Aug 2017 - Italy with Boys (12 & 7 yr old)
 

We are planning 15 days in Italy . The "Idea" is to go Rome (5days) Florence 4 days - day trip to Pisa & Milan or Venece in Aug .

Could you please tell me what not to miss or if there is a different city / day trip that would be even more interesting and fun

Any particular activities that you think the kids might enjoy ... we will be traveling by train once in Rome .

Thanks in advance for all the help and kind worlds for this will be our first time in Italy

Caty

I hope you all handle heat and humidity well...

I'm not sure I understand your itinerary and how you're moving from city to city. Is this correct?

Day 1. Arrive Rome.
Day 2-6. Explore Rome.
Day 7. Train to Florence (about 1.5 hrs.)
Day 8-11. Explore Florence [incl. day trip by train to Pisa, one hour each way].
Day 12. Train to Milan (about 1.5 hrs.). Explore Milan.
Day 13. Train to Venice (nearly 4 hrs.).
Day 14-16. Explore Venice.

There is a very long list of possible day trips from all of these destinations, especially IMO Florence. Whether any of them would be "more interesting and fun" depends on what your family enjoys. I suggest you do some google searches of "days trips from Rome," "day trips from Florence," etc., and see what you think.

Because of the typical weather in August, I wouldn't over-plan the days in case you need to sightsee at a slower pace. Try to find some indoor, out-of-the-sun things to do in the middle of the day.

If your main reason for visiting Pisa is to climb the Leaning Tower, your 7 y.o. would not be able to climb unless he/she will be turning 8 by the end of the calendar year so take a passport to verify age. You need to make timed reservations in advance for the climb.

The itinerary I listed above assumes you can fly home from Venice. Depending on the flight options to where you live, you may find that reversing the order of the itinerary (Venice first, Rome last) makes for a more reasonable departure time out of Rome at the end of the trip. If you live in the U.S., many flights from Venice to the U.S. leave at extremely early hours.

Jean...

Thanks, the idea would be either Milan or Venice . And return to Rome to fly Back . I rather do things and enjoy than pack too many cities and craziness.

Rafa (turns 7yr old in April) - is Pisa a worth it day trip or better yet go somewhere else?

Caty

Venice over Milan any day. Pisa can be done as a half day trip. No problems with an early trip out of Venice to the USA if you just take a water taxi..

A 7-year-old will not be allowed to climb the Leaning Tower in Pisa. If some of your group wants to do that, someone will need to stay below with him.

Florence is one of the hottest cities in Italy in summer, so I'm not sure I would spend so many days there. Some years are not as hot as others, of course.

I think Lucca is a nice destination for kids. The massive city wall has a park on top, and you can rent bicycles the ride around it. It's an easy trip from both Pisa and Florence, so you might want to stay there for three nights and take day trips to both. If you're very interested in Renaissance art, a day trip to Florence wouldn't be enough, though.

Book trains well in advance to get nice discounts but those ducats are limited in number and I believe are non-changeable once booked -but you can save tons over walk-up fares. Book your own tickets at www.trenitalia.com- for lots of good info on Italian trains check: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

En route Florence to Venice maybe stop off at Lake Garda -right on the main rail line to Venice for a couple of days - boat around the lake kids will love and a special treat for kids visit Gardaland -one of Italy's premier theme parks:

https://www.gardaland.it/en

Venice will appeal to the children. Why not stay outside of Florence and do it as a day trip from a Tuscan village as a break feom all the cities. Rent a villa or find a hotel with a pool, a huge must for the kids with the heat and touring every day.

If you rent a villa, though, you really should also rent a car. Most villas are out in the countryside.

This topic has lots of information about trains:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ary-trains.cfm

You guys are awesome ... Thank you so much ... I am keeping tabs , please keep it coming .. I will be checking everything ... I am in early research stage / itinerary modification .

How crazy would it be to go to Bari for a couple of days and relax in the water ?

Bari would be a big detour and in August totally mobbed as are all beaches in Italy - good ones - as the whole country goes on holiday.

There are neat beaches near Florence and Pisa - Viareggio is one. And Venice has a really nice sandy beach at the Lido-lots of hotels there are a short commute by boat to Venice proper.

Lake Garda has some nice beaches too -especially near Sirmione.

We have done two iTaly trips with out three kids. Here is my suggestion:
4nights Rome.
7nights Tuscany
3 nights Venice

Rome is an amazing city with kids, it will be HOT so you won't get as much "done" as you think you will. We went in July and had to come back to our air conditioned apartment every day to let everyone cool off and rest between 1-3. After getting over jet lag you won't feel like doing day trips, just explore the city, the Colloseum was the highlight for our kids (ages 5,10,12).
Tuscany - you can't experience Italy without getting out into the countryside. We stayed just outside of Montepulciano and explored the country side by car. I highly recommend a car, especially with kids. Our place had a pool which the kids loved for those hot afternoons, We hiked, visited natural hot springs, went to Siena for a day. My kids loved the contrast of city to country,
Venice - drop the car and jump on a water taxi to explore this amazing city. Venice is fabulous for kids, expensive but worth it. I have an apartment rental if you want a suggestion. My kids were 3,9,11 and they just loved riding all of the different types of transportation. Water taxis, gondolas, tragetto, etc.

Don't try to pack too many big cities into one trip. Milan is not a great one for kids.

Going to Bari is a totally different trip . We did Rome-Positano-Puglia (Ostuni) with our family and it was also incredible, I don't think there is that much in Bari but we did go to the beach east of Ostuni for day trips and it was gorgeous. Only about a half hour drive. But again, not having a car will limit how much you can get around.