mnowak

Hello,

I am planning a family trip to Italy and need some help with the details. I will be traveling witha family of 10 including 3 thirteen year olds. Our flights get us into Rome the morning of Jun13th and our flight out of Rome is June 21st in the morning.

I was thinking about breaking down the trip into Rome, Siena, and Florence.
At each of the stops we would like to see and do as much as possible, while keeping in mind that the 3 teenagers must be entertained. What should the break down be?

Should we rent a car, spend a couple days in Rome, then drive to Siena and stay for a couple of days, then drive to Florence for a couple days and then back to Rome? Should we travel by train, or do a tour that allows us to throw our luggage in a coach bus that drops us off at our hotel at each location?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

DonTopaz

Please tell me that this is for 201<u>2</u> and not 2011.

If it's for 2011 and you do not yet have accommodations reserved for a family of 10, you have some major issues to sort out before trying to deal with details of your itinerary.

jamikins

With one week with that many people I would recommend staying in one place.

Do you have more than 1 person that can drive? If so I would rent a villa in Tuscany or Umbria with a pool, and do day trips.

Moving with that many people will take A LONG time!

Check out www.slowtrav.com from lots of advice on renting villas.

bardo1

I think you can swing two home-base locations (MAX!) for your short stay. Especially with a group of 10! Three stays in a week is just asking for trouble (and using up much valuable time).

Agree - look at slowtrav.com You'll need to get TWO, 2-br apartments for Rome but will be able to find a villa that will house all of you in

Here's one place that has multiple, perfectly located apartments in the historic center of Rome. Check also the other agencies listed in slowtrav

http://www.palazzo-olivia.it/

Check also the other agencies listed in slowtrav but contact them by email and explain you want multiple apartments in the same building, the dates, and see which agency can deliver that.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/listings/rome.asp


Here's a listing for Tuscany - again pick ONE base here convenient to both Sienna and Florence.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/listings/tuscany.asp

jim21

This request certainly is a challenge if it is indeed for 2011. I like jamikins idea of staying in one place and I share DonTapaz' concern about accommodations. You must understand there is a possibility that your trip could be a failure if you do not take decisive action now.

You only have 8 days, including your first day which is always a challenge, so you must spend your time economically. Here are my recommendations...

Find an apartment or rooms in Rome ASAP for the entire time...preferably within walking distance of Roma Termini. Availability may be limited so you may have to relocate during your stay.

I would forget about leasing a car. You would have to rent a large van or two cars and the tolls, gas, parking and insurance would be very expensive, even for a party of 10.

On one day take the Eurostar to and from Florence. They leave every half hour and the trip is only 1:35. That should give you a good 8 to 10 hours in Florence. If you decide to do this and want to visit the Accademia to see David and/or the Uffizi, you must make your reservations now.

On another day you can take a train to Orvieto. This will give you a hill town experience and it is only 1:10 each way. I prefer Siena but you would have to transfer trains and the entire trip could take up to 4:00 each way.

Take another day and take the Metro to Ostia Antica. This will give you the experience of ruins that are similar to Pompeii. It is only about :45 each way.

The other days you can spend in Rome. You could be in Rome for 3 weeks and still not see everything so there will be no shortage of sites.

Good luck and good travels!

blakejared

I agree that you should probably choose either Tuscany (which would include Florence and Siena/other day trips) or the Rome area (Rome itself takes 4-5 days at least and maybe take the train down to Pompeii/Mt.Vesuvius/Naples on the other days).

Cutting it down to 4 days in Florence and 4 days in Rome is do-able too, I suppose, though rushed. Siena is a simple day-trip from Florence, and doesn't really warrant more than 1 day.