caitg

We will be in Venice over Christmas and will end up in Sicily in the New Year. In between we will be going to Rome and Naples with a day in Pompeii. The question is whether to stop in Florence before going to Rome or skip it. If we go to Florence we will only end up with one full and 2 part days there and I have been told it is not that great for young children .. our son is 4. Thoughts, anyone?

quokka

Rome, Venice, Naples and Pompeii will just as great for young children as Florence, or not. A multi-city race, no matter if 4 or 5 stops in one week, is the last thing I'd want to do with a young child.

Vttraveler

I would skip Florence this trip. It is a great city for art history if you are able to go into the museums and churches but could be frustrating with a young child. And as the last post says, you are already planning to make a lot of stops

Dobermina

It's true, you do have many stops with a young child and I would say to cut something out. But Firenze is a beautiful place to go, and speaking for myself, I know as a child I enjoyed it immensely. I would actually chose Firenze over Napoli and Pompeii or Venice! What is your son interested in? Is he a good traveler or kind of antsy? All these will help determine what cities are best and how many places you really think both he and you as parents can handle in such a limited time frame.

Sassafrass

IMHO, Florence would be easier with a four year old than Pompeii, especially for a whole day. A whole day walking in Pompeii for a four year old will be a bit difficult.

Sally30

Although I agree with the others that you may have too many stops, I am not sure why Florence would be any worse than another European or Italian city.

I was there (just for the day) with my almost 3 year old last month and it was fine. It is easy to navigate by stroller and there is plenty to see outside or in churches. Personally I am thrilled to go to a city where the art is in churches rather than museums because I find that churches are great for children. They are big, nothing to bump into, rarely crowded and (if there is not a service going on) one doesn't have to be silent. The kids can walk around and have lots of different things to look at (my daughter was fascinated by all the "mommy and baby" statues and paintings, walking on the lines on patterned marble floors, candles, relics). All in all, for a kid the churches are probably a lot more interesting than a museum which is pretty dull if you aren't interested in looking at the paintings. With that in mind, the Uffizi would be tough with a young child. I suggest you and your partner take turns and leave your son outside.
Florence also has plenty of outdoor sculpture, interesting architecture, balloon vendors, gelato shops and other kid friendly things. You'll be fine.

caitg

Thank you to all

Our son is a pretty experienced and laid back traveller .. we took him through Jordan recently with no problems. Venice is a must .. already booked .. and I really want to see Pompeii. It is Florence and Rome in between that are still in the planning stages. I agree that to do both in 5 days is too much so I think we have to miss one. Advice from a friend suggested that Rome might have more for him than Florence, hence the question.

markrosy

Our 4 year old = beaches. Clearly not an option at this time of year. Our 4 year old does not = lengthy spells of car/train/plane travel. I would agree with the others - as few stops as possible.

Try to get to one of the puppet theatres in Sicily, they are a very different experience.

romana2

Hi Caitg,
I live in Rome with my 4 yo and 7 yo sons and am a big fan of travelling in Italy with kids. Like many of the others, I think the question is more how many places you want to see in your time. I certainly don't agree that Florence is less appealing as a destination for children. It's a good walking city and I am sure he would enjoy it. However, it sounds as if you have a lot planned and I am sure your son will enjoy all of your stops. My sons absolutely love Venice -it's just so much fun for them walking around without any cars, crossing over the bridges, running into the flocks of pigeons, watching the fire and police boats go by. By the way, we resort to bribery in the museums - we always promise a gelato afterwards to the son(s) who are good throughout the visit. Up until now, it's worked wonders. Enjoy your trip!

quokka

>one doesn't have to be silent

Arrrgghh. I dislike those tourist churches where the noise level resembles that of a train station. A church is, after all, a place of worship, even when there is no service going on. People come there to pray. Even if you don't share their faith please respect their holy places and keep your voices down.

caitg

markrosy - thanks for the info about the puppets. They are on our list for Sicily.
romana2 - thanks for the tip about gelato bribery!
all - still thinking but am leaning towards just Rome and come back to Florence at another time.