Photo Credit: Etan Horowitz
I began an annual tradition of hosting my daughter, Daphne, her husband Etan, and my grandchildren Jack, 14, and Lucy, 11 on one special vacation a year when the kids were very young. We traveled to resorts in Maui and Kaua’i for the children’s spring breaks. We also traveled to a beautiful Club Med in Ixtapa, Mexico and an okay Club Med in Cancun.
Last April marked our last spring break in Mexico. That featured a one week stay at Planet Hollywood, Cancun. My grandchildren and their parents had a good time. My memory of that trip is a nightmare, because I was plagued by an illness featuring diarrhea and vomiting.
After four days in bed, I announced that spring break 2026 would be in Italy. By chance, Etan had spent a week in Italy for work before joining us on the Planet Hollywood trip. As I could have predicted from two of my prior trips, one to Rome and one to Venice, Rome, and Florence, he loved Italy. When Daphne saw the beautiful leather goods he brought home, she came on board too.
You’d think a spring break 2026 trip to Italy would be fairly cut and dried, right? Thinking I’d half way to creating sweet memories for my darlings, I began, as I always do, by checking the calendar for Jack and Lucy’s schools outside Philly.
“Don’t make any plans without checking with us” is Etan’s mantra. Who knew that Lucy, a flyer in the sport of cheer, would be required to attend a competition in Ocean City, Maryland the first day of spring break? My husband, Dennis, tried to console me by telling me that cheer is very important to Lucy.
It’s just that instead of arriving in Rome on a Saturday morning, and going home to Philly on a Saturday, they will be returning home on a Monday. I know Daphne hates when the children miss school, but isn’t travel the ultimate in educational enrichment? Arriving home late Monday afternoon will be tough on my daughter, who likes having a day to unpack and deal with dirty laundry before the work week begins.
Etan is a genius at logistics when he has the time. He knows the best places to eat, the coolest things to do, and the best places to shop. Daphne has little interest in trip planning. When I text her my thoughts for places to eat or visit, she typically responds: “Mom, start a Google doc.”
So I've proposed that we have a family meeting when I get to Philly next week. I hope that Jack and Lucy, will tear themselves away from their electronics long enough to take part in the discussion.
Initially, I thought we would just do Rome and Florence. But Etan and Daphne want to see Venice too, and think Jack and Lucy will enjoy it. To me, that’s too hectic an itinerary, but what do I know? I can compensate by arriving in Rome three days before everybody else, giving myself a chance to get over my jet lag and have some time to explore Rome’s neighborhoods.
While I prefer hotels featuring sumptuous breakfast buffets, Etan tells me that Airbnb rentals are likely to be more centrally located, and will allow for four bedrooms and two bathrooms. I’m willing to cede his points even though I worry Airbnb’s can be quirky.
Does that leave us with an itinerary that will satisfy everybody? Hopefully three nights in Florence will be enough time for me to see a bit of Renaissance art, stroll along the Ponte Vecchio, and shop because I’m hellbent on purchasing a custom-tailored leather jacket.
Granted, Jack and Lucy have very different interests, and can get testy when their differing wishes fail to be granted. Jack might enjoy a walk with an expert photographer, and Lucy a class in how to make gelato. As a grandmother, I get that the parents have final say.
So I’m looking forward to posting photos of Etan, Daphne, Jack and Lucy sporting big smiles as they devour delicious meals,
lick gelato cones and see the most beautiful fountains imaginable. What’s not to like?
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