Family Trip to Italy
Jul 7th, 2006, 02:14 PM
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Family Trip to Italy
Our family of 5 (3 boys, ages 8, 14, and 17) just returned from a trip to Switzerland and Italy. I don't want to bore anyone with lots of details, but I got such good information on the site that I wanted to reciprocate with a few things that might be helpful.
We moved around a good bit, as I wanted the boys to see a lot. I know most Fodorites don't move as much as we did. But everyone always seems ready to go on and see the next location.
When we arrived in Rome at Termini station, Italy had just won a World Cup match. People were going nuts. It seemed like every car had a giant flag waving out of their car. It was fun to see, but also a little frightening. We had taken taxis to our apartment, and the drivers did not like the gridlock. They were driving like bats out of hell. I can't tell you how many pedestrians they almost hit. After that ride, I was really worried one of us was going to be taken out by a cab!
We had three nights in Rome, and really wanted to stay in the historical center. When I started checking hotel prices for two rooms, I was astounded at the cost! Thanks to tips on here, I started looking into apartments. We booked the Piazza del Paradiso apartment through sleepinitaly.com back in October. As I have noted on another thread, we got an e-mail in late March saying the apartment was no longer available. I think the owners got a longer rental and dumped us. However, Sleep did find us another apartment and gave it to us for the same price (165 euros). We rented the Piazza Monte di Pieta apartment very close to Campo dei Fiori. I can't imagine we could have found an apartment we liked better. It was on a quiet square (used as a parking lot), but just off the Via del Giubbionari. The apartment had been recently redone and was very attractive--hardwood floors, white duck cloth couches, and nice looking furniture. My boys enjoyed watching some of the World Cup games on the flat screen TV. It has two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in the LR. The only drawback was that it was rather dark, as the windows opened up into the interior space between the buildings. It also had a washer/dryer, which was a tremendous help. But what is the deal with Italian dryers? The get things really hot, but never dry. I have decided I can make a fortune selling American dryers in Italy!
I can't say enough how nice it was to be in the heart of Rome. I have been to Rome twice before. Once, I stayed near the train station and once near Piazza del Popolo. The Campo dei Fiori area is so central and so interesting. We saved lots of time walking by staying there, and given the heat wave, that was a huge benefit.
Our first day, we visited the Vatican and St. Peter's. Thanks to this site, I reserved a guided tour of the Vatican Museum through the Vatican. As I understand it, this is the only way you can bypass the line into the Museum. to get the tour, you have to fax the Museum no more than 30 days before your visit. Unfortunately, they do not reply until about 2 days before your visit, and you must have their fax to enter. Given that we had left the U.S. long before we got their fax, this presented a problem. Many people have the fax sent to their hotel in Rome, but we were in an apartment. So we had them fax it to my husband's secretary, and then she faxed it us at our hotel in Switzerland.
When we passed person after person waiting in the heat to get in, we felt very smug that we had gotten reservations. According to the tour guide we had the next day, the crowds have gotten out of control since the Pope's death. She said there is no longer a time of day that is not very busy. Unfortunately, however, our Vatican tour guide was not very good. Her English was very hard to understand. My 8 year old was ready to leave after an hour, and I can't say the two older boys really enjoyed it. Nevertheless, the 8 year old now says seeing the Sistine Chapel was one of his favorite things on the trip.
The next day, we hired Francesca Caruso to guide us through the Colosseum and Forum. She is fantastic and very reasonable (45 euro/hour). She really made these sites so much more meaningful.
Rome is so interesting and has so much history, but there is so much traffic and there were so many tourists and it was so hot! We were ready to get on to Tuscany.
We booked a car through AutoEurope to visit Tuscany. We found a cheaper rate through Hertz, but Auto Europe matched that offer and threw in insurance. We used the Via Sardegna office which got us out of Rome quickly and easily (although we were leaving at about 8:30am on a Sunday morning.
We moved around a good bit, as I wanted the boys to see a lot. I know most Fodorites don't move as much as we did. But everyone always seems ready to go on and see the next location.
When we arrived in Rome at Termini station, Italy had just won a World Cup match. People were going nuts. It seemed like every car had a giant flag waving out of their car. It was fun to see, but also a little frightening. We had taken taxis to our apartment, and the drivers did not like the gridlock. They were driving like bats out of hell. I can't tell you how many pedestrians they almost hit. After that ride, I was really worried one of us was going to be taken out by a cab!
We had three nights in Rome, and really wanted to stay in the historical center. When I started checking hotel prices for two rooms, I was astounded at the cost! Thanks to tips on here, I started looking into apartments. We booked the Piazza del Paradiso apartment through sleepinitaly.com back in October. As I have noted on another thread, we got an e-mail in late March saying the apartment was no longer available. I think the owners got a longer rental and dumped us. However, Sleep did find us another apartment and gave it to us for the same price (165 euros). We rented the Piazza Monte di Pieta apartment very close to Campo dei Fiori. I can't imagine we could have found an apartment we liked better. It was on a quiet square (used as a parking lot), but just off the Via del Giubbionari. The apartment had been recently redone and was very attractive--hardwood floors, white duck cloth couches, and nice looking furniture. My boys enjoyed watching some of the World Cup games on the flat screen TV. It has two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in the LR. The only drawback was that it was rather dark, as the windows opened up into the interior space between the buildings. It also had a washer/dryer, which was a tremendous help. But what is the deal with Italian dryers? The get things really hot, but never dry. I have decided I can make a fortune selling American dryers in Italy!
I can't say enough how nice it was to be in the heart of Rome. I have been to Rome twice before. Once, I stayed near the train station and once near Piazza del Popolo. The Campo dei Fiori area is so central and so interesting. We saved lots of time walking by staying there, and given the heat wave, that was a huge benefit.
Our first day, we visited the Vatican and St. Peter's. Thanks to this site, I reserved a guided tour of the Vatican Museum through the Vatican. As I understand it, this is the only way you can bypass the line into the Museum. to get the tour, you have to fax the Museum no more than 30 days before your visit. Unfortunately, they do not reply until about 2 days before your visit, and you must have their fax to enter. Given that we had left the U.S. long before we got their fax, this presented a problem. Many people have the fax sent to their hotel in Rome, but we were in an apartment. So we had them fax it to my husband's secretary, and then she faxed it us at our hotel in Switzerland.
When we passed person after person waiting in the heat to get in, we felt very smug that we had gotten reservations. According to the tour guide we had the next day, the crowds have gotten out of control since the Pope's death. She said there is no longer a time of day that is not very busy. Unfortunately, however, our Vatican tour guide was not very good. Her English was very hard to understand. My 8 year old was ready to leave after an hour, and I can't say the two older boys really enjoyed it. Nevertheless, the 8 year old now says seeing the Sistine Chapel was one of his favorite things on the trip.
The next day, we hired Francesca Caruso to guide us through the Colosseum and Forum. She is fantastic and very reasonable (45 euro/hour). She really made these sites so much more meaningful.
Rome is so interesting and has so much history, but there is so much traffic and there were so many tourists and it was so hot! We were ready to get on to Tuscany.
We booked a car through AutoEurope to visit Tuscany. We found a cheaper rate through Hertz, but Auto Europe matched that offer and threw in insurance. We used the Via Sardegna office which got us out of Rome quickly and easily (although we were leaving at about 8:30am on a Sunday morning.
Jul 8th, 2006, 06:56 AM
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Is anyone else having trouble editing posts? I made changes in the above, and they did not show up on my post. Oh well, on to Tuscany!
After picking up our car, we drove to Civita di Bagnoregio, a tiny town perched on tufa rock and reached by walking across a bridge. It is a darling town with beautiful views. We spent about an hour exploring.
Then we drove on to Montepulciano for lunch in the piazza. Montepulciano was very quiet, as it was Sunday, but we enjoyed a brief visit.
We had decided to stay in Southern Tuscany based on Fodorites' recommendations, and we were so glad we did! It is so lovely and rural, a wonderful break from cities. We stayed in San Quirico d'Orcia at the Palazzo del Capitano thanks to Bob the Navigator's rec. We loved the town and the hotel. It was really nice to be in a town that was not touristy, where Italians really live. The only drawback was that there is no pool at the hotel. You have access to the local public pool, but it was quite crowded, and they required bathing caps.
Our next day we explored Pienza (lovely), Bagno Vignoni ( a disappointment), had a picnic at San Antimo Abbey (under renovation and covered in scaffolding), and visited the fortress at Montalcino (okay). Stu Dudley's driving directions were wonderful!
The next day we drove to San Gimignano to stay at the Hotel Pescille .I was really looking forward to this day, and I have to say it was a disappointment. The view of San Gimi was spectacular. It really did look like a mini Manhattan. We were checked into the Pescille by an indifferent woman who did not explain the keys, the A/C or anything else. Our connecting rooms were very plain, which I expected, but they were also rather dirty. Lots of dust on the furniture and dirty floors. We enjoyed the pool, but I had the idea their gardens looked out on San Gimi. In fact, the parking lot does. We waited until after 4pm to visit San Gimi to avoid the crowds, passing tour bus after tour bus leaving. We didn't enjoy the town nearly as much as we thought we would, even though the largest crowds had left. It didn't feel like a real town, or like people really lived there. It felt like it existed purely for tourism.
The next day we decided to visit Volterra rather than get right into the 96 degree heat of Florence. Volterrra was lovely, and unlike San Gimi felt like a real town. More later...
After picking up our car, we drove to Civita di Bagnoregio, a tiny town perched on tufa rock and reached by walking across a bridge. It is a darling town with beautiful views. We spent about an hour exploring.
Then we drove on to Montepulciano for lunch in the piazza. Montepulciano was very quiet, as it was Sunday, but we enjoyed a brief visit.
We had decided to stay in Southern Tuscany based on Fodorites' recommendations, and we were so glad we did! It is so lovely and rural, a wonderful break from cities. We stayed in San Quirico d'Orcia at the Palazzo del Capitano thanks to Bob the Navigator's rec. We loved the town and the hotel. It was really nice to be in a town that was not touristy, where Italians really live. The only drawback was that there is no pool at the hotel. You have access to the local public pool, but it was quite crowded, and they required bathing caps.
Our next day we explored Pienza (lovely), Bagno Vignoni ( a disappointment), had a picnic at San Antimo Abbey (under renovation and covered in scaffolding), and visited the fortress at Montalcino (okay). Stu Dudley's driving directions were wonderful!
The next day we drove to San Gimignano to stay at the Hotel Pescille .I was really looking forward to this day, and I have to say it was a disappointment. The view of San Gimi was spectacular. It really did look like a mini Manhattan. We were checked into the Pescille by an indifferent woman who did not explain the keys, the A/C or anything else. Our connecting rooms were very plain, which I expected, but they were also rather dirty. Lots of dust on the furniture and dirty floors. We enjoyed the pool, but I had the idea their gardens looked out on San Gimi. In fact, the parking lot does. We waited until after 4pm to visit San Gimi to avoid the crowds, passing tour bus after tour bus leaving. We didn't enjoy the town nearly as much as we thought we would, even though the largest crowds had left. It didn't feel like a real town, or like people really lived there. It felt like it existed purely for tourism.
The next day we decided to visit Volterra rather than get right into the 96 degree heat of Florence. Volterrra was lovely, and unlike San Gimi felt like a real town. More later...
Jul 8th, 2006, 08:55 AM
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Hi Digbydog, interesting report. And don't you hate dirty rooms? I sure do.
We were in Naples once when Naples had won their soccer game so I understand your feeling about the cars in Rome with the flags etc, lol. We ended up going back to our hotel room after dinner and watching the cars from our hotel room windows, We felt like we were taking our life in our hands just walking back to our hotel from the restaurant! It was fun to watch though. Looking forward to the rest of your trip report.
We were in Naples once when Naples had won their soccer game so I understand your feeling about the cars in Rome with the flags etc, lol. We ended up going back to our hotel room after dinner and watching the cars from our hotel room windows, We felt like we were taking our life in our hands just walking back to our hotel from the restaurant! It was fun to watch though. Looking forward to the rest of your trip report.
Jul 9th, 2006, 05:01 AM
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Thanks for your kind feedback! And Bob, thanks again for all your good recs on this site. They were so helpful!!!
All in all, we were very glad we stayed in southern Tuscany. The vistas are spectacular, and it was what I pictured Tuscany to be, more so than the area around San Gimignano.
We dropped our car at the Florence airport, as we were worried about finding the Hertz office in Florence. It added a little time, but the cab ride into Florence was quick and not too expensive (about 15 euros per cab). We had reserved rooms at the Residenza del Proconsolo, which is just around the corner from the Duomo on Via del Proconsolo, which runs down to the Arno. The owners, Paola and Roberto, could not have been nicer or more helpful. Roberto is a runner, and he had a place for my husband and son to run that they would not have found on their own. I thought the double room was perfectlly nice for 110 euros, but my husband thought the triple was very dark, although it was quite roomy (130 euros). Breakfast is brought to your room in the morning and is mediocre. However, for the price and the central location, I would stay here again.
Upon arrival, we immediately headed out to Vivoli's for gelato. I wish they had it here, but I guess it's a good thing (for my waistline) they don't.
Florence was overwhelmingly hot--96 or more! And the crowds were huge during the day. I hadn't been to Italy for 16 years, and I was amazed how many more tourists there were--so many cruise ship tours even though we were inland. The city was much more pleasant in the evening when it was cooler and the crowds had thinned.
On our second day, we visited the David and the Uffizi. Back in March we had asked our hotel to make us reservations, which saved us long waits in line. My children thought the David was fantastic and spent quite a while studying it. The Uffizi, which we saw later in the day when everyone was more tired, did not go over as well. My oldest son noted that all the pictures looked the same. Obviously not true, but there are quite a few Madonna and child pictures. We were surprised that the museums we visited in Italy do not have A/C. We wondered about the effect of the heat and humidity on the artwork. Anyway, with the heat and the kids' waning interest, we left after about an hour.
My 8 year old had fun looking in the markets for soccer jerseys. He picked out an Italian Totti jersey, which made him a big hit with the Italians. Every time he wore it, people would chant "Totti, Totti, Totti!" He is looking forward to the match today. More later...
All in all, we were very glad we stayed in southern Tuscany. The vistas are spectacular, and it was what I pictured Tuscany to be, more so than the area around San Gimignano.
We dropped our car at the Florence airport, as we were worried about finding the Hertz office in Florence. It added a little time, but the cab ride into Florence was quick and not too expensive (about 15 euros per cab). We had reserved rooms at the Residenza del Proconsolo, which is just around the corner from the Duomo on Via del Proconsolo, which runs down to the Arno. The owners, Paola and Roberto, could not have been nicer or more helpful. Roberto is a runner, and he had a place for my husband and son to run that they would not have found on their own. I thought the double room was perfectlly nice for 110 euros, but my husband thought the triple was very dark, although it was quite roomy (130 euros). Breakfast is brought to your room in the morning and is mediocre. However, for the price and the central location, I would stay here again.
Upon arrival, we immediately headed out to Vivoli's for gelato. I wish they had it here, but I guess it's a good thing (for my waistline) they don't.
Florence was overwhelmingly hot--96 or more! And the crowds were huge during the day. I hadn't been to Italy for 16 years, and I was amazed how many more tourists there were--so many cruise ship tours even though we were inland. The city was much more pleasant in the evening when it was cooler and the crowds had thinned.
On our second day, we visited the David and the Uffizi. Back in March we had asked our hotel to make us reservations, which saved us long waits in line. My children thought the David was fantastic and spent quite a while studying it. The Uffizi, which we saw later in the day when everyone was more tired, did not go over as well. My oldest son noted that all the pictures looked the same. Obviously not true, but there are quite a few Madonna and child pictures. We were surprised that the museums we visited in Italy do not have A/C. We wondered about the effect of the heat and humidity on the artwork. Anyway, with the heat and the kids' waning interest, we left after about an hour.
My 8 year old had fun looking in the markets for soccer jerseys. He picked out an Italian Totti jersey, which made him a big hit with the Italians. Every time he wore it, people would chant "Totti, Totti, Totti!" He is looking forward to the match today. More later...
Jul 10th, 2006, 02:36 PM
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Our final destination was Venice, one of my favorite cities. We tried to get reservations for the high speed train between Florence and Venice a couple days ahead. Although we had first class rail passes, there were no 1st class seat reservations available any time that day. We made 2nd class reservations, which were fine, although it did bug me that we had paid for 1st class and because we waited too long we were in 2nd. My best advice is to book well ahead for that route.
I still LOVE Venice, but it has changed so much. The last time I was there (16 yrs. ago), it was not so chi chi--no Prada, Gucci, Versace, etc. The areas around St. Mark's and Rialto have been completely turned over to tourism and therefore are less interesting to me. On my last visit, there were small groceries and stores that didn't just sell masks and Murano glass. There is a bit of a Disneyland feel to those areas. What I realized on this trip is that we like the areas where people really live.
Thankfully, we stayed in Dorsoduro, which was very quiet. On Saturday night in Campo Santa Margherita, there were boys playing soccer and children on bikes and locals enjoying the evening air. It was a delightful break from the crowds across the Grand Canal.
We stayed at Casa Rezzonico, which had pluses and minuses. It is on a quiet canal and has a nice garden, which we enjoyed in the afternoon and evening. the staff is friendly and helpful with recommendations. Unfortunately, I got cheap at the end and booked one room for the 5 of us. It was represented as a large room, but between beds and suitcases, it was hard to walk through. Also, although it was on the first floor, the windows were small and high, which made it feel like a basement room. It did, however, have A/C. I think the upstairs rooms do not. Another benefit of the hotel is that it is only a 10 minute walk to Piazzale Roma, where you can pick up a 2 euro bus to the airport--a real savings over the private water taxi we thought we were going to have to take in the early A.M.!!
My boys were fascinated by Venice. It is one of the places that you will always remember, whereas over time, I am sure many of the Tuscan hill towns will blur together.
I hope some of this information is helpful and not too boring. If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them if I can.
I still LOVE Venice, but it has changed so much. The last time I was there (16 yrs. ago), it was not so chi chi--no Prada, Gucci, Versace, etc. The areas around St. Mark's and Rialto have been completely turned over to tourism and therefore are less interesting to me. On my last visit, there were small groceries and stores that didn't just sell masks and Murano glass. There is a bit of a Disneyland feel to those areas. What I realized on this trip is that we like the areas where people really live.
Thankfully, we stayed in Dorsoduro, which was very quiet. On Saturday night in Campo Santa Margherita, there were boys playing soccer and children on bikes and locals enjoying the evening air. It was a delightful break from the crowds across the Grand Canal.
We stayed at Casa Rezzonico, which had pluses and minuses. It is on a quiet canal and has a nice garden, which we enjoyed in the afternoon and evening. the staff is friendly and helpful with recommendations. Unfortunately, I got cheap at the end and booked one room for the 5 of us. It was represented as a large room, but between beds and suitcases, it was hard to walk through. Also, although it was on the first floor, the windows were small and high, which made it feel like a basement room. It did, however, have A/C. I think the upstairs rooms do not. Another benefit of the hotel is that it is only a 10 minute walk to Piazzale Roma, where you can pick up a 2 euro bus to the airport--a real savings over the private water taxi we thought we were going to have to take in the early A.M.!!
My boys were fascinated by Venice. It is one of the places that you will always remember, whereas over time, I am sure many of the Tuscan hill towns will blur together.
I hope some of this information is helpful and not too boring. If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them if I can.
Jul 10th, 2006, 02:46 PM
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Great report. We used the Rick Steves' book for his walking tour of the Uffizi. There is one part where he says, "What is different about this room? Note that this is the first room without a single Madonna and Child." LOL
I guess the heat descended after we left. I know that we shouldn't complain about highs of 60-65, but we packed clothes for highs of 85-95 and froze! And you're right about the designer stores in Venice - there was no place to buy a jacket, unless we wanted Prada or Versace!
I guess the heat descended after we left. I know that we shouldn't complain about highs of 60-65, but we packed clothes for highs of 85-95 and froze! And you're right about the designer stores in Venice - there was no place to buy a jacket, unless we wanted Prada or Versace!
Jul 10th, 2006, 03:06 PM
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I went to Italy for the first time last summer and am reliving the experience via your post. I am also hoping you will report on your Switzerland visit, as it is one of my favorite places in the world!
Jul 11th, 2006, 03:11 PM
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Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Missypie-- those temperatures sound pretty good, but I know what you mean about not having the right clothes packed. I wouldn't have been prepared for 60's weather. Susan--I posted the Switzerland portion of our trip separately on the Swiss forum. We loved it there too!! LC--My boys were lucky to get to see all this. I didn't go to Europe until college. We used the last of our Delta frequent flyer miles to go. Everyone is going to be in for a let down for our next trip. We won't be going so far given that we will have to buy 5 tickets!
Jul 12th, 2006, 06:13 AM
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Yes, things add up when you're paying for 5 people, don't they? Our youngest is 10, so we got almost no "childrens" rates (and the student rates seem to be reserved in most places for EU residents). Whenever admission or a restaurant tab seemed outragous, I would just tell myself, "You chose to have three kids; you chose to bring five people here; if you divide this bill by 5, it's really not so expensive."
Jul 12th, 2006, 10:55 AM
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Missy--that's a good way of looking at it!! We were surprised that the discounts for children were only for EU residents. We went to Greece last summer (FF miles again), and almost all the sites were free for children, even my older boys. BTW, I read a lot of your posts before we left and you had some great questions that were helpful to us--thanks!
Jul 12th, 2006, 11:11 AM
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Thanks! Restaurants were quite a shock, price wise. So many guidebooks list the "average price of dinner for 2", so I would get those prices in my mind. Likewise, lots of folks on this board a kind enough to post the price of their various meals. I read "dinner was 60 euro." That sounds great - but if that was for two people, then that means 150 for us...not so great!
Jul 12th, 2006, 04:01 PM
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I know what you mean. Luckily, 2 of my boys are rather picky, so they ate a lot of Margherita pizza, which was reasonbly priced. We drank a lot of water at meals, as soft drinks were expensive. We probably spent the most on gelato!!
Aug 16th, 2006, 09:44 AM
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Francesca Caruso's e-mail is [email protected]. She charges 45 euro per hour, speaks beautiful English, and is very knowledgable. Be sure to reserve her way ahead as she is very popular.
Aug 25th, 2006, 01:44 PM
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Digbydog, Thankyou for the very interesting reports. I will be travelling with my teenages to Italy as well and found your information really useful. I went on the sleepintialy.com site and found an apartment on Via del Giubbionori for ~250E. Is this in the range you paid? Also, I can't decide whether to stay in Pienza or the Siena area as my base for Tuscany. We will be coming from Venice and eventually going to Cinq Terre. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Tx Jim
Aug 26th, 2006, 11:34 AM
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Jim, glad you found the report helpful. We paid 165 euros for our apartment, which was less than it normally rents for. ( They gave it to us for the same rate of the apartment we had originally booked. Usually, it rents for 160-220 euros). Our apartment was just off Via del Giubbionari. Giubbionari is a rather busy street, as it feeds into Campo dei Fiori. If you stay there, make sure you have air conditioning so that you can't hear the street noise. We loved our Piazza del Monte di Pieta apartment!
Whether to choose the area around Pienza or Siena, depends what you like to do. The area around Pienza is very rural and was exactly what I pictured Tuscany to be like--lots of rolling farmland, cedar trees, haystacks, sunflowers, and charming farmhouses. We enjoyed walking around the little towns, but after a while, they do tend to blur together. If it had not been so hot, we would have enjoyed taking one of the walks between towns, such as Pienza to Montichiello. If you are going in summer, I would advise getting accommodations with a pool on site. With kids, it is nice to take a swim on a hot afternoon.
The area around Siena gives you access to hilltowns, as well as cities (i.e., Siena and Florence). Teenagers might find cities a little more interesting than the hilltowns. This area also fits in a little better with your travel plans, although it is not a very long drive from Siena to Pienza (1 1/2 hours??). That being said, we did not truly enjoy our time in Florence or Siena--both were very HOT and overwhelmed with tourists. (You don't say when you are going. Spring break might be more enjoyable than summer.) And we did not find the area to be as beautiful as southern Tuscany. If I were going again, I would pick Pienza in a heartbeat!
I have always wanted to visit Cinque Terre, but was scared off by the many posts saying how crowded it is. However, we had friends who visited this summer, and they said it was not busy and was their favorite part of their trip.
Have a great time! I wish we were doing it all over again. If you have any other questions, let me know.
Whether to choose the area around Pienza or Siena, depends what you like to do. The area around Pienza is very rural and was exactly what I pictured Tuscany to be like--lots of rolling farmland, cedar trees, haystacks, sunflowers, and charming farmhouses. We enjoyed walking around the little towns, but after a while, they do tend to blur together. If it had not been so hot, we would have enjoyed taking one of the walks between towns, such as Pienza to Montichiello. If you are going in summer, I would advise getting accommodations with a pool on site. With kids, it is nice to take a swim on a hot afternoon.
The area around Siena gives you access to hilltowns, as well as cities (i.e., Siena and Florence). Teenagers might find cities a little more interesting than the hilltowns. This area also fits in a little better with your travel plans, although it is not a very long drive from Siena to Pienza (1 1/2 hours??). That being said, we did not truly enjoy our time in Florence or Siena--both were very HOT and overwhelmed with tourists. (You don't say when you are going. Spring break might be more enjoyable than summer.) And we did not find the area to be as beautiful as southern Tuscany. If I were going again, I would pick Pienza in a heartbeat!
I have always wanted to visit Cinque Terre, but was scared off by the many posts saying how crowded it is. However, we had friends who visited this summer, and they said it was not busy and was their favorite part of their trip.
Have a great time! I wish we were doing it all over again. If you have any other questions, let me know.
