When Paul told the Roman taxi driver that we were heading to Sperlonga for two weeks, he exclaimed “una perla!” which translates to “a pearl.”

We arrived in Sperlonga around 6pm and by 9pm we were beachside enjoying dinner at Pizzeria Mari. The kids have been waiting for this leg of the trip since we first conceived of this vacation. Prosciutto with melon to start, Sperlongan mussels for me, pizza margarita for Miss M, swordfish for Big D, and spaghetti with clams and mussels for Paul. M was supposed to split the pizza and mussels with me but the pizza was so good she ate the whole thing.

We walked up and down the main street at night passing by shops, gelaterias, and more restaurants. There’s also a set of outdoor trampolines, a merry go round and another little kids ride on the small boardwalk. Last night there was a traveling kids show with a person dressed up like a cartoon character…not sure who it was but they were set up with a hundred kid sized chairs on half of the basketball court which made Big D very concerned that he’d only have access to one hoop with a bent rim the next day.

Yes, you read that right — basketball court. We knew there was a full sized court right on the boardwalk, and it’s the only hoop for miles and miles around.

Our AirBnB in Sperlonga has two bedrooms, three small balconies (one with a washing machine and drying rack), kitchen / living area, two bathrooms, and a HUGE roof deck. There’s a ping pong table and dining table for six with umbrella on the roof, outdoor shower, and tons of extra space too.