Hello,

My wife and I are in the begining phases of planning a trip to Italy next year. Our plan at this time is to spend 3 weeks.

There are going to be 3 adults and 3 two year olds.

Here are some of the early specifics of what we want and where we want to visit.

Visit:
1) Naples - Week
2) Rome - Week
3) Northern Italy - Week

We have been thinking about flying into Northern Italy (Venice maybe), then working our way south and leaving from Naples. We don't know how convenient this will be; would it be better to fly into Naples and leave from Venice?

Since we will be traveling with 3 small children, what is the groups opinion regarding weekly apartment rentals? Are their many hotels that have suites? It would be nice to have a separate bedroom to allow the children to go to bed, while the adults stay up.

Thanks for any help.

Hello Dude, Given that scenario I would rent self-catering apts. or villas in 3 locations. I would fly into Milan and spend a week in the lakes area--which one TBD. I would then drive to rural Tuscany for another week and then end with a weekly rental in an apt. on the Amalfi coast--you do not want to stay in Naples. Your first stop should be www.slowtrav.com to read about rentals and reviews of rental properties.

Bob,

Thanks for the input. Can you tell me why not to stay in Naples? Other reasons than the city is crowded and crime is prevelent.

I am hoping to do some research on my family and they are from Naples, that is my primary reason for wanting to stay there.

I like the idea of flying into Milan though. I want to go to see the fashions.

Thanks for the advice,
Paul

You hit the nail.
Plus, you can see most of Naples in 3 days---the Amalfi coast never gets old.
See the trip report on Campania at this lovely web site:
www.onelittleworld.com Then link to the webshots site. Oh yes, that is my son and his family, but they did it right.

If you have three weeks in Italy, I would not spend all three in the country: the Lakes, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast.

I would urge you to keep the week in Rome. It is not, I agree, the easiest place to do with three small children, but you can still get a glimpse of ancient Rome, go to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (even if you only rush through to the Sistine Chapel), see some wonderful art (Galleria Borghese) and churches from the Baroque period, spend time sipping coffee or prosecco or whatever in lovely piazzas, and still manage to fit in nap time for the little ones.

Hi Tri Dude,

I suggest apartment rentals all the way.

I adore Naples, and I doubt your family would have any trouble with crime, but I think you and the other adults will find the speeding car and motorcycle traffic in Naploli's narrow streets very frightening, and you will find it especially stressful to have to watch out for toddlers in those crowds. So I suggest you make Sorrento your base. You will soon discover which parts of Napoli are doable with small children (some parts are posh). To explore other parts of the city, perhaps at least one adult can stay in Sorrento happily with the children, by the pool or in the park or while they nap while you visit the city.

From Sorrento you can take boat or bus rides to some of the nearest Amalfi towns, although do be awaye that these towns are on very steep inclines, making 2-year olds feel quite heavy after a while!

Also from Sorrento you can visit Pompeii, which is spectacular.

Venice also has many steps to climb over bridges -- but on the plus side, there are no cars. All of the lakes would be pleasant places to relax, but I think Lago di Como is the prettiest, and the town of Menaggio on Lago di Como is flatter than either Varenna or Bellagio, and thus it would be easier to move around with the kiddies.

Another very pleasant and walkable city to visit in the north is Verona. In fact, I would consider making it your base.

Italisns treat small children very well and one sees many small children in Roma. That said, it too is not the easiest place to push a stroller or navigate a toddler through traffic, where cars and people must share some streets. For Roma, you might look into staying in Trastevere, which is family oriented and has some open spaces without cars that are not jammed with tourists, which would be a place for the children to run around.

All that said, you might enjoy less touristed places and some of the countryside. Verona has a great Roman amphitheater and marvelous churches and museums. The countryside in central Italy is fantastic, and you can visit the great churches of the region and see splendid art.

You should not rent a car in Napoli, Roma or obviously Venice -- yet having a car with 3 two years makes a lot of sense. So you might give some considreation to basing yourself outside cities (with the exception of Venice).

hope that helps

Rome, is definitely a must. There is no way we could go to Italy and not see Rome.

Nessundorma,

Traveling with 3 toddlers will present difficulties. Thank you for the advice about the traffic in Napoli. That is something we didn't think about.

Can anyone offer a good website for finding apartment rentals for a week? What is an average we should expect to spend?

Thank you again,
Paul

Paul,

Start with the Slow Travel website for apartment rentals. Renting apartments is almost always cheaper than hotel bills.

In one sense having toddlers with you in Italy will be OK, because Italians are so fond of children. I've never traveled with toddlers, but the kinds of things I'd be wondering about is whether strollers are a good idea because of all the cobblestones (ones with fatter tires?) Or maybe back carriers? Even if you are not fond of tour buses, you might find taking one in Rome, just for an overview, a great footsaver.

I'm sure both here and on the Slow Travel website you will find people who have traveled with toddlers in Italy and can give some tips.

If you rent apartments, you can get ones with washing machines, which will drastically cut down on how much you have to carry.

Paul- We are going to Italy in a few months with our two year old. I will share with you our plans-if it helps GREAT! We are flying into Venice (3 nights) & taking the train to Florence (4 nights) picking up the rental car in Florence & driving to Umbria for one week (rented a villa through RCI International.) The week here will give us all a break from the cities. We then will drive to Rome & drop off the rental car (4 nights.) We fly home from Rome. We are going to do a day trip to Naples & Pompeii from Rome. I know we are looking forward to our adventure as a family!

googie, a day trip from Rome to Naples/Pompeii is a long hard trip for adults. I can't imagine it with a two-year-old. How are you doing this? By bus? Car? Private driver? Does your two-year-old still nap?

In general, traveling with young children requires cutting down on the number of sights you see, just slowing down in general. On the other hand, you get to meet locals at the playground.

Tri_Dude, your choice of apartments will make travel easier. Just make sure they're centrally located so you can retreat to them as needed.

What time of year are you traveling? I'd go from south to north in the spring, north to south in the fall.

Googie,

I'd love to hear how things went, having your 2 year old with you (I'll just multiply the good by 3 and the bad by 6, to get an idea what it will be like to have our 3 with us =}).

Mimar,

We're mostly likely going in July. A godmother of our children will be going with us, to allow my wife and I few nights out alone. She is a school teacher and has the summer off.

We were already thinking of going North to South and leaving from Naples. I'm hoping to meet family in Naples and I think that is where I want to end the trip.

We know traveling with 3 little ones will make sightseeing is potentially going to be difficult. Hopefully the 3 weeks will allow us to see quite a bit, without being rushed.

What we've been thinking is to get an early start in the morning before it gets too hot, then come back and relax by the pool or in the apartment, letting the kids take a nap and then head back out in the early afternoon when it's cooling down.

You will need to rent accommodations with air conditioning and you also will need copious sun protection in Roma and Pompeii especially if you are planning to go there.

If you include Lake Como in your plans, look at www.residencelalimonera.com for apartments in the middle of Bellagio. No pool, but there is an enclosed grassy garden.