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Family Trip to Italy - North or South? April, July or October?

Family Trip to Italy - North or South? April, July or October?

Old Feb 8th, 2016, 06:19 AM
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Family Trip to Italy - North or South? April, July or October?

Who’s Traveling: My husband and I with our two daughters, 7 and 9 at time of travel
When we’re going?: 2018 trip – first half of April, anytime in July or first half of October
How long?: 14 nights in Italy
Budget: $7,000 budget for expenses (lodging, food, train/car, etc.) + $5,000 for airfare
Priorities:
• Would like to get the kids introduced to Italian culture
• Maybe check one of the areas where my husband’s family is from (options include areas within the Provinces of Calabria, Abruzzo , L’Aquila or Brescia)
• Would like to spend 3 to 4 nights at each overnight destination to avoid feeling like we are moving around too much and keep the trip low key and relaxed
• Don’t want to spend tons of time traveling
• As much as my husband (engineer) and I (architect) love architecture, art and history, we realize the kids will likely get bored if we are only touring churches and art museums so we are open to other adventures.
Where to go?:
Northern Italy: Milan, Venice may be with Lugano, Verona or Bologna (flying into Venice and out of Milan)
Southern Italy: Venice, Florence/ Tuscany, Rome, etc. (flying into Venice and out of Rome)

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you all have particularly on the "when" and "where" aspects of this trip. This will be the first trip to Italy for the kids, but hopefully we will return a few years after this trip to see more. Thank you!
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 07:32 AM
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I vote for October, simply because that's when I was there and I have heard desultory tales of the heat in July. So April would be second choice.

I loved Bologna but not sure it would wow the kids unless they are precocious foodies. However, I'm sure they would be amazed by Venice.

Rome and Florence are must-sees but for me it was all about the museums and churches. Maybe others will suggest kid-friendly itineraries. Tuscany is lovely - maybe you could do a biking trip there that the kids would enjoy?
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 07:44 AM
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July you will be fighting for space with everyone else so I'd try and avoid, but..., you might prefer to go in July when the weather is the hottest.

October you tend to get rains, so I'd probably head south in April.

Tricky as May/June/Sept are really the best months.

How do you want them to come in touch with the culture? Cooking/Language/Going to the Opera/Football?
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 07:53 AM
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April!
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:20 AM
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The when to go question - everyone has their favorites.

July - yes it will be hottest and if there is a heat wave it will be REALLY hot. But in a NORMAL summer, it's not bad. The majority of trains have AC now, no problem finding AC hotels, even lots of restaurants. Beautiful warm evenings, light out late, lots of flowers all around. Plus, in a normal summer you have a very high chance of sunshine everyday (maybe an occasional thunderstorm but you can count on nice dry days. The legends of 'crowds' in July are exaggerated - since as just pointed out above - "May/June/September" are the 'best months' - so that's when the crowds are worse. Check hotel prices, they are lower in July than in those months, and there is a reason for that.

Both April and October the chance of rain is much higher and it gets dark earlier. But second half of april and first half of October shouldn't be too bad - and can be an nice balance between heat/rain/crowds.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:34 AM
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If you want to introduce your kids to Italian culture, would be great if one of the things they learn before leaving is that Italy has very little "unitary" culture, that it is a much younger nation than the United States, and that the variety of Italy -- the huge difference between Brescia and Calabria is one of the most fascinating things about Italy.

The other outstanding thing about Italy is family and how family has shaped Italian culture and society, even today. The emigration of Italian families to the US from various points also shaped American history.

I'll put in a very strong vote that you visit at least two of the ancestral roots -- in Lombardy, in Abruzzo or in Calabria.

I would also urge you to rethink what engineering and architecture have been to the history of Italy, because a great deal of it is of tremendous interest to kids. There are spectacular domes, bridges, acqueducts, roads throughout the Roman empire.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:38 AM
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Let's face it Florence is always busy, but a lot of the secondary places get very quiet out of July and early August. The OPs family come from a bit all over but basically the middle and south which makes July less comfortable.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 08:56 AM
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If you decide on Brescia, then Lake Garda is the obvious choice, with the nearest resort town being Desenzano del Garda. If you stay somewhere around the south end of the lake, then your girls would probably enjoy Gardaland theme park.

You can easily visit Verona by train for a day trip from Desenzano, or Peschiera and Venice is also an easy day trip, changing trains at Verona.

Time of year depends on how you handle the heat, so choose accordingly as others have said.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 09:46 AM
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I really appreciate the varied and informative feedback from everyone. Regarding heat in July, we are from North Carolina so we are used to oppressive heat in summer, but I am thinking if I can answer the "where" question first, then maybe the "when" will lend itself more naturally depending on which areas we want to explore.

As far as learning about the culture, I would like to learn some Italian (at least proper greetings, etc.) with them prior to our trip and want them to learn about their grandparents who came from these various regions of Italy (I apologize for my lack of knowledge of Italian geography and provinces vs. towns, etc.) I've only experienced Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Pompeii in my Italy travels, and I think my girls will adapt to any place as they are happy anywhere spending time with me and my husband, but I am trying to think of sights that will appeal to school age children. Also, it would be nice if the itinerary was a relaxed pace to make time for unexpected moments like kicking a soccer ball with some local children or feeding some ducks.

Maybe what I need is a good guidebook about some of the options, particularly if we want to try to the ancestral route with some time in Lombardy, Abruzzo or Calabria. . .I doubt my kids are going to want to dig through local church records to research family history for very long, but my husband and I do think it would be interesting to at least visit the places where his grandparents lived. Typically my European travels have been very city-focused with an art/architecture/food theme so this is a little bit different for me.

What about a week for Lombardy area with Venice worked in and the second week could be Rome with Abruzzo? I'm open to any ideas.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 11:30 AM
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I don't think your kids will want to dig through family records either but depending on where your husband's family is from, they might have an unusual and memorable experience of these places. If they are small towns, they are totally safe places where people are not segragated by age, and everyone socializes in the piazze. There is food, ice cream, history, scenic coastline or lakes or hiking, sociability. Italy has preserved so much value in its culture, it is an experience just in itself to partake.

If you are not daunted by oppressive heat, I urge you to go in July, especially if you are attracted to Abruzzo or Calabria (which would mean opportunities for swimming). If you go to the Brescia area in the north, you can position yourself to enjoy the lakes -- including the amusement park of Gardaland on Lago di Garda.

But if you want to go to Venice, I don't think you can fit in all the ancestral spots. So your plan to visit the ancesteral areas of Lombardy + Venice, and then Rome + Abruzzo would work out well.

In case you reconsider and want Calabria, here is some info (I've never been but am very, very eager to go)

http://www.largerfamilylife.com/2013...with-the-kids/

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...aurants-hotels

http://www.initalytours.com/childrens-tour-in-italy.htm

If you said exactly where the ancestors came from -- what towns -- you might get more precise info about nearby sights of interest for both kids and architects and engineers.
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Old Feb 8th, 2016, 06:09 PM
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Sandralist, the towns of ancestry we are interested in are:

Ono San Petreo
Tortereto
Cerisano
Rocca pia

Quite a variety there but if anyone can chime in with thoughts on any of these areas, that would be great. Ono San Petreo seems quite isolated but a pretty area for a day trip perhaps. The others all seem to be much further south. I am really liking the idea of going to one or more of the ancestral towns to explore.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 04:31 AM
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For the places you listed, I think July is really the only time to go. Ono San Petreo is quite north and mountainous, and in April it would be quite cold, and possibly even snowy, and October could see lots of rain (generally true through out Italy.

Of your destinations, I have only been in the area of Ono San Petreo, and it is lovely, with fine views of the Brenta dolomiti. The Adamello park is up there (the only area of Italy that is known to have small bears. On Lago d'Iseo next year they are having the huge Christo art installation, and Lovere is considered one of the prettiest towns in Italy.

The regional Cadogan guides to Italy can be outstanding for the level of detail about towns off the tourist trail, so very much worth an investment for this kind of trip. In the meantime, I would draw your attention the prehistoric caves right near Ono San Petreo, with cave drawing and carvings. Might make a really nice excursion. You can find an English-language guide to the area on this website:

http://www.arterupestre.it/pages/New....asp?Id=146422

If you go to the north, I don't think it is feasible to combine it with Calabria in a 14 day trip unless you were willing to fly. For the destinations in Abruzzo, Rocca Pia looks like it has the most touristic interest, especially for kids. It is rare to have a classic turret-with-shark-teeth castle like that in Italy. Rocca Pia would be quite simple to combine with Rome.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/l...cca-pia-tivoli

Tortareto looks wonderful for swimming in July, and the gorgeous fun town of Ascoli Piceno is nearby -- but I think if you tried to include Ono San Petreo, Tortareto and Rocca Pia then you'd need to skip either Venice or Rome or perhaps both.

One possible trip would be fly to Venice, spend a few days, rent a car and visit Ono San Petreo for a few days. Then drop the car in either Milan or Verona and take the train to Rome. I would suggest renting a car immediately and maybe spending a night in Tivoli so you can tour it the next morning, then onto Rocca Pia. Come back to Rome and finish there before flying home.

Another possible routing would take you by car from Ono San Pietro to an overnight in say, Ravenna (utterly spectacular), then down the coast to Tortareto, then inland to Rocca Pia, with a finish in Rome. But I think that trip only works if you forego touring Venice or Rome.

For architects and engineers (and kids!), I think a visit to Verona as part of being in the north would be highly rewarding because of the Roman arena and Carlo Scarpa's museum within the Castelvecchio in Verona, an extraordinary architectural achievement. If you spend a night there you can also go the opera in the Roman arena.

If you decide instead to head to Milan, probably everybody in the family would enjoy walking on the roof of the Duomo.

Whether or not you spend a night in Tivoli, you might want to work it into a July itinerary, with all the fountains going full swing. You might also want to read up on Sulmona in Abruzzo and l"Aquila (and decide regarding the latter whether seeing the earthquake damage is interesting or too depressing).

If the family connections are really strongest in Calabria, then I think you probably need to drop the north entirely. But Ono San Pietro and Rocca Pia would give you a lot of relief from the heat of July.

http://www.amazon.com/Lombardy-Itali.../dp/1860114024

http://www.amazon.com/Rome-Central-I.../dp/1860114105
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 04:42 AM
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Hi, I double checked and the spelling is Ono San Pietro
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 05:11 AM
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I just realized that the website I gave you for Rocca Pia is the castle in Lazio (near Tivoli) and not the town in Abruzzo -- which looks like something out of a dream. Here is a link for that:

http://www.abruzzocitta.it/english/comuni/roccapia.html

On July 7 of next year it appears that the Abruzzo town of Rocca Pia will hold its annual "La Festa della solco dritto", which means the festival of the "straight furrow" -- and I can only guess it is a competition for who can plow the straightest line. Personally, I wouldn't miss if for the world.

Also, while looking up that info, I found a picture of a bear walking down a highway not far from there -- so I guess the claim of the Adamello park to have Italy's only bears is not so (or maybe I misheard).
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 05:55 AM
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One more post: This place near Ono San Pietro looks nice

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/casa...akfast.it.html
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 06:23 AM
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I appreciate you taking time to provide the detailed advice/direction. We are not opposed to flying within Italy during the vacation if needed, but it doesn't seem like Calabria is thriving with airport options, and it could be difficult to travel there (concerned about driving safety with the wild drivers as well as gypsies). My husband's paternal grandfather (whose surname we use) is from the Ono San Pietro location so I think that would be exciting for us. This grandfather spoke 5 languages to communicate with the Swiss, French and Austrian traders in the area so that is interesting to us. There are also some cousins who we may be able to connect with if we had a guide/ translator. . .that sounds a little strange, but it could be fun.

My husband's maternal grandfather (who my husband very closely resembles in appearance) is from Calabria with his grandmothers being from Rocca Pia (paternal grandmother) and Tortereto (maternal grandmother).

I liked the idea of trying to incorporate two of these ancestral towns into this vacation with the thought of making it to the other two for a future trip. (though none of these pairs well proximity wise with Cerisano)

I think Verona and Lovere both look beautiful and I've been to Venice before and it is a beautiful city, but a bit unpleasant temperature wise when I was there many years ago in July. Our available time frame for October would be Sept. 29 through Oct. 13 so that may be too late in the season for a pleasant visit to Ono San Pietro. If we went in April, it would have to be within the first 3 weeks of April due to the school schedule.

Do you think I should focus on Venice, Lovere, Verona, Ono San Pietro and forego Rome and the other ancestral towns in Abruzzo? My kids are great travelers within the US, but this will be their first travel abroad, so I want to keep the pace relaxed for them and give them time to play and enjoy. If so, what are some other places we should try to see? Maybe fly in and out of Venice, or into Milan and out of Venice?

It's too bad that castle wasn't in the town of Rocca Pia, but it is very beautiful. Thanks for clarifying.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 08:29 AM
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Only you know what is a comfortable pace for your family, but one possibility is splitting the time in Italy 7 + 7, with Ono San Pietro + other northern sights, with other 7 being Rome + Rocca Pia. It wouldn't matter which order your did them in. Fly into Rome, spend some days, rent a car to visit Rocca Pia -- but then I would go back to Rome to take the train to Venice or Verona, and rent another car when you need one to visit Ono San Pietro, and end the trip in Milan.

If you are going to stick solely to the north, and if you want to go to Venice (you might not), I would look to fly into Venice and then out of Milan. That way you can land without any need for a car. Since you've been to Venice before you can cheerfully skip the obligatory tourist sights in favor of boat rides out onto the lagoon or day trips to Padova or Treviso if Venice feels to crowded, or skip Venice altogether if you prefer. You can see Verona on a day trip from Venice, or if you want to attend the opera you can spend some nights there. You could even start your trip there, flying into Milan or Venice and just going to Verona by train.

With 14 nights in northern Italy you could consider adding the spectacular sight of the Dolomiti for a few days and still have time to visit the ancestral roots. Or you could combine a stay in Verona with a trip to Gardaland, Italy's biggest amuseument park, at the southern end of Lago di Garda if you want some plain silly fun in the agenda.

Just be aware that only higher elevations are likely to be cool in July. Ono San Pietro should be reasonably cool, and likewise the Dolomiti or the northern end of Lago di Garda (very scenic, lots of windsurfing, moutain bike riding). But if there is a heat wave, Venice, Verona, the southern end of Lago di Garda and Milan are likely to be hot and humid, and crowded with tourists. The Christo installation in Lovere is likely to attract a huge crowd, so you might want to skip it in favor of some other pretty lakeside town at some other lake. They are all over the place in that area.

If you fly out of Milan, you can drive to the town of Stresa on Lago Maggiore for your last night or two, and enjoy the lake and the classical music festival and drive yourselves to Malpensa airport in the morning. Or, if you want to spend one or more nights in Milan, just drop off the car at Linate airport and take a taxi to a hotel in town. Stay as long as you like and then take one of the train or bus shuttles to Malpensa when you need to leave.

There is simply no end of amazing things to do and see in northern or central Italy, so if you go very slowly and keep your geography compact you are unlikely to get bored ever. You can check out guidebooks (get one for the Veneto too) and see what appeals to your particular interests. The area around Ono San Pietro is very popular for family holidays so you will find lots of kids activities in the area.

Calabria is not well served by airports or any other kind of infrastructure. I also would hesitate to drive there from Rome. It might be easier to combine Calabria with a future trip to Sicily (and its volcanic islands). Just a note that in Italy, the term gypsies is a racial slur against Roma people, and not a synonym for pickpockets or thieves. There are actually very few Roma people in Calabria and notoriously, the criminal class in Calabria is native-born Italians, who dominate the region with organized crime. Many of the stories of emigration from Calabria to America begin with families trying to protect their sons and especially their daughters from being enslaved by the infamous Calabrian crime gangs, who forced laborers into poverty and girls (and boys) into brothels in the north. Today, the criminal class still exists quite strongly but mainly exploits migrants and refugees from northern Africa. They make pickpocketing an honorable profession by comparison.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 11:49 AM
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Thanks for your additional advice. I think the 7 days in the North with Ono San Pietro combined with 7 days near Rome with Rocca Pia sounds very nice. With a train ride in between Rome and Venice or Verona, it could still be a relaxed pace. Perhaps with 14 nights it could be something like this:

Rome - 4 nights (one day to recover from jet lag, one day for Colosseum, Forum, etc., one day for Vatican)
Rocca Pia (or nearby) - 3 nights
Verona or Lovere (or other city that looks attractive to us after some research) - 3 nights
near Ono San Pietro - 2 nights
Venice - 2 nights (just a taste of Venice for the kids and husband to see some quick highlights) before flying out

Is this pace too rushed or maybe ok with 7 and 9 year old daughters?

Also, I had no idea "gypsy" was a racial slur in this context and am glad you informed me. I was thinking more thief/nomad type that steals for living, but I meant no disrespect to the Romans. Thanks for that info. as well!
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 12:46 PM
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I have never flown out of Venice but people very frequently moan that the flights back to the US leave very very early in the morning, and it is time-consuming just to get to the Venice airport unless you drop a load of money on a taxi.

So you might think about flying into Venice and out of Rome. If you do that, consider putting Rocca Pia ahead of Rome to make catching your flight home easier.

Also, it can be easier to arrive jet lagged into Venice than into Rome, especially if you have been to Venice before.

Lovere is so close to Ono San Pietro I am not sure it makes sense to switch hotels. Also, I can't help but wander how much Lovere is going to be mobbed during this Christo installation (and how quickly hotels will book up or how bad traffic will be around the lake). If you read up on Verona and decide it's not for you, then you might consider Vicenza, which might be of architectural interest to you.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 11:09 PM
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yeah the "gypsy" word jard a bit hard here too (well explained Sandra), though you may well spot the odd Roma in Rome.
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