bklynmama

We are traveling to Italy for 2.5 weeks, in a little over a week. Our first week, we are flying into Rome and then renting a car to stay at a house in Lazio, near Viterbo and just over the border from Umbria. During that week, we will probably just be meandering nearby (Lake Bolsena, Viterbo, Orvieto, maybe Todi, etc.) My dilemma is for the remaining 10 days (7/13-23). In trying to structure things, I came across this forum and was impressed by the quality & creativity of feedback shared. (I was especially struck by some of the comments of sandralist, who seems to get what traveling with kids is like. Hope you are out there reading this!)

So here are the parameters: 1) We have 10 and 12 year old girls. They are New Yorkers and hardy walkers and not 100% averse to museums and churches, but neither will they want to spend too much time doing that kind of sightseeing. 2) I am very bad with heat, but school schedules left July as our only option for using the Lazio house (the house inspired the trip). 3) We need the car for the week at the rural Lazio house and can extend it a few days longer, but my partner would rather not keep it much longer. 4) I would like to see Siena for sure. 5)We fly out of Rome.

In between my need to keep it a little cool and making it fun for the kids, I thought we might make a 2nd base near Lucca. It seems like there are cool watery things to do nearby (beach, Bagni di Lucca, gorges, spectacularly situated pools, etc). My other thought was that it would be special for the girls to see Venice--but I am wondering if that is crazy given our time frame. Here is what I am currently thinking: 13th AM drive from Viterbo to Siena. Spend night in city or outside in agriturismo or similar. 14th drive to Lucca environs. Stay in agriturismo. Spend the rest of that day through the 16th in that region, mostly doing outdoor watery or shady things. Dinner in Lucca at least one evening. Afternoon/early eve of 16th drive to Florence and drop off car. (The rental agency has no Lucca drop off). Stay overnight in Florence. See David in the morning maybe or just generally walk around (or get tix to Duomo?). Afternoon train to Venice. Eves of 17, 18, 19 in Venice or nearby (may not be able to afford Venice proper). Morning of 20, train to Rome. We fly out of Rome at 9 PM on the 23rd. Thoughts? Especially does it make sense to include Venice? Not sure when I will next be able to spring for 4 plane tix!

bklynmama

The other place near Lucca where car can be dropped is Pisa.

AndiM

Definitely make the effort to see Venice! The train from Florence to Venice is quick. Your kids would probably enjoy biking around the rampart wall in Lucca. There is also a unique tower to climb in Lucca that has trees and a garden on top. I recommend Lucca over Pisa. Check out the neat bird cage lift in the hill town of Gubbio in Umbria. Gorgeous town and very unique lift. Kids would love that! I sure did. Have fun!

cathies

Venice will be HELLISHLY hot. We've just been in Venice about 2 weeks and encountered an unexpected heat wave. It was typical of July weather and very, very hot.

bilboburgler

Booking stuff in July will be tough and it will be hot. I'd stay away from too much stone. Lucca itself is a good idea but you need a base with a pool and possibly other kids staying there so your can go off and hang out rather than just sit with Mom. There are multi villa agriturismos you could stay in, but you need to do some digging and they will not be on top of Lucca but more in the country. For instance I know there is one over by San Gimignano but you will need a car to get the best out of that. You could go over to the other side and find one in the area around Padua, Soave etc I rec the Euganian hills as being a bit cooler and there are smaller walled cities all around to visit. Finally you could go to Bologna which is famous for having covered walkways everywhere (so cooler), it is a major train junction so you can have days out to Ravenna, Ferrara etc

sandralist

The weather in Italy is bouncing back and forth between hot and not-so-hot, so no predicting the actual temps in Venice. But you should definitely get air conditioning.

I am not sure you are going to get out of Lucca what you want in such a short time frame, and Lucca can be really very hot and muggy. What might work instead is, after Lazio, to get yourselves to a really nice place with the best pool you can find and spend at least 2 nights there. After all that time in Lazio, I think getting a modern-ish resort type place with a great pool and good parking and air con is fine, even if it isn't loaded with "character". The best way to keep cool in the summer in Italy is to go more slowly and don't plan a lot of things for the middle of the day. (For Siena, plan to sightsee after 4pm).

After one last swim in the pool near Siena, drive to Venice in the air conditioned car and drop it off there.If you can't afford Venice proper, then the Lido might work best for you. But plan to spend your evenings in Venice proper, when it empties out of crowds. Try some boat rides to other islands in the morning, swims in the afternoons. The girls might enjoy the glass in Murano and the lace in the Burano. Don't make a project out of sightseeing in Venice. Just enjoy the lark.

Then, here's a thought for a finale: After Venice, skip hot and heaving Florence (David will always be there!) and take the fast train to Rome, but at Termini, catch a commuter train south to the beach town of Sperlonga. The train doesn't go all the way, so you will want a taxi for the last leg. It will be a long travel day, but most of it will be on an air conditioned train and the reward will be to finish up your trip at a beautiful beach which has some ruins for educational value too. You are lucky to have such a late flight out. You can get to FCO from Sperlonga leaving after lunch.

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome....way-from-rome/

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

It always sounds like a great idea to book a hotel with a sea view, but they can be extremely hot. Book a place someplace shady where the sun is beating down. You might be able to find an apartment rental. Booking.com might be your best bet at this late date for nailing down lodgings near Siena and Venice.

sandralist

Sorry! I omitted that I was talking about going to Siena right after Lazio. I should have typed:

"What might work instead is, after Lazio, to get yourselves to a really nice place near Siena with the best pool you can find and spend at least 2 nights there."


Basically what I am suggesting from the 13th forward is

2-3 nights near Siena with swimming pool

3 or 4 nights in Venice

Remainder of trip in Sperlonga

sandralist

Also, around Lazio, consider visiting the Bomarzo monster park at a cool hour. Narni has associations with the Narnia chronicles and might be a more interesting hilltown than Todi. A truly cool thing to do near Viterbo is the waterfalls near Terni

http://www.bellaumbria.net/en/nature...marmore-falls/

bklynmama

Thanks for all the advice. I am now going to look into all those recs! Does anyone have specific ideas about a Lido accomodation?

sandralist

Your best bet is to look on booking.com and venere.com and read reviews for what is available for your dates.

bklynmama

I think I am going to go with the suggestion to skip Florence altogether. I also love the idea of Sperlonga--which I never would have come up with on my own. However, I forgot that one of the parameters is one of our party would like to celebrate a birthday at a Roman resto on the night before we fly out, so I think, sadly, we will have to give Sperlonga a miss. However, the suggestion of beach opened up a new thought...

I did locate a lovely place with a pool near Siena. But what if after Lazio and before going to Siena we were to stay a night or 2 near Capalbio? I am intrigued by the Niki de Saint Phalle park and read good things about the La Feniglia beach. Too good to be true? A good idea? Would love feedback from you smart folks...

bilboburgler

Narni Narnia connection is pretty small, CS Lewis merely saw the name in an atlas and like the name. I'd stick with the pool idea and avoid the beach.

If you do the Venice lagoon visit you should also look at the alternative places to visit on the vapareto. So catch a boat to the Lido and ride a bike down the front.

sandralist

Going to the beach anywhere along the Tuscan or Lazio coast is a lark. it is like going to the Long Island or Connecticut shores. You go for the beach and the seafood. Occasionally there is some historic interest or some special beauty, but not the spectacular dramatic beauty of the Amalfi or le Cinque Terre. if you find something that sounds like it works for your family, fine. My personal experience of Capalbio is mainly confined the marina (which is hardly an international destination). The inland antique hilltown is a bit like Sag Harbor in that it is an upscale second-home retreat for Romans.

The Narni-Narnia connections may be slim, but Narni might be the better daytrip destination for your Viterbo stay with your family. Read up on both.

Are you including Venice in this trip or eliminating it?

bklynmama

I talked to the kids and they would really like to go to Venice, especially as the evening of the 19th will feature fireworks! So, I am looking for a relatively affordable place for us. So far, no luck on Lido di Venezia. Any other ideas?

Based on your replies, we will probably give the beach a miss, though I am still keen on the Nikki de Saint Phalle...

bklynmama

Also if it helps you guide me, we would now be in Venice or environs 7/18-20 or 21

bilboburgler

Well there is a camping site on Fusina and the vaps get there but not sure how much walking there is. I like old Mestre (not the bit around the station but near the old church) which would require you catch a short bus ride, hotels in Mestre are far cheaper.

sandralist

My advice would be to bite the bullet on lodging cost in Venice and stay there. Tell the kids you are all going to economize to scrape up the extra cost for 3 or 4 nights in Venice so you can enjoy the fireworks and the city at night. I just generally go with booking.com and venere.com. I think at this late date you can't risk trying to track down an apartment, because you could get ripped off and end up without a place to stay. Just figure out how much over your budget you are each night, and make it up somewhere else.

bklynmama

I went with your suggestion and we are staying in Venice proper.

We are also going to drive rather than take the train, as with the 24-hr rental increment, we are paying for it anyway...so, any suggestions for where we might break up the drive btw the Siena area and Venice? Maybe a lunch stop? I assume we can't easily drive into Bologna bc of ZTL...

Finally, I have booked a place for our Siena area stay but sadly it does not have animals. Can anyone recommend some place that has animals (preferably horses) and a pool? It would make 2 city kids very pleased! (And I am within the free cancellation window for the other place)

sandralist

i think you will need to stop along the way when the kids want to stop and also when you are in the window of the Italian lunch hour, which is 12.30 to 2pm. If you don't stop during that window of time, you will have a hard time finding a kitchen that serves you.

I certainly wouldn't go any further than Sasso Marconi (a bit south of Bologna) before taking a nice break. The other day, I pointed out to somebody the agriturismo Le Conchiglie that is near Sasso Marconi. You can google them up to see if they are open for lunch on your travel day, or just generally open so your kids can see the animals while you take a break from driving even if you have already eaten lunch.

You will notice when you are in Italy that there are directlonal signs along the road with a crossed knife and fork that are pointing the direction to places to eat. It is a fun way to go when you are looking for lunch, but sometimes you come a cropper (place is closed). Be sure to bring along enough snacks and food in the car to cover all contingenices and no one has ever died eating at the AutoGrille along the highways when all else fails.

Here is a list of "didactic farms" in the province of Siena. Not all of them offer accommodations, but you might want to stick with your present accommodations and just take the kids for a jaunt to see the animals. Some of the farms listed only raise crops, but you can use Google translate to figure out who has got animals.

http://fattoriedidattiche.provincia.siena.it/

Here's another list more specifically about agriturismi with animals, but I am not sure how many of them are near Siena.

http://www.tripadvisor.it/ShowTopic-...a-Tuscany.html

You should also be able to find ones near where you are staying in Viterbo by asking around. Be aware that quite a few of these farms are raising animals for slaughter (and that includes ponies and horses), while some are being raised for eggs, milk and such.

Hope you enjoy your impending trip! On a very clear day, a trip up to the Rocca in Montefiascone gives you an incredible view from the sea to the Abruzzi mountain peaks, plus there is a kiddie playground up there.

bklynmama

Truly, I appreciate your generosity in writing such a long--and prompt--reply. I am not by nature a "planner" but with the kids it is a necessity, so this sort of virtual handholding is a godsend!