Suggestions for 2 weeks in Italy with 3 kids 3,6 and 8..

It sounds like at least two people in your party already have some idea of why they want to go to Italy, and not just "anywhere" in Italy.

Is your husband hoping to see a great deal of art? Historic monuments? Or unique scenic wonders like the Dolomiti? It also sounds to me like that the trip should primarily be what your husband needs in order fulfill his dream. Once he has made his list, then you can figure out whether you want to rent an apartment or use hotels where you are going.

None of the places you mentioned are car-friendly. It is very stressful to drive in them, or you are not allowed to.

Why don't you talk to your husband and find out what is most important to him? He probably also want so see your 8-year-old have a good time, so whatever aspect of Italy it is that has been obsessing your son (gondolas? Gladiators? painted ceilings?) would be good to identify too.

Thanks for your reply! He wants to see Bruce Springsteen in Florence on 10 June! I know - hardly an Italian experience! Rome is important as a good Catholic boy - the Vatican is first at foremost. The places mentioned in my first post are the ones he has said so far - Venice, Florence, Rome, Positano and Pompeii- i know that Venice is hard with time and all the other locations. Train is fine - just have to pack light with the kids!!!

It would be best if the June 10 concert comes in the second half of your trip, so you could fly to Naples fiert and to straight to Positano by private car transfer.

But if you are locked into the June 10 concert in your first week, you will have more of a hassle getting in and out of Positano.

Pompeii is a HUGE place, and it will be broiling in summer. I suggest that when you leave Positano, get up very early and have a car service to take you to Pompei, where you can store your luggage at the entrance, and see the site for a few hours. Take plenty of water and snacks, sunscreen and hats. Then get your luggage and head to Rome.

You should plan to spend at least 5 days in Rome, because having the kids with you will really slow you down. You should consider letting your husband and 8 year old tour the Vatican museums without you and the smaller children (certainly not the 3 year old.) Likewise for art museums elsewhere, especially in Florence, where your small children will be unable to see anything because of the jam-packed crowds. They will be too short, the museums are often unairconditioned, and it is a miserable experience for others who have traveled to these places if small children are creating big distractions.

I suggest renting apartments everywhere you go. You might not need air conditioning in Positano, but you will everywhere else.

Assuming that your husband flies out on a Saturday and you all fly back on a Saturday, you have 13 days on the ground, not enough to see *all* of Italy but enough to see everything on your wish list. You could book flights into London and out of Rome (called Multiple City or Multiple Destination on most flight-booking Web sites), your husband into Pisa and out of Rome. Easy Jet flies London Gatwick to Pisa cheaply, but beware of luggage limitations.

Bruce Springsteen in Florence on June 10 complicates the issue a bit and causes some backtracking. If you wish to include Venice and don't want to or can't spring for private limousines to and from Positano, you could plan 3 days Florence, 3 days Venice, 3 days Sorrento (a long travel day from Venice; day trips to Pompeii and Positano by local train and bus), 4 days Rome, in that order so you save a hotel change and are in position to fly out. You wouldn't need a car, and point-to-point train tickets including seat reservations would cost less than passes, which do not include mandatory seat reservations that cost 10 Euro per person per leg on the fast ES AV trains. There's a Familia fare: 50% off for children under 12, 20% off for adults. Children under 4 travel free but are not entitled to a seat; if you want a guaranteed seat for the toddler, book a ticket for him. For Sorrento, it's Trenitalia to Naples, the local Circumvesuviana train line (in the same building) to Sorrento., which is more convenient for Pompeii and less expensive than Positano. If for some reason Bruce Springsteen doesn't happen (tickets are available now at www.ticketone.it), then plan Venice (EasyJet from Gatwick), Florence, Sorrento, Rome.

Apartments are a good idea, but beware of apartments on two "floors". The second floor is almost always a loft with a steep staircase and not suitable for a toddler.