massimop

map of italy's regions

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...d55ebb657a.jpg

massimop

Just to be clear:

If you want to fly out of Rome, you can put all the Rome days at the end of the trip, or you can return to Rome for 1 night, or if you are staying in the Maremma part of Tuscany o the val d'Orcia you can drive to Rome airport from there depending on the departure time of your flight.

plambers

thanks for that map!

so are tuscany and the marche different from the other?

how long would the drive be to the rome airport? that would be perfect.

i want to do rome first and then relax and tour.

Leely2

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/tuscany

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...nd-the-marches

Leely2

P.S. I don't think Fodor's "Destinations" does the best job describing these regions, but just wanted to give you a starting point.

Sounds like a fun trip!

massimop

First of all, many parts of Tuscany and Le Marche are very different from each other, but the reason I suggested le Marche to you is that it has some important stalactite caves + also a great many massive fnrtifications. If cave-exploring in summer interests you then you might think about staying near the northern border that separates le Marche & Umbria -- perhaps around Cagli -- so you could include the caves of Monte Cucco + see Gubbio (in Umbria) + the Frassasi caves + historic towns in le Marche that are dramatic in their medieval architecture. This is a mountainous area so you can't get too ambitious about distant car excursions, but there is a good mix of experiences one can reach, including beaches. The difference most people talk about between le Marche & the famous parts of Tuscan is that le Marche is unspoiled by tourism & maintains much of a genuine + traditional central Italian personality..

massimop

http://www.italythisway.com/places/cagli.php

jamikins

Plambers- we adore Le Marche and have spent 6+ weeks there in the last five years (with two more planned for next year)

We have many trip reports if you click on my name or do a search on my name.

Here are our photos to give you some ideas

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57634528008046

Enjoy your planning!

massimop

Something you will need to be prepared for in your planning is that, unlike France, rural Italian towns still strictly observe a long midday closing of almost everything save restaurants. This will be especially true in July, because of the heat. Traveling with kids you probably want to make sure they don't face hours of boredom every day, visiting empty-looking towns. Workarounds include scheduling midday swims at the pool, followed by a visit to a town for a 4.30pm gelato + some window shopping, strolling before dinner (that's what Italians do) & most of all choosing a "base" that has outdoor activities nearby that don't close: caves, beaches, hot springs, hikes, etc.

In general, plan to visit village churches, castles or museums either between 9am-12.30 or 4.30-6.30, and deliberately look for ways the kids can fill the midday time with activity they enjoy.

plambers

jamikins, i love your trip reports and photos and am drooling over all the food pics. i will do some more research. where did you stay?

massimop, thanks for that info. when in dordogne and provence we would go to a local market, then tour a town, have lunch, walk around some more and return to the villa for a swim. sounds like we will be ok with this schedule.

ToujoursVoyager

Hi,

When I traveled in Italy with some friends for the first time, I was 19 years old, an age not too far from your kids. What I remember the mos from that trip was the colosseum, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, hiking, bicycling and the statue of David in Florence.

Would you consider one seaside destination?

massimop

if you do want a seaside destination, the Maremma in Tuscany would be convenient to flying out of Rome, and even though there is sea swimming you will have no trouble finding places to stay with swimming pools. If you really want to see the val d'Orcia in Tuscany & worry that the Maremma is too much Tuscany, don't worry. The Maremma has its own different activities & food.

But you could also take a look at the seaside area around Sperlonga, the "Latium" just south of Rome, which has many fascinating aspects & beautÿ. That is in the region of Lazio. It also is quite convenient to flying out of Rome airport.

plambers

so we found a great house very near san genesio in the march that we love. it is more inland-45 minutes from the sea.

logisitical questions-how do we arrive from rome to this area? do we rent a car in rome? is it an easy drive?

i love the sea and if the house had a pool we'd be set for our third spot so will look into maremma region. can you expain the differences between the maremma and val d orcia region please?

i just don't want the third location to be too similar to the marche. i'd also love it if we could return our car in rome on the day of our departure. but flight is 10:30 or 11 am I believe. is that possible or do we have to spend our final night in rome?

thanks so much for the help-i want to have logistics down before we book our return flight.

jamikins

You can drive from Rome - they recently finished the larger highway across the mountains so that will cut down the driving time. Google maps shows it to be a 3+ hour drive from Rome to San Ginesio.

I would spend the final night in Rome, or at the Rome airport.

Can't help with Maremma as we have never been.

Happy Planning!

massimop

I would think that if you stay in San Ginesio that the geography/roadways of Le Marche are such that most of your daytrips would be oriented toward the coast & the beach. San Ginesio is in a remote elevated spot (I've never been, I'm looking at the map) , so visiting some of the more famous towns & sights in the region -- Urbino, the caves, Loreto, Ascoli Piceno, the Sibilini park for hikes - would either involve long drives or heading to the faster flat coastal road (which on July weekends will not be fast at all due to traffic).

However, if you are not in a rush to book something this week, I suggest waiting for the input of a poster here who lives in le Marche, and who has traveled all over the region with kids, and she can give you pinpoint advice. She might be on Italian holiday & not looking at a computer, but I will try to get her attention to join this thread.

In the meantime, the val d'Orcia has the iconic scenery of Tuscany that you probably have seen in pictures & on calendars: the wide vistas of undulating hills punctuated only by cypress trees, abbeys & castle hilltowns. There are churches & small museums with stunning examples of Renaissance art & architeuctre, plus the big honking fortified hilltown of Siena dominating it all, with its medieval horseraces & exceptional architecture, the legacy of its one time powerhouse wealth.

The Maremma is sometime called "the wild Maremma" because until the 20th century it was largely undeveloped. There is ranching rather than farming & vinyards, and it is in view of the sea, which gives it a tough vegetation and exposure to harsher elements. People head off to the Maremma for hot springs, beach going, boat trips to close-in islands, horseback riding. There are some terrific castle hilltows, however & easy access to Etruscan tomb exploring. There are also quite impressive villas & agriturismo (in the val d'Orcia too) for tourists, with pools & activiteis, plus rustic ones.

Historically le Marche was a defensive line for military purposes, and its terrain bristles with walls & defensive turrets, massive stone constructions which were ultimately designed to be exceptionally beautiful in Urbino. In modern times, its flat coastline allowed for a lot seaside holiday development, plenty of modern construction, loads of cheap tourism. In July, you can have a lot of fun if you are amused by Italian-style beach going, Or you are put off by modern hotels & rent-a-lounger & flat shoreline. (The beaches of the Maremma still have some wilder, less developed areas)

I;'ll see if I can get the attention of the le Marche resident who often contributes. She posts as "bvlenci"

massimop

But one more thing: Take a look at Sperlonga, south of Rome. It would mark a greater contrast to either le Marche or anywhere in Tuscany, Being south of Rome, the entire feel of the culture & style of architecture starts to be different, and the area of the Latium still bears a lot of marks of the antique Roman world.

plambers

massimop, i cannot thank you enough for your help and information. i am shocked to find many villas with pools are already rented for next year.

when i see some of the pics of the italian beaches it reminds me of growing up in brooklyn-the beaches were jammed!! that is not my idea of a beach-I want some space and don't want to be on top of everyone. i could see one day at most at the beach.

bilboburgler

plambers, if you cannot find anywhere in Tuscany then do look again at the Dolomites. Many of the areas are used as ski resorts in the winter and offer fine walking etc in the summer and tend to book up later than the very best of Tuscany.

Do look at agriturismo.it , maybe even Mr and Mrs Smith for their villas though prices go through the roof, http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/ is part of HomeAway which owns a bunch of other brands, you may also try AirBnB (with common sense) and of course booking.com

plambers

bilboburglar, we want our own house and pool. I like the concept of the agroturism but don't think it is for us.

I am using vrbo. thanks

PalenQ

teens may feel isolated in a single rural house and pool - maybe a small communal thing would be better for them - actually a rural stay sounds dreadfully boring to folks that age?