Jenster70

We are trying to plan a 2 week trip to Italy for a family of 4 in mid May. The kids will be 8 and 11. We were planning on flying in and out of Rome from Canada. The kids really want to see Rome. My husband and I have been to Florence, Milan and Venice. He isn't that keen on Venice but I was wondering if others have found Venice to be a hit with their children? What about Pompei? We were thinking of a few days in Rome to start, then travelling by train? towards Florence, maybe staying in a villa somewhere and doing day trips. Is it hard to do that via train or should we rent a car. I have also seen Verona mentioned as a good stop for kids to visit and I like the idea but don't know enough about it. We thought after a week in Florence, Tuscany area we could come back towards Rome and either stay there the last couple of days or do a night or 2 near Naples/Pompei? Any suggestions? We want the kids to see some things but also have some time to relax here and there.

moosey

I think Pompeii would be very cool for kids, with one word of warning - when we were there (granted, it was 2004 I think), there was absolutely nothing else to do there. So if the weather is bad and you don't want to be out in the elements, you will be limited. It actually rained off and on when we were there, which was probably a good thing as we did not mind and the place was empty. We took a train from Naples and there was a pizza shop right at the train stop and not much else. Naples to me was like a much less charming New York, but I was there a short time and didn't put a lot of effort into exploring it. I wish I had spent my time on the Amalfi coast instead.

Riding in the vaporetto in Venice would probably entertain the kids, as would the touristy gondola rides. Bear in mind that all of those bridges are raised, which means LOTS of steps. So they may tire easily.

In Florence, eat at Perseus! It is not in a very touristy section. They have meat hanging everywhere so it is incredible to behold, but the food is even better. I am not a big meat eater but LOVED everything about it - the bread, the meal, the complimentary limoncello with dessert.

annhig

ok, you have 2 kids in tow who want to see Rome - that really should take at least half of your time. that will enable you to rent an apartment which is by far the nicest way to do it with kids, IMHO. that's what we've done twice and each time, we all really enjoyed it.

Pompeii could be done as a day trip [albeit a long one] or as part of a stay in the Naples area. as you are locked into flights into and out of Rome, you could go south first, and spend a few days seeing Pompeii, Vesuvius, possibly Capri, and then go back to Rome for the rest of your trip.

alternatively, once you arrive in Rome, get the train immediately to Venice, [which our kids loved, though they were a bit older than yours] spend 4 nights there, then the train to Florence and spend 3 nights, and then train back to Rome.

but really there are so many places to see and so many different permutations, the real problem is deciding what to leave out. why not get the kids to help you decide what to see?

Jean

Well, you know your kids better than we do, but I would think they'd enjoy Venice for at least a few days. Besides the vaporetto-as-bus concept, they'd see how everything (ambulance, police, mail, food, trash, etc.) is handled by boat.

Venice would make more sense if you could fly into Venice and out of Rome. Verona could be a day trip from Venice to eliminate having to change hotels.

Pompeii would be interesting, too, but you could probably substitute Ostia Antica in a day trip from Rome unless there were additional sights in Naples you wanted to see. IMO, Pompeii is not a place to be when it's raining. Neither is Ostia Antica.

Exploring Tuscany from a villa really requires a car, but you could stay in Florence and do day trips on multiple days. Fiesole, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, Bologna are all easy by bus or train.

IMO you need to think about your kids, what interests them, how much energy they have, whether they're likely to be jetlagged or have difficulty adjusting to the time difference, etc. Don't even contemplate Rome/Venice/Verona/Florence/Tuscany/Pompeii/Naples/Rome.

ellenem

You might find this Italy family trip report helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...taly-day-1.cfm

dreamon

When your kids say they'd love to visit Rome, I suggest you try and suss out why. Sometimes they have a 'feeling' that they'd like to see a place without really understanding what that place is like and what they would like to do there and it may be quite different to what they expected. We found that in a couple of places. However, your children may have a much clearer picture than mine did. Our children (then 9 and 12) did not enjoy Rome as they preferred the smaller towns we stayed in. I would not plan a week there without a clear vision of what your holiday will be like (and I don't mean an hour by hour itinerary but more the flavour of how you would spend your time).

As for energy, they'll probably have more than you!

Definitely, I would plan to spend at least three nights in each location and preferably more. You can still rent apartments/villas if you wish as they are often available from three or four nights plus.

I also strongly recommend keeping your luggage to a minimum with each person carrying their own if possible. For children, backpacks work best.

dreamon

Also if you are flying in and out of Rome, I suggest keeping your stay in Rome until the end to ensure you're able to make your flight home. On arrival in Rome at the beginning of your holiday, head straight off by train from the airport to your first destination. You will reduce the number of times you have to pack/unpack, move hotels, etc.

Jenster70

Thanks for all the helpful info and advice. We really want to make this a special trip. My daughter's love of Italian food inspired the trip and was a big part of what we talked about to distract her during her chemotherapy. She's in good health now (knock on wood) and excited about the trip. Think we will have to throw in a cooking class somewhere so we can bring some of the italian food home with us!

Jean

Definitely a cooking class, and maybe a cheesing-making demonstration.

zoecat

Mid May is probably the most beautiful time to visit the countryside. I encourage you to consider a balance of city and countryside. Maybe a week in Rome and a week in Tuscany or Umbria. Or, split your two weeks into three bases- Rome, countryside, and then Venice. Rent a car for the countryside and get a place with a pool for the kids (and their parents).

jent103

I did a cooking class with Andrea Consoli in Rome (cookingclassesinrome.com) - I'm sure there are lots of other options, but we really enjoyed this class! The youngest person in our class was a teenager (about 15), but I wouldn't be surprised if they'd take younger kids too. Wouldn't hurt to ask, anyway. The class is in his family restaurant in Trastevere. He or his fiancee Erica will email all the recipes to you afterward - I've made all but one of the ones we did in class and they've turned out great!

Michel_Paris

Are you locked into in/out of Rome? venice perhaps?

I was going to suggest Cinque Terre.

Lexma90

Our daughter's first trip to Europe was Italy several years ago, for 2 1/2 weeks. It was a combination of places that we (the parents) had been to (Venice, Florence, Bologna, Ravenna, Rome) and places we had not (almost a week in Le Marche). Part of the reason that we picked Le Marche, other than our interest, was there are more castles in that part of Italy, which we figured DD would like, and she did.

Of the three bigger cities, she said she liked them all, but Rome and Venice were at the top of her list. Based on her likes and dislikes when she was younger, we thought she would like the countryside more, but no, she loved the cities. And it turned out that she wanted to do much more, and more museums, than I had thought. So we added some museums on the way. So keep your options open, as your kids figure out what they like along the way.

Glad to hear your daughter is looking forward to the food - our daughter loved the Italian food, and was quite adventurous. The waiters were very helpful, and say, "you know, there's squid in that," and she would say, "yes!"

annhig

my son [who before our first visit to Italy was a faddy eater] just loved risotto alla sepia - [cuttlefish] complete with the ink. His mouth was black but he was happy,

zeppole

annhg,
Jenster,

I think if Dad is not keen on something as important and stressful as being uprooted for 2 weeks and being co-pilot of a family visiting Italy, visiting someplace for the sake of the kids isn't wise.

I think it's great that your kids want to see Rome. You haven't told us why, but I would build on that. If it is for ruins, then Pompeii or Verona might be an extra wow. If it for art extravaganza, or fountains or big domed churches, connect the dots to new experiences. I think they'll pick up on your enthusiasm and delight most of all. It doesn't tell you anything about how your kids will react to Venice if other parents said their kids had fun there. Maybe the reason the kids had fun was that Dad was having so much fun.


annhg,

Since you have posted before you are mastering speaking Italian, and I do not doubt it for a second, I hope you will not object to a spelling correction (which is far less important than speaking or listening, but nice for those reading

risotto alle seppie

But even more importantly, if want someone wants is risotto with squid ink, that is

risotto nero alle seppie

zeppole

Sorry! I need to correct my own post (lest somebody end up with black rice and cuttlefish):

Risotto al nero di seppia

(or risotto con il nero di seppia)

annhig

grazie zeppole. sono contenta sempre di imparare qualcosa nuova. [which I'm sure you could express better too!]

Jenster70

We are locked into flying in and out of Rome, so not much we can do there. My son (8) is most excited about the pizza and gelato. He's pretty easy going and would be interested in castles and some of the history (though we won't subject them to non-stop museums). My daughter saw the pictures of the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain and wants to see them. They are also keen on the idea of a gondola ride (I am too actually since the last time I was there I went alone and just did the water ferry). I think I will take the advice of some to rent a villa in Tuscany with a pool because the kids love swimming, and I think we should be able to do some driving to some of the smaller towns. Starting to think about Florence for 3-4 days, Venice for 2-3, villa for 3-4 days, then moving back towards Rome for rest, day trip to Pompeii? Thanks again! Starting to get excited. Just have to find some good hotels/ apartments.

Grcxx3

My kids were older - but here's the trip report I did (altho never quite finished it) for our trip to Rome and Venice, December 2007.

We did a day trip to Pompeii (see Day 6) from Rome and took the train from Rome to Venice. Check out the Time Elevator Roma (Day 2) and the Crypts and Catacombs Tour (Day 3).

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-december.cfm