Gelateria Sweet Life Rome Italy

On our recent trip to Italy, we stayed in the area of Campo di Fiori in the centre of Rome.

Little did we know, we had a great little Gelato place called, "Sweet Life", around the corner which made grabbing some afternoon ice cream very convenient!

As soon as you walk into the gelateria, you notice all the Gelato flavors and of course a lineup of people ;)

The owner made sure that we tried the flavors we wanted first, before he prepared our scoops in a cone or cup of our choice.

They had a Venezuelan dark chocolate flavor that was quite strong but really delicious. It pairs perfectly with fruity sorbet flavors like mango or passion fruit. Definitely one of our favorites!

Kids loved the bright flavors of mango and strawberry and the cute smiley face wafer cookies they put on top of the ice cream :)

You can also add different toppings like a dollop of whip cream or a drizzle of chocolate to your ice cream order.

A really nice Italian couple owns and works at this Gelateria. You can tell that they put  their hardwork and passion into their family business. Even with the line-up and the heat, they made sure each customer was satisfied with the flavors they chose and that everyone had a lovely experience.

The friendly service (especially when they see how excited kids are with choosing ice cream) and delicious gelato makes this Gelateria one to come back to!

If you're in Rome with or without kids and exploring the neighborhood by of Campo di Fiori by Piazza Navona, make an ice cream stop at Gelateria Sweet Life! You won't be disappointed. It's great to support local small businesses as well.

Don't forget your snacks!

Gelateria Sweet Life

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 270, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Allergy-friendly Eats in Rome

 

My little toddler has had allergies since he was about 2 months old. His face and body would break out in bad eczema and he had to always wear mittens to protect against scratching. 

He was tested for various allergens and we found he was allergic to eggs and milk. Later we also discovered allergies to Soy, fish, and nuts. So, you can imagine how tricky this can be, especially when eating out in a different city or unfamiliar country.

However, if you're thinking about planning a trip to Rome, Italy, don't worry, it IS possible to find some good allergy-friendly eats that are delicious and toddler-approved! 

If everyone wants pizza, the dairy-free toddler can have Marinara pizza - which is just a pizza without cheese, instead has sauce, some garlic and herbs like oregano. The toddler really enjoyed it!

We enjoyed dinner at Bafetto Pizzeria near Piazza Navona. Pizza dinner was delish!

If you are at a restaurant with more items than pizza, kids loved the pasta dishes. We found pasta and meat sauce or pasta and just plain tomato sauce. The noodles were al-dente, chewy and delicious. Please make sure to tell your server not to add cheese to the pasta dish.

Note: The bread provided at some restaurants was plain and did not include butter. It was perfect for the kids!

For dessert, we had to have the Gelato! All of the Gelaterias we tried had milk free options available. We found various sorbet flavors that the little one enjoyed like Mango, Melon, Lemon and even Strawberry!

We always brought antihistamines with us just in case and we did stop at the grocery store to pickup some snacks and breakfast items.

The local grocery store actually had Vegan cheese, some even had Oatly milk. There were many non-dairy milk alternatives like almond milk, soy milk and rice milk. They were the most popular dairy-free milk alternatives.

If you've been thinking about a trip to Rome and have allergies or traveling with kids with allergies, don't worry, you can still enjoy some delicious Italian eats! We definitely didn't go hungry during our trip ;)

Don't forget your snacks!

Some places we enjoyed:

Ai Marmi - For pizza (Check out my blog post)

Viale di Trastevere, 53-59, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Cava Canem - pasta 

Piazza di S. Calisto, 11, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Fatamorgana , Giolitti and chegelato - For gelato

Top 10 Road Trip Snacks for Kids

The weather is warming up and Summer Vacation is on the horizon... for those doing a staycation, or prefer to travel by car this year, there will likely be some Road Trip adventures with the family!

Here are some of our current favorite Road Trip Snacks. Top 10 and a few more...

* Seaweed

* Salty chips

* Brioche buns

* Baby bel cheese

* Salami

* smoothie pouches 

* jam sandwiches 

* Ritz crackers 

* Cucumber

* Olives 

* Clementines - have a garbage bag ready for the peels!

* Pretzel sticks

* Hardboiled eggs 

* Nuts and dark chocolate - for the non-allergic parents.

* Bananas - sometimes they love it, sometimes they don't! 

* Mini Swedish Cinnamon buns (they're even Vegan!)

We mostly have these snacks when we stop along the way for a little picnic. The kids, especially the toddler, often get carsick because they aren't used to traveling in the car. We always have a vomit bag(s) at the ready after buying a bulk package on Amazon. 

Have you tried any of these Road trip snacks? Safe travels on your Summer Roadtrip Adventures!

Don't forget your snacks!

Drottningholms Slott Stockholm

A visit to the Drottningholms Palace (or Slott in Swedish) with the kids, is a nice outdoor activity! Drottningholms translates to Queen's Isle and it's easily accessible by car or even public transit.

The grounds of the palace are beautiful and we enjoyed walking around. You can see the lagoon, and stroll past the Royal fountains as you walk through the gardens. 

There are a few benches around so you can take a break along the walk but you can also bring a picnic to sit on the grass by the lagoon. When we visited, there were just a few families sitting in the grass to enjoy the sunshine so we had a lot of space to ourselves.

If you prefer, you can even grab something at the Palace Cafe And sit in the outdoor Cafe space.

We didn't go into the palace, except for a peek to see where you can purchase tickets. For a fee, you can go in and tour around inside the palace. 

There are Swedish guards posted around the palace and some signs posted by areas you aren't allowed into.

We had a wonderful time visiting the palace gardens with the kids. If you're looking for a nice afternoon activity, check out the Drottiningholms Palace in Drottningholm.

Don't forget your snacks!

Drottningholms Palace

Drottningholms Slott Slottsstallet 11, 178 93 Drottningholm

Check out their website for more info

Vete-Katten Stockholm

Vete-Katten is a classic Swedish cafe and bakery in Stockholm, Sweden that offers some delish Swedish buns, cakes and pastries. In addition to the traditional Swedish cinnamon buns or kanelbullar, they offer a wide array of blueberry buns, vanilla buns, cookies and even Summer buns with berries!

Everything you need for a successful fika (or coffee break) can be found at a Vete-Katten Cafe!

I recently picked up a few of the long buns to share at Work Fika - the Cinnamon one or Kanellängd and the Blueberry or blåbarlängd. They were both well received and delicious (both were quickly eaten up!)

Vete-Katten, which translates to "Wheat Cat" in English, got it's name from the Cafe founder, Ester. She was asked what the patisserie should be called, and she answered "Yes, the Wheat Cat"!

Vete-Katten even offers a few allergy friendly options that are great for those allergic to nuts or eggs like my little one!

We first tried the "Leokanel" bun which doesn't include any milk, egg, soy or nuts. It was soft and delicious. It's sooo nice to find a Vegan bun from a Cafe that is also soy and nut free for the little one to eat. It's one less worry and makes Fika with kids easier when they also get to have a bun from the same Cafe that you want to get a bun and coffee from!

The "Leokanel" was so good that we went back to try the "Leo" which is a blueberry bun that is free from soy, nuts, egg, milk and Cardamom (this spice is popular in Sweden and used in many Swedish buns).

Milk chocolate and white chocolate Cat lollipops! 

If you're visiting Stockholm, it's good to know that Vete-Katten has multiple locations around the city. For those with allergies, definitely try the Allergy friendly buns! Vete-Katten is totally worth a visit for a coffee break or Swedish "Fika"!

Don't forget your snacks!

Vete-Katten

Kungsgatan 55, 111 22 Stockholm, Sweden

Check out their website for more information.