2 Weeks Italy in June
 

I am trying to plan a two-week trip to Italy (and also a week in Austria) and am not sure how I want to set it up. How many days should we spend where, should we rent a car, etc.?

My husband's family is in the Modena area, so we figure on visiting Florence and Tuscany, and I also want to see Venice. Possibly would like to go to the coast, but am not sure that's what I want to do since Rick Steves has made Cinque Terre into a madhouse of sorts. We're going in mid-June after school lets out. We are taking our 14 year old son.

Which is the best airport (i.e. easy - Yank-Friendly!) to fly in and out of? Would it be smarter for us to fly to London, then take a puddle jumper to Vienna, and go down to Italy? We are not averse to staying a couple of days in London either if it makes sense $-wise.

We live in the sticks so there are no travel agents within a 45 minute drive, and I did well setting everything up when we went to England/France the other year, so hopefully I will be able to do this myself...lol...famous last words...

Any suggestions for fun things for a 14 year old are appreciated, too! Thanks -

I wouldn't rule out a trip to the coast. Just don't make it Cinque Terre itself. Try Lerici, which is about an hour's drive from Pisa. Your son might enjoy the marble works at Carrara.

You are going to have a hard time deciding what to do in Tuscany because Tuscany is dense with sights, and something of a "madhouse," Rick Steves or no. Your son might very well like Siena, and getting a farm stay near there, with a pool, might be a good base.

However, I'm also going to suggest that you skip Tuscany entirely (except for Firenze) and focus instead on Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche and the Veneto.

You could have a wonderful trip visiting places like Ravenna, Urbino, San Leo, Verona, or Rimini and Cesanatico on the Adriatic coast.

I think flying to London is a good idea, and staying overnight at Heathrow or in the city if you prefer, but then why not fly directly to Bologna? Or Venice? It is sometimes cheaper to book your Roundtrip transatlantic flight and then separately purchase a flight to Italy on BritAir or Alitalia.

Is your son interested in soccer or motor scooters? Taking him to a soccer game or a motorcycle museum might be a fun. What are his interests?

Since you're receptive to a stopover in London/England (I recommend 48 hrs minimum), consider a flight on Ryanair to Graz. You won't find a easier little airport. You could meander throughout central Austria over 4-5 days (Salzburg could fit into this itinerary), and return a car at Klagenfurt - - this would make for an easy train onward to Venice.

Best wishes,

Rex

Hi M,

You could fly into Vienna, train to Venice, visit Tuscany and the family, exit from Rome. OR vice versa.

Check airfares at www.kayak.com and www.whichbudget.com before deciding if you want to visit London.

((I))

We were in Switzerland and Northern Italy with our boys, then 12 and 15, this past summer. We were there from June 16-28 and did not find most areas to be too crowded. Sure, the area around St. Mark's in Venice was mobbed, but it really isn't prime vacation time for families till July 1. The European kids are not out of school yet, nor are many of the US schools, particularly in the Northeast. In fact, we were surprised that there were so few families around. However, I do agree that the Cinque Terre is likely to be crowded, but there are other coastal areas to consider, as nessundorma mentioned.

I am not sure that my boys would care for too much time in Tuscany, but it really depends on what your son's interests are. Does he like art and architecture, theatre, sports, hiking, interesting foods, etc...? Our boys loved our time in the Swiss Alps (based in Wengen) where we did lots of hiking. They liked Milan ok and Venice much more. They also loved our time on Lake Garda - we stayed on the the Northern end of the Lake in Limone. They swam in the pool and lake, took out a motorboat, explored small villages and there was windsurfing available. The southern end of the Lake also has the amusement park, Gardaland. Lake Garda, even the Northern end combines easily with time in Venice. It would also be easy to go up through the Dolomites and into Austria. Verona is also nearby.

Whether to rent a car will depend on where you decide to go. In Tuscany and other similar areas, you probably will want/need one. However, if you wind up in Venice, Rome, or Cinque Terre, for example, you will not. So, wait to see what your itinerary is, then you can figure out whether you will need a car.

As for a stop in London, it is certainly possible, but by the time you pay for hotels and food, and transfer airports, it may not be worth it, especially if it cuts into your Italy time. If you want to go to London, fine, but if you are considering it to save money, it may not. What aiports to use will again depend on where you are going - Milan is a major hub as is Rome, but we have also flown in/out from Florence and Venice.

If you are interested, here is a link to my report (if you decide on London, I also have one for London with the boys).
http://tinyurl.com/oh6e8

I hope that gets you started and I'd be happy to answer any other questions if I can. Happy travels! :-)