St. Louis interior designer Kim Taylor West of K Taylor Design Group had an enviable agenda this summer. Her to-do list for July looked something like this…

1. Milan
2. Florence
3. Genoa
4. Lake Como
5. Eat gelato. Every. Day.

Surprisingly, each moment of her weeklong vacation in Northern Italy was researched, planned and guided by her 16-year-old daughter Kaitlyn, a travel enthusiast. We’re beyond impressed but not at all surprised that Kim would raise a pair of lovely, intelligent and hardworking girls—her eldest, Allie, is currently pre-med in college.

Itinerary in hand, Kim, Kaitlyn and Allie packed light and headed to Milan to begin what would be an unforgettable journey. Traveling by train, boat, even a mountainside tram, the trio visited gardens, museums and aquariums; a new city nearly each day. As they made their way from one to the next, Kim took note of tiny towns in the distance, already planning her return.

Kim has kindly shared the sights of Northern Italy—as design inspiration goes, it doesn’t get much better than this. Her trip has us considering our own travel plans. And who knows, in 10 years, we might be placing a call to Kaitlyn’s travel agency to book the trip.