32 days in May in Italy and...? where would you go? what would you do?
Apr 20th, 2011, 06:46 PM
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32 days in May in Italy and...? where would you go? what would you do?
Hello!
I've been reading the wise advice found here and now I'm all "tonfused" as my youngest used to say.
We have to be in Florence for 4 days in the middle of May. We have the month blocked off. If you could do anything, what else would you do?
We have three boys 8. 9. & 11 (very good and interested travelers as long as we don't take them to a church or museum every single second).
We are now considering...
A) 2 weeks in Italy, then 2 weeks in N. Spain (to continue working on Spanish)
B) 2 weeks in Italy then drive up through Austria, lower Germany, Switzerland...(DH has driven it before and we drove Southern Spain effectively and were all humored by the experience, and loved the scenery)
C) drive along the French Riviera on the way to San Sebastian and spend less time in Spain
D) Just stay in Italy?
We are home schooling this year, so we have more time than next year when we return to a regular schedule. So it's a bit of a bouquet trip on the end of our year together. Part of me wants them to see as much as we can - while we are there - who knows when we will go back and we don't just love crowds and we are hoping May is a bit less than summer. We are also immerse-in-the-experience people over checkmarks-on-every-single-historical-site people.
And we are supposed to leave in 12 days. Ha! Nothing like good planning. We have a chronically ill family member, so we never really think we're going until we are there - so last minute is nothing new.
I've been reading the wise advice found here and now I'm all "tonfused" as my youngest used to say.
We have to be in Florence for 4 days in the middle of May. We have the month blocked off. If you could do anything, what else would you do?
We have three boys 8. 9. & 11 (very good and interested travelers as long as we don't take them to a church or museum every single second).
We are now considering...
A) 2 weeks in Italy, then 2 weeks in N. Spain (to continue working on Spanish)
B) 2 weeks in Italy then drive up through Austria, lower Germany, Switzerland...(DH has driven it before and we drove Southern Spain effectively and were all humored by the experience, and loved the scenery)
C) drive along the French Riviera on the way to San Sebastian and spend less time in Spain
D) Just stay in Italy?
We are home schooling this year, so we have more time than next year when we return to a regular schedule. So it's a bit of a bouquet trip on the end of our year together. Part of me wants them to see as much as we can - while we are there - who knows when we will go back and we don't just love crowds and we are hoping May is a bit less than summer. We are also immerse-in-the-experience people over checkmarks-on-every-single-historical-site people.
And we are supposed to leave in 12 days. Ha! Nothing like good planning. We have a chronically ill family member, so we never really think we're going until we are there - so last minute is nothing new.
Apr 20th, 2011, 07:31 PM
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personally i would stay in italy the whole time....enjoy tuscany and spend some time in nearby umbria as well...the hilltowns in both areas are so much fun...
the north of italy also provides a lot to do....visit around the lakes...drive the dolmites... rome is interesting too...
i was in both spain and italy this winter and found italy far superior...
the north of italy also provides a lot to do....visit around the lakes...drive the dolmites... rome is interesting too...
i was in both spain and italy this winter and found italy far superior...
Apr 20th, 2011, 10:05 PM
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Immerse in what experience? You will be immersed in an experience whatever you decide. Do you know what kind of an experience you want?
I seriously doubt anybody is a "checkmarks-on-every-single-historical-site" person. Do you want to see historic sites or not? If so, which ones? Where? Why?
Likewise, nobody takes their kids to a museum or church every single second. Do you want your kids to find this trip educational or do you want to give them a holiday.
No shame in just wanting to have a European adventure and go with your usual method of not planning anything. Just be aware you are traveling in Spring, which means less crowds but a much greater chance of rain, including rain on the Mediterranean.
If you are looking for people to plan your trip for you and tell you what to do (so you can ignore it on the road), I'm sure dozens will be by shortly -- but honestly, I find it hard to believe somebody who home schools their kids is the kind of person who will get any useful advice in response to the question "What would you do?" Most people wouldn't home school their kids. That ought to tell you something.
I seriously doubt anybody is a "checkmarks-on-every-single-historical-site" person. Do you want to see historic sites or not? If so, which ones? Where? Why?
Likewise, nobody takes their kids to a museum or church every single second. Do you want your kids to find this trip educational or do you want to give them a holiday.
No shame in just wanting to have a European adventure and go with your usual method of not planning anything. Just be aware you are traveling in Spring, which means less crowds but a much greater chance of rain, including rain on the Mediterranean.
If you are looking for people to plan your trip for you and tell you what to do (so you can ignore it on the road), I'm sure dozens will be by shortly -- but honestly, I find it hard to believe somebody who home schools their kids is the kind of person who will get any useful advice in response to the question "What would you do?" Most people wouldn't home school their kids. That ought to tell you something.
Apr 21st, 2011, 12:36 AM
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I'd be like a kid, (not obese, non diabetic, non anything else) with a chocolate box with that amount of time free. If you're starting off in Florence and the time you have there fulfils your sightseeing for the city, then how about:
Florence 4 nights
Rome 4 nights
Amalfi Coast 4 nights
Pompeii en route
Naples 2 nights
Florence 2 nights
Pisa 1 night
Fly to Barcelona 4 nights (drop and re-rent car)
Sitges 4 nights
Bay of Roses 4 nights
Back to Barcelona for return flight and side trips to the countryside to the west of Barca.
Florence 4 nights
Rome 4 nights
Amalfi Coast 4 nights
Pompeii en route
Naples 2 nights
Florence 2 nights
Pisa 1 night
Fly to Barcelona 4 nights (drop and re-rent car)
Sitges 4 nights
Bay of Roses 4 nights
Back to Barcelona for return flight and side trips to the countryside to the west of Barca.
Apr 21st, 2011, 12:58 AM
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Lifeman your idea is good but I think that 6 nights in Florence is a little too much for a family that have stated they don't particularly like museums and churches?? What if they started in Venice with 4 nights there and then continued with the rest of your plan??
Apr 21st, 2011, 03:23 AM
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I missed on my second Florence stop that the time used should be to see a bit of Tuscany. As they are already in Florence, Venice is a fair way North to then come all the way South again. It's a lot of backtracking.
There'll be lots of alternatives with the time available, but these are just my preferences.
There'll be lots of alternatives with the time available, but these are just my preferences.
Apr 21st, 2011, 04:07 AM
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Go every year in Spring
just got back from Florence/Venice/Orvieto/Sorrento/Capri
Alps too cold and Spain too far for me in May.
Just train around Italy to neat areas.
Sunfrance.com for a bit of france easily reachable
by cheap train in the time you have.
Otel.com Booking.com for nice lodgings based on budget
work well for me.
Happy Planning,
just got back from Florence/Venice/Orvieto/Sorrento/Capri
Alps too cold and Spain too far for me in May.
Just train around Italy to neat areas.
Sunfrance.com for a bit of france easily reachable
by cheap train in the time you have.
Otel.com Booking.com for nice lodgings based on budget
work well for me.
Happy Planning,
Apr 21st, 2011, 04:40 AM
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In May/June a couple of years ago we did a great trip in Italy, south to north, 45 days, based in several different places for about a week each: Aeolian Islands (Sicily), Amalfi Coast (based near Salerno), Rome, Umbria (based near Arezzo), Ligurian coast (based in Santa Margherita di Ligure), Piedmont (based near Asti), the Dolomites (based in Alta Badia), Lake Como (based in Lezzeno), with a little Verona thrown in. It was a fantastic trip, with lots of variety. We used a combination of trains and rental cars. (You can find my report by clicking on my name--it's mistitled "North to South...").
Italy would keep you happily occupied for your 32 days. May is a wonderful time to travel there.
Italy would keep you happily occupied for your 32 days. May is a wonderful time to travel there.
Apr 21st, 2011, 04:50 AM
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Sorry that I was unclear - we do want to see sites & museums. Most of developing their interest in seeing things I'm trying to do now. If they've read all about the glow of the original David vs. the two copies, they want to form their own opinion and see if they think the first one is really better the others. Make them lie on their backs and try to draw & paint a picture. We've read about the Etruscans in history, so connecting the dots and making it real...they will love that.
We have traveled with three check-mark traveling families (but they don't seem to be Fodorites). They move so fast & see so much I can't remember where we were in half the memories. But I am VERY impressed by the organization, planning, time and we were thankful to be included.
That was a bit vague about immersing - I meant immerse ourselves in seeing how the culture is like, what the differences are in the way the people interact, the differences in the regions, people watching, talk to people who have moved there - what do they like? Not like? How do things work? What is the government like as a citizen? What hours are the schools? One city we were in, three years olds went to school from 8a-7p two days a week. For the boys, things like the trash pick-up method was fascinating in a lot of towns we visited. Donkeys carrying firewood up steps, the fish truck that could be smelled before it could be heard. Watching the 7 pensionistas lock arms to walk down the steep road after church. That is what I meant.
Off to read more
thank you & so appreciate the above advice & any future advice.
We have traveled with three check-mark traveling families (but they don't seem to be Fodorites). They move so fast & see so much I can't remember where we were in half the memories. But I am VERY impressed by the organization, planning, time and we were thankful to be included.
That was a bit vague about immersing - I meant immerse ourselves in seeing how the culture is like, what the differences are in the way the people interact, the differences in the regions, people watching, talk to people who have moved there - what do they like? Not like? How do things work? What is the government like as a citizen? What hours are the schools? One city we were in, three years olds went to school from 8a-7p two days a week. For the boys, things like the trash pick-up method was fascinating in a lot of towns we visited. Donkeys carrying firewood up steps, the fish truck that could be smelled before it could be heard. Watching the 7 pensionistas lock arms to walk down the steep road after church. That is what I meant.
Off to read more
thank you & so appreciate the above advice & any future advice.
Apr 21st, 2011, 05:01 AM
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I read it as you are in Florence in the middle of the 32 days ?
What about flights - presumably you know where to are flying to & from ?
How do you plan to travel around Italy ? A combination of internal flights/train between cities and just hiring a car for more rural areas is ideal but what are you thinking ?
Do you want to include some more relaxed time, maybe at the seaside ?
Without those clarifications it's no good suggesting an actual itinerary at this point, but here's the kind of split I might go for assuming 31 nights -
- 4 nights / 3 full days (?) in Florence, already fixed
- 4 nights / 3 full days driving through parts of the rest of Tuscany, e.g. visiting Siena & San Gimigniano
- 6 nights / 5 full days in Rome - it's a big place, there's lots to see and you will most probably do a lot of walking : a nice thing for the children is that it's not all inside, in museums - a lot of the most spectacular sights are in the open air and can be appreciated just by walking round
- 3 nights / 2 full days in Venice (my favourite place and I don't find 2 weeks enough, but not really so much a place for children IMO once the novelty of getting around by boat wears off)
- a week in Sorrento : not normally somewhere I'd recommend but good for families and it's convenient - you could combine a day trip to Pompeii and maybe a trip up Vesuvius with a day driving along the Amalfi Coast (on a tour or by bus, driving yourself not recommended !) with some days relaxing
- a week in Sicily, driving round some of the classical sites such as the temples at Agrigento and the archaeologicial park in Siracusa (again all outdoors) with maybe a few days at a beach resort like Giardini-Naxos.
Another idea is the southern end of Lake Garda which is very family-oriented and has several large amusement parks.
Btw I think it's usually more useful to think in terms of nights rather than days, as you will spend some days travelling. When touring, I'd rarely stay fewer than 2 nights (and preferably 3) in each place, to allow at least 1 (or preferably 2) full days to experience the place properly.
What about flights - presumably you know where to are flying to & from ?
How do you plan to travel around Italy ? A combination of internal flights/train between cities and just hiring a car for more rural areas is ideal but what are you thinking ?
Do you want to include some more relaxed time, maybe at the seaside ?
Without those clarifications it's no good suggesting an actual itinerary at this point, but here's the kind of split I might go for assuming 31 nights -
- 4 nights / 3 full days (?) in Florence, already fixed
- 4 nights / 3 full days driving through parts of the rest of Tuscany, e.g. visiting Siena & San Gimigniano
- 6 nights / 5 full days in Rome - it's a big place, there's lots to see and you will most probably do a lot of walking : a nice thing for the children is that it's not all inside, in museums - a lot of the most spectacular sights are in the open air and can be appreciated just by walking round
- 3 nights / 2 full days in Venice (my favourite place and I don't find 2 weeks enough, but not really so much a place for children IMO once the novelty of getting around by boat wears off)
- a week in Sorrento : not normally somewhere I'd recommend but good for families and it's convenient - you could combine a day trip to Pompeii and maybe a trip up Vesuvius with a day driving along the Amalfi Coast (on a tour or by bus, driving yourself not recommended !) with some days relaxing
- a week in Sicily, driving round some of the classical sites such as the temples at Agrigento and the archaeologicial park in Siracusa (again all outdoors) with maybe a few days at a beach resort like Giardini-Naxos.
Another idea is the southern end of Lake Garda which is very family-oriented and has several large amusement parks.
Btw I think it's usually more useful to think in terms of nights rather than days, as you will spend some days travelling. When touring, I'd rarely stay fewer than 2 nights (and preferably 3) in each place, to allow at least 1 (or preferably 2) full days to experience the place properly.
Apr 21st, 2011, 05:19 AM
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Go spend a week on Lake Como. see the kids use the ferry to get to school, go to the markets in Como, see the locals in the vilages at the cafe in the morning, a lot of outdoor kids activities (Jungle Raider Park!) . With kids I wouldn't be moving around all the time... We usually stay in a village of 1400 people, so you see lots of local life...
