Hi ,
We are planning on going to Italy in July for two weeks. Rented a villa in Arezzo, plan on picking car up at Florence airport and driving to villa. Traveling with my husband and 4 children ages 17,14,8,7,.
My husband spoke to people at work that have been to Italy and basically they told him our kids are going to be bored after about 3 or 4 days. How many old churches and towns etc.. can you see!! He's also concern about driving and just about everything else. Can we drive to the sea from where we are too? He loves the ocean. I don't want to cancel this trip because I REALLY want to go. Any suggestions I would really appreciate it.Plus my children are exicted about the trip. Thanks Red

Did you plan on staying in the villa the entire time? Does the villa have an recreational facilities (pool, tennis, etc).

There's plenty to do in Italy for your kids. Are you flying round trip from FLorence? You can easily spend a few days there. Take the kids to the History of Science Museum, it's a nice break from the art museums.

I'm not familiar with Arezzo (the town or the location), but I'm sure there are interesting small towns in the area that would be worth exploring.

The highway driving is pretty easy. Toll booths take credit cards, and the roads are marked fairly well. The cities could be tough. Don't even attempt to drive into Rome. If you do drive into any of the cities, pick up good road maps in advance.

I would love to spend 2 weeks in a villa in Italy with my family.

Give them each an assiginment to research--some activity they want to do that fits in with your itinerary. It might be a museum, a hike, a trip to the beach, a visit to a town with caves or a funicular, an afternoon snooze at the villa. . . if it's their choice, there's a better chance they'll enjoy almost anything. Spread out the kid choices throughout the two weeks.

Please don't pay attention to other people telling you that your kids will be bored. You know your kids better than anyone.

When we went to Disneyland we just loved it and found new things to explore every day. On the flight home was a family with kids about our kids' ages that was coming home early because they got bored at Disneyland.

Years ago my BIL had a business meeting in Paris and he took his wife along. They spent the 4 days in Paris for the business meeting, then went to London for two days. Thereafter, they proclaimed that they had seen Europe and didn't need to go back. So if your husband talked to them, they would say that your trip to Italy was not worth the time or money and thatyou'd all be bored!.

Just plan what you all enjoy and you'll have a great time!

The best advice I can give: Ignore the naysayers whom your husband works with! Your kids are in for an experience of a lifetime!

Thanks everyone! The villa does have a pool and horses. The owner also cooks
a dinner for 12 everyweek in her garden with live music. I'm not going to listen to anyone.We are going!! Now to find cheap airfare for 6 wish me luck Red

Sounds like your husband's work mates are JEALOUS with a capital J! There are good resources for things to do with kids in Italy, and not everything involves traipsing around churches!
Enjoy!