. They adored the rotating mushroom sculptures and any exhibit that was oversized or 3D. A trip here can never end without a panini and gelato at Bar Luce with a few rounds of play on their retro pinball machine.
We also spent an afternoon at The Museo Dei Bambini Milano which is a children’s museum where you book slots to have a guided experience. It was wonderful and we would definitely go again. They also had a super fun Christmas Fair in the park during this season that the kids loved to go ice skating and the rides as well as the old school carnival games too called Villaggio delle Meraviglie.
In Milan, the kids loved to go to the classic stationery stores, the charming toy stores, and also all the mini stops for thick and decadent hot chocolates while we had pungent fresh espressos. A Christmas market sits at the base of the Duomo where an expansive selection of treats and gifts are all set up to walk through. As for restaurants, they are so accommodating for children and who doesn’t love a wide selection of pizzas and pastas for the kids?
We then packed up and drove four hours away to go skiing in the gorgeous Italian mountain range the Dolomites. The ride was easy and soon we reached our destination which was a secluded wooden cabin amidst farmland. It is a lovely place called Sonnwies which was filled of activities for children- from a magnificent kids club, to a huge indoor gym with football and a climbing wall, and a whole array of swimming pools and slides for the kids. It is also attached to a ski school and their own slope as well. We also drove the 20 minutes up to Plose to ski which is nestled in the mountain tops of the Dolomites with adorable cabins to stop for lunch mid ski.
I highly recommend this trip for families with younger children and it was a magnificent way to end the year. A mix of city and countryside in the very middle of the festive season made for an enchanting little voyage.
https://www.fondazioneprada.org/
https://www.muba.it/en
https://villaggiodellemeraviglie.com/en/home-en/
https://www.sonnwies.com/familienhotel-suedtirol
