Extending Italy trip with kids to 6-7 weeks
 

This forum gave me such helpful replies in response to my question on beach towns, that I have come back in hopes of more advice.

Planning a trip for 2022, starting the day after the kids get out of school in mid-June. We are a family of six, mom and dad and 3 daughters (will be 16,13, and 11) and 1 son (who will be 10) living in Washington state. My husband and I have been to Italy only once before, about 7 years ago, and that was for a week, split between Bologna and Florence.

We were originally looking at 2-3 weeks in Italy. As I tried to fit all the places we wanted to see into that time, I realized that maybe the kids and I could stay in Italy for a 3-4 weeks while my husband flew back to the U.S. Then he could come back for another week or two and fly back home with all of us. Initially I just thought we would rent an apartment and stay in one place for a month (Lucca?), doing day trips, but there is so much to see that I thought maybe 1-2 weeks in a few locations would be better, although more stressful and more risk for things to go wrong.

Being a family of 6, (or 5 once my husband leaves) we are looking primarily at Airbnb's and apartments for our stay, although Airbnb's in particular make me more nervous without my husband. We are trying to keep the lodging budget down, and really the daily expenses down in general in order to make the trip possible. Would like to spend, on average, less than 130 euro/night on lodging. Using regional trains for travel. Stocking a fridge and cooking in the apartment some days.

I am totally open to hear why this would not be a good idea or feasible. It will be mid-June through July and probably the first week of August, so absolutely high season and hot.

Otherwise, I would appreciate input on destinations, and length of time per destination.

Rough outline follows:

Fly into Bologna
7 nights Bologna
2 nights Florence (Saturday and Sunday night)
5-7 nights Rome

Husband flies back after Rome, or after a couple days at next stop...
Rent car for a week in order to reach an agriturismo with a pool, somewhere between Rome and Lucca. I'm not super excited about driving, and I would definitely want to rent, drive, and return the car in easiest place possible. I think a week at an agriturismo may be worth the hassle though, as my kids would definitely be missing friends at this point and may make some new ones at a farm stay. Looking at Podere Giulio in Tarquinia as a possibility.

Week 3- Agriturismo (in the Maremma?) and 1 week car rental between Rome and Lucca
Week 4- Lucca?
Week 5- Levanto or Lake Garda?
Week 6- Venice? Would hate miss it, but is it just too miserable in July?
Husband returns
Week 7- Bolzano and into the Dolomiti
Fly home from Munich, Verona, or Milan

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

Overall your plan looks good, my 2 cents:
Week 3- Agriturismo (in the Maremma?) and 1 week car rental between Rome and Lucca.
You might also consider Siena and the val D'Orcia area and take advantage of the car to take day trips in the beautiful countryside (Pienza, Pitigliano, etc.)

Week 4- Lucca?
Sounds good

Week 5- Levanto or Lake Garda?
I would choose Levanto, more fun for your kids and you can hike the cinque terre for a day, especially because you will be going to Dolomites at the end of your trip

Week 6- Venice? Would hate miss it, but is it just too miserable in July?
Before COVID Venice was packed year-round, I would base myself in the outskirts and take on or two day trips there. For instance, if you stay in Jesolo by the beach you can get to Venice by bus + boat in 90 mins one way

Week 7- Bolzano and into the Dolomiti
My favourite places in the Dolomiti are Misurina, Ortisei (Val Gardena) and Alpe di Siusi

Have fun!

Obviously, your ideas are based on personal preference.

I myself would find 7 days in Bologna too long, but perhaps you have plans for excursions, activities, etc. Ditto Lucca, but I admit I'm not a big fan of Lucca to begin with. You may know, Bologna can be hot and humid in late June.

Depending on your plans for Florence, staying Saturday-Sunday nights could impact your sightseeing. Lots of things aren't open every Sunday and/or Monday. If all the top spots are on your sightseeing list, I'd try to tweek the itinerary to put you in the city mid-week. Considering the logistics of moving the group for just two nights, you might even consider skipping Florence on this trip.

I would choose Lake Garda over Levanto, but that's my personal preference. I assume Levanto is for access to the Cinque Terre which would be too crowded for me in high-season summer.

I can't comment on Venice in July as I haven't been to Venice in summer in decades.

My personal preference would be to spend more than a week in Bolzano and the Dolomites. If your family is into hiking and mountain scenery, even two weeks wouldn't be too long.

Luckily, your kids are old enough not to require help with luggage, but make sure they all have the lodging details on their person in case they get separated from the group. For the weeks your husband isn't there, you will be burdened with all of the logistics. Can your 16 y.o. be the designated navigator while you drive? Two sets of eyes reading signs makes a difference.

Regarding the car... If week 3 is in Tarquinia (after Rome) and you want a less stressful pickup point, you could train to Civitavecchia and pick up the car there. Where you return it depends on how the itinerary pans out. You probably wouldn't want or need a car in Levanto, but I would want a car for Lake Garda. Obviously, you don't need or want a car in Venice, but you'll want a car for the Dolomites. If you fly out of Munich, you'll want to return the car somewhere in Italy and then train to Munich. Otherwise, you could be hit with a cross-border drop fee.

Bologna is a good base for trains but there are a few others that maybe not quite as good might be cheaper. So Ferrara or Modena might be good.

An idea about Venice, if the town is really packed and lets face it expensive have a look at Chioggia, smaller and far less famous but just as interesting but maybe only for 2 or 3 days.

But your ideas look fine and the advice so far is good

I will look into Pienza and Pitigliano, thank you. This week may be around Palio in Siena, something that I want to avoid. It is very difficult to choose an agriturismo when everything looks beautiful!

Thank you for the additional advice and recommendations on my other stops, I appreciate it. I had looked at staying Padua instead of Venice, but apartment options were obviously much more limited and a bit expensive.

As for the rest of this post, I messed up the quotes, not sure what I did wrong. Tried to go back to bold and italicize all quotes so you can at least differentiate from my comments.

"I myself would find 7 days in Bologna too long, but perhaps you have plans for excursions, activities, etc."

Jean- It is quite a long time, I agree. It is my husband's wish to spend time more time there after enjoying it on our previous trip. I do have a long list of towns that I wanted to day trip to on our previous trip but didn't get around to...Modena, Ferrara, Faenza, Mantua, Brisighella, Ravenna. We wouldn't try to fit those all in on this trip, but we could keep ourselves busy. Cutting it down to 5 would allow a bit more time elsewhere before my husband departs though.

"Considering the logistics of moving the group for just two nights, you might even consider skipping Florence on this trip."

Good point! We previously enjoyed visiting the Uffizi and Accademia when they were open late into the evening. A quick google search shows it was Tuesdays and Saturdays. Anyways I checked hours for this summer and it doesn't appear to be happening right now, I assume because of COVID. We also enjoyed the Secret Passages tour of the Palazzo Vecchio, which was also later in the evening. Anyways, that was pretty much the extent of the must-do list with the kids, though I personally could spend weeks there (although probably not in the summer). As you said, personal preferences play into it...tempting to skip to avoid the hassle!

"I assume Levanto is for access to the Cinque Terre which would be too crowded for me in high-season summer."

I'm actually trying to find a place outside of the Cinque Terre to fulfill my daughter's wish to stay in a town like the one in the Pixar film Luca, which was based on the Cinque Terre. Levanto is just outside, I realize, but from what I read isn't swamped and is accessible by train. Bike rides to Bonassola and Framura sounded nice. Just a low-key time near the water, and possibly some hiking outside of the Cinque Terre trails.

"My personal preference would be to spend more than a week in Bolzano and the Dolomites. If your family is into hiking and mountain scenery, even two weeks wouldn't be too long."

Doing more research, I'm starting to agree with this.I was hoping to find a way to make it work without a car. Probably worth the cost, and hopefully the car rental market will have stabilized by next year. Cost is extra high when renting for a family of 6, although we are trying to figure out if we can use my husband's car rental points to rent in Italy.

Appreciate all your additional advice on car rental and travel. My 16 year is great and would absolutely have to be my co-pilot when driving.

From bilboburgler "Bologna is a good base for trains but there are a few others that maybe not quite as good might be cheaper. So Ferrara or Modena might be good."

An idea about Venice, if the town is really packed and lets face it expensive have a look at Chioggia, smaller and far less famous but just as interesting but maybe only for 2 or 3 days."

Ferrara and Modena both seem nice. We have a soft spot for Bologna, but lodging is a bit more difficult there. I do kind of dislike having 3 cities stacked up back to back with Bologna, Florence, then Rome.

Will look into Chioggia, name is familiar because of the heirloom beet variety!

Really appreciate the thoughtful replies! Thanks!

Chi

Re your plans in Bologna... Have you searched the journey times for your day trip ideas? A couple of them (Brisighella, Mantova) would be too long for me. By train, at least 90 minutes going and at least an hour return. But if you decide not to stay in Florence, you could day trip by train from Bologna (40 minutes one way).

The Sud Tyrol region (Dolomites) does have some public transportation, and a few people here have made visits without a car. You can look for their trip reports. However, I think a group of 6 in a wide range of ages and energy levels would have infinitely more fun and enjoyment with a car and all the flexibility it provides.

Just keep in mind... Even if you forego a car for parts of the itinerary, you're going to find other transportation costs really add up when multiplied by 5 or 6. For example, a simple round-trip from Levanto to a town of the Cinque Terre will cost 32 euros/$38 for the 5 of you, and that's just between Levanto and one town. If you get back on the train to see another town, each person needs another ticket. And then there's a fee per person to hike the trails. You can look into the different Cinque Terre Cards to see if one saves money for your plans.

https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card

Multiple day trips by train from Bologna will add up as well.

I've been to Venice in July (I think...maybe it was late June?). Not too miserable for me, but it wasn't my first visit and I was there to attend a class and take in the Biennale d'Arte, so I had a focus that kept me generally away from San Marco and Rialto.

For what it's worth, having been to Italy in the summer in the past, I had learned that one way to make it comfortable for me was to spend a lot of money on nice accommodations. Things may have changed because of the pandemic, but 130€/night for 5-6 people seems tight in both Venice and Bologna.

Oh, and I visited the Dolomiti without a car. My focus was hiking/outdoor activities. I had a great time.

You know your family best, however, and can best determine what will work for you all.

All good things to keep in mind! 90 minutes is not too much for me if it's a place I want to go, but my children might disagree. I am actually aware of the times generally, and the cost of day trips is definitely something to keep track of. I was originally planning on that 40 minute train for a day trip to Florence, until I realized it would over 200 euro for the whole family! Might as well take the regional train and spend the night, enjoying the evening when the day trippers have gone. With that said, we could cut back a couple days on Bologna.

When I checked autoeurope for quotes on a 6 passenger car next year rented in Rome, it was quoting me $1900 for a week. At roughly $270/day that's a tough pill to swallow. A 5 passenger vehicle would be less than $1000, so it is more feasible while my husband is gone, but still makes $50 for a day trip by train look cheap. Of course, a car affords you access to a lot a places that a train simply does not go.

If you have any suggestions for beach towns that look similar to the Cinque Terre that are easy to access by train, have a sandy beach, and won't be massively overrun with tourists, where we can park ourselves and get around by foot or by bike, I am totally open to it. I was trying not to go too much farther up towards Genoa because I was planning on taking the train back through Emilia Romagna to get over to Venice, but that could be refigured. I think people have mentioned Sestri Levante and Comogli, but I haven't looked into them too much. I do not feel the need to visit Cinque Terre itself.

Thanks again for your input. I agree that a car would be most excellent in the Dolomites. We are going to be there in very high season, so a car might possibly help us a bit off the beaten path.

You have nearly a year to plan and finalize, though I know because of costs you will want to pin things down, but there are so many good options to consider. I started to make suggestions, but not sure about the best things to suggest for your kids particular interests. So, just throwing out a few thoughts.
When I took students on trips, they liked Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Bologna, but they all “Loved” Venice, Assisi, Rome and south of Naples (Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast).
If Venice proper is too expensive, check prices on the Lido. I have no idea what they are now, and I was in a hotel, but I stayed there once with teens and they quite enjoyed taking the vaporetto into Venice and walking on the beach. It has been awhile so I do not know what the beach is like there now, but it was really nice to spend a couple of hours last time we were there. From the Lido, it is also easy to get to Burano and the other islands.
A town that is often overlooked, but you might all enjoy is Vicenza. It is charming, has wonderful architecture, nice market, great food and nice walking. I spent a week there and would do it again. It is right on the train line, an easy day trip from there to Padua, Verona or even Venice.

It sounds like heaven to me!

Unless there are logistical reasons for doing otherwise, I think it makes more sense to fly into Rome and then head north to Bologna and onwards. Otherwise, you're backtracking.

I agree with the suggestion to extend your time in the mountains, depending on your kids interests - and I've read that transport in the area is quite good. If you fly home from Munich, I would be tempted by a route that was something like Rome - Bologna - farm stay - Lucca - Lake Garda - Dolomites - Innsbruck or somewhere nearby like Seefeld or Mittenwald - Munich. I know that takes the focus from Italy a bit, which you may not want.

Strictly personal opinion but I found the beaches at Monterosso and Levanto very ordinary but the countryside lovely.

Hopefully, car rental rates will not remain at the current high levels as more vehicles are added to company fleets. But as you track rental rates in the coming months, don't forget tolls and the cost of fuel. You can search routes on viamichelin.com and get an idea of both.

There is so much to see in Florence that I would choose to spend a longer time there. My kids thought Venice was wonderful. If you stay on the island (rather than do it as a day trip) the crowds thin out at night and it becomes a really fun place to explore.

Thanks for the input! It is tight, especially in Bologna and the Dolomites. I would definitely up the budget or cut back on the days if we just can't find something suitable. Looking for places with AC and lots of positive reviews. Good to know you had a good time in the Dolomites without a car.

Thanks Sassafrass! That is super helpful. My kids have offered input and will be doing more research, but there does seem to be certain places that generally really appeal to certain age groups. I checked the Venice Lido, and I actually may have better luck finding lodging in Venice. I would guess that I may find food prices higher there though. Vicenza looks wonderful...it is on my short list if we decide against Venice, thanks! Any other suggestions are welcome, I can't even book tickets yet.

I do agree about starting in Rome. It will depend on the tickets we get, as we are flying on points. I can't actually see the schedule and costs for our date yet! It is appealing to start off in a place we are familiar with, though (Bologna).

That does sound like a great route. The days in the beach town are really difficult to work into the itinerary without a lot of extra travel...will see if broadening my daughters horizons might result in a new wish list of locations.

I was thinking about staying somewhat closer to the train station in Venice, so we can day trip out easily if we want to, and return in the evenings when it may be more enjoyable. Thanks for the input! I was thinking we could day trip to Florence from Lucca if we didn't get enough on the first run-through.

Leely2 mentioned splurging a bit on nice accommodations in summer. One thing you might keep in mind as you search... the middle of the day can be beastly hot/humid in some places, and you might want a place that is comfortable and has room to hang out in for a couple of hours, not just a place to sleep. Also, in smaller towns you may visit on day trips by car, you may find lots of things closed in the middle, hottest part of the day.

Of course beach time is always lovely but I know that beaches in that part of Italy are as different from our beaches at home in Australia as if they were on Mars, so if my kids said they wanted to go to the beach while on holiday in Italy, the image they would have would be very different to what they'd get. I'm not sure what beaches are like in your home country but you might need to explain that they're possibly quite different. And, of course, if the kids are still keen then go.

On the subject of air conditioning, we've never really bothered to seek it out while on holidays (and don't have it at home) but I have observed over many years that people from the US like to have it. Only you know whether it's of critical importance and at which towns. Many smaller Italian hotels and homes don't have it.

Station in Venice. Don't get confused between Venice Mestre and Venice. I like Mestre and hotels are way cheaper there but it ain't Venice.

I remember a Mom traveling with a couple of kids, who was looking for a place in or near Venice and that she found a place she really liked. It took a couple of tries, but I found it. It is not in Venice, but it has a nice pool. I will find her post and send that too.
https://www.vanessahouse.com/en/galery-en

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...eeded-1217017/

Hope this connects you. The poster’s name was belkis and the post was in March, 2017. Of course, things change, but it might be worth a look.

We live in Washington state, so my kids have been to beaches along the West coast between Vancouver, BC to San Diego. They are most familiar with the beaches on the PNW coast which can be very beautiful and wild, but have huge waves, dangerous rip tides, and often very cold, gray water. The pictures they have seen of Italy's beaches look amazing to them. :) But I do think the actual experience might be a bit different from the picture. Tempting to try to just make a long day trip from Lucca, but we will see.

This is definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks!

The apartment I really like, that will be right at 130 euro/night if we book for a week, is very close to the Conad on Calle de la Crose in Venice proper. Any input on the location is appreciated...I like the proximity to the supermarket!

Thanks so much for looking this up for me! A pool would be amazing after a day of touring Venice. It looks like their largest room size is a quad though, and having to book 2 rooms would make it quite a bit more expensive. I found the thread full of good information too, so thanks for that!