The Picky Eater’s Secret: Why Italian Grocery Stores are a Life-Saver for Twin Families
Little man finds a healthy snack option in a Florence, Italy grocery store.
There are few things that we appreciate more when traveling in Europe than a good grocery store.
The food is fresh. The prices are affordable. And the experience is something that you don’t get from grocery stores in the states.
For twin families, it is also a great place to have your little ones identify something familiar from home that they can try if they are not adventurous eaters -- and our twins are definitely not adventurous eaters.
On our trip to Italy with our twins, we relied on Italian grocery stores for the twins to pick out fresh fruit and snacks. When only one of your twins likes pizza and neither like pasta, this was a life saver.
In Florence, we stayed at an Airbnb that was directly above a Conad grocery store. We went almost every day. They have fresh panini’s and pizza for mom and dad, and snacks, fruits and vegetables for the twins.
Regardless, if you are staying in a European city, it should be easy to find a decent grocery store within walking distance from your hotel or Airbnb.
These grocery stores often have the best wine selection at insanely low prices. Try finding a Chianti Classico for 5 euros anywhere else in the world. You can get other great wine for less than 3 euros as well. Grabbing a bottle for when the kids go down for bed is a great way to relax and unwind from a day of sightseeing and managing little ones. You can also try and bring some home with you as well -- US customs lets you bring 2 bottle per person through without being taxed.
When we stayed in Palermo without the twins for E’s milestone birthday, we stayed in Mondello, a beach neighborhood and discovered Prezzemolo & Vitale. They hand some of the freshest sandwich and burrata counters we have seen in Europe. All at the grocery story. Check out this burrata.
The staff at this particular grocery store engaged with us when we had questions and even gave us free samples. The people are so kind in Italy.
Overall
Food options at European grocery stores are incredible. It is affordable and easy to find snacks or drinks that the whole family can enjoy. We often map out the closest grocery store to our hotel and Airbnb before traveling to ensure our accommodation choice is near one.
