Sabrina_Peng

My family will be visiting Italy in July. We arrive in Rome on 7/13 in the morning and fly out of Rome on 7/27 in the evening. We are planning on taking the train to Venice as soon as we arrive, then to Florence and finishing our trip off in Rome. How many nights do you suggest for each leg of the trip? We are thinking of staying in Venice for 3-4 nights, Florence for 1-2 nights and Rome for 9 nights. From Rome we would like to take a day trip to Pompeii and possibly spend a day on the beach as well.

Apres_Londee

I think that's 13 nights.

On how to divide your time, everyone will have their own opinion. It's great that you're not cramming too much into your 2 weeks.

If it were me I would probably try to spend a little more time in Florence, so maybe 4 nights Venice, 3 nights Florence, and 6 nights Rome.

Have you booked your airline tickets? If not, you might want to look into an open jaw ticket, flying into Venice and out of Rome.

kwren

We spent 6 nights in Rome and did a day trip to Pompeii lst July and it worked out well (although we could have easily spent more time in Rome) I'm almost done with a trip report about that trip so if you would like to read about our day to Pompeii and how we got there, click on my name, find the alps to volcanoes trip report and scroll almost to the bottom. Rome is at the end too, and we had our teenagers with us so that part will most likely help you too.

coleyjames

We actually leave tomorrow for Italy for 23 days with our 4 little ones (ages 8, 6, 3, 1) and grandma. This will be our 3rd trip to Italy. We have also travelled to several other countries. We love it and are often questioned about why we would travel with children! For us its not possible to travel without them and such a wonderful way to add to their development. I would suggest a few days in Rome, rent a car and explore Tuscany and/or Umbria for several days while staying in an apartment at an amazing farmhouse or castle. Check out sites like agriturismo.it. Then head north to Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. There are many amazing castle and farmhouse stays in these regions also. Another good site icastelli.net. I personally believe Venice is overrated and extremely touristy. Its a "must see" but dont spend more than a day or 2 there. Italy has so much more beauty to offer elsewhere. Enjoy!

coleyjames

Pompeii is amazing and well worth the trip. Then stay along Amalfi coast for a couple of nights! Gorgeous!

zeppole

I like your original plan a lot. Venice is probably worth the full 4 nights, and if the family is restless, take them to Verona for a day trip. Florence is so museum-heavy and crowded, I think 2 nights there will do it. It will be a pleasure to have so much time in Rome.

If you haven't looked up Ostia Antica, read about it from more than one sources and see if you think your kids might prefer it to Pompei.

Pompei is a tremendous sight, and if your kids are already talking about it seeing it, of course you should go. But it is also an overwhelming excavation sight, and quite hot and huge, and in some areas you have to supply a lot of imagination for what once was there. By contrast, Ostia Antica is very user friendly, shady, and what is left of the old Roman city really has the feel of the layout of a small town, with an extant fire department, little restaurants, a main shopping street, bakeries. It's not hard to imagine ancient Romans bustling through the streets.

If your kids will basically be following your lead when it comes to seeing the sights, then you might find Ostia Antica works for you.

Something you might consider is taking the train from Venice to Florence, but immediately switching for a train to Pisa. Stow your luggage in the station, walk over to see the Leaning Tower, have lunch, get the luggage, go to Florence. On the day you leave Florence, if you still feel there is more to see, let your hotel keep your luggage while you tour some more and catch a later train in the afternoon. From Rome, you can always day trip back to Florence if the family was wild about being there.

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun.

zeppole

PS: I meant to add that Ostia Antica is near the beach of Ostia Lido, and while it is not a scenic beach, it can be very nice to finish off a day at the sight with a swim and a gelato.

dreamon

I know there are a lot of fans of Rome and I like it too, but I think 9 days out of a 14 day holiday with kids is too long. It is a busy city and our kids found it a bit too much (and we live in a city of 4 million people). I would opt to spend a few days in a smaller town - of which there are a heap to choose from - try Siena, Pienza, Lucca, Spoleto, Gubbio for starters, all accessible by train or bus. Alternatively spend longer in Florence to avoid moving on frequently (I like the fact you've only got three stops in your plan) and visit some other towns as day trips from Florence.

I'm sure you'll have a great time not matter what you end up doing.

kwren

Anyone with kids in Rome who want some things other than the major sights - my kids loved looking for the cats at the Cat Sanctuary near Piazza Navona, the Pasta Museum near the Trevi Fountain and the Crime Museum with it's torture instruments. These 2 museums are small.

zeppole

You've not stated what your budget is, but were I staying in Rome with kids in July, I would get a large air-conditioned apartment with a roof terrace. I would plan the day around the notion that afternoons would be restful, out of the heat, and that a good chunk of Rome would be done at night. For instance, you can visit Castel Sant'Angelo at night:

http://www.browsingrome.com/rome-tra...antangelo/4743

There are outdoor movies, concerts, operas and other nighttime events around town in the summer, and of course the piazze and the fountains usually offer plenty of entertainment and street performers.

There is also public swlmming pool near the Colosseum.

For a full-on day at the beach, Sperlonga might be the most rewarding:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/sperlonga.html

The fountains out by Tivoli might be a hit.

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/italy/p/villa_deste.htm

In July, most of Tuscany will be extremely hot, and some places like Florence will be extremely crowded as well. If your kids like to bike ride, a day trip to Lucca from Florence can be nice for some riding around the walls.

(Just as a note, Pienza, mentioned above, is really not accessible by public transportation, nor is Gubbio, and Spoleto is out of your way, I would not add more destinations where you would need to haul around luggage in the July heat).

dreamon

Some great ideas from Zeppole for Rome.

However Rome, being a city, will be just as hot or hotter than Tuscany.

Gubbio used to be easily accessed by bus from Perugia. Perhaps that's changed.

In Lucca, you can also ride out along the river as well as around the walls - the kids would enjoy that. Lots of other places to access from Florence as well.

I agree that fewer hotel/apartment changes the better, although 4 stops instead of 3 would not be a disaster in a 14 day itinerary. I guess my point is that Rome is fantastic but you are investing the lion's share of your holiday there so you need to be confident that everyone will enjoy it (and my kids - sample of two, I know - did not).

wayfinder45

The nice thing about staying in one place for a good chunk of time is that it gives you the opportunity to get into a really nice rhythm and have experiences that may not be possible if you are only spending a few days in one place with time for only the top sights. A week or more in Rome gives you the luxury of spending a leisurely day in Ostia Antica (or if you are more ambitious, Pompeii), visiting Hadrian’s Villa, or taking a day trip to Orvieto. You could go to the top of the Janiculum hill for an amazing view of the city, go to a football match, rent bikes and ride through Villa Borghese with other Italian families enjoying the shady gardens.

To increase the sample--our family did a similar two-week trip a year ago with bases in Rome, Florence and Venice. We spent 6 nights in Rome, 4 in Florence, and 3 in Venice. We flew in and out of Rome, so we had 5 days there first and then a final night before flying home. While the kids enjoyed each city and each offered different experiences, their favorite was Rome and they were really glad to come “home” to Rome for the last day of the trip. We did a day trip to Pompeii which was a big hit with the kids, but we were there in December and the heat and crowds were not an issue. We also took day trips to Pisa and Siena. I much rather doing day trips over changing accommodations too many times, but that’s a personal preference.

Another thing which added to our experience in Rome was that we stayed in a quiet residential area where we could escape the hustle and bustle and really get to know some of the neighborhood shops and cafes. We stayed on the Aventine which I adore, but there are other close-in neighborhoods that are good choices as well. In the summer, A/C is going to be key – and a roof terrace, simply divine.

Basic point is that it depends on what kind of trip you want to have – for a great example of a successful “whirlwind” trip to Italy with kids, see lisaroberts recent report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...taly-day-1.cfm