Help with our Italy itinerary with three young boys, 7-10yo.
 

We will be making our first international trip with 10YO, 8YO and 7YO boys. I think we will have 8 full days, plus the day we arrive at like 8am and the day we leave at maybe 1-5pm (still working on which flights.)

We are coming the last week of June. Finding it very hard to pick what to do. With that amount of time we are thinking two to three locations, and maybe a day trip or two from one of those bases.

All we really know is that we will probably fly into Rome. Outbound location tbd. Our boys love outdoors activities, like beaches, swimming, boating and hikes. We also want to do some sight seeing in cities and towns etc, and to expose them to the culture, also considering my wife is more interested in that then the beaches. We don’t want to be queuing in lines with huge crowds that often, as we will start to receive complaints from the peanut gallery, but expect to do a little of that to see a couple special things. A sailboat or ferry ride, or maybe even renting a boat would be killer.

Sardinia looked amazing, but not sure if the logistics of visiting there work in our short window. We couldn’t figure out whether to head north or south from Rome. Amalfi coast looks like an amazing experience if we aren’t doing Sardinia, but otherwise seems like the north maybe has more to offer? Cinque Terra looks gorgeous, but I had trouble telling how much there would be to do there.

Dolomites would be great, but require a lot of time to get up that far north, and I’m not sure how much we could see there in early summer. Florence and Tuscany seem like we could probably skip them with kids. But then again those hot springs look really cool.

Venice would be cool to see while it still exists, but not sure what to do with the kids there.

Obviously the list goes on.

Currently we are leaning toward Rome/Amalfi.

Help!

I think the Amalfi coast would be great. Day trip to Capri, beach time and visit to towns along the Amalfi coast would be ideal. Even a visit to Herculaneum would be great (more manageable than Pompeii).

Don't over think the trip. What do the kids want to do? They need to be involved so they will have a great time also.

Good luck!

Just shift over to Ostia, or explore Lazio, the region around Rome. Who needs another long train ride on a short holiday?

Explore the ruins of Ostia Antica, take a Zodiac ride to look for dolphins, stroll the Lido and beach, check the hot springs of Viterbo or the truly odd theme park of Bomarzo.

https://www.arttrav.com/it/northern-...hout-tourists/
https://www.visitostia.tv/en/activities/

You will have to decide if you want to rent a car or not.

At that age, my boys were interested in castles, some history, and hands on activities. They were not as impressed by post card pretty villages. (Of course, yours may be different.)

If you rent a car, you might consider a few days in Rome, then head to an agriturismo in the area of Viterbo/Lago di Bolsena. From there you could do a day trip to local hot springs or Orvieto, an interesting town with a beautiful cathedral, an engineering marvel of a well and underground passages that you can visit. At the end of the day, you could go back to your agriturismo and enjoy pool time.

Or you could take the train to Sorrento (under 3 hours). From there you could explore Herculaneum (maybe a better choice than Pompeii), day trip to Naples, do some hikes or take a ferry to Amalfi Coast towns or one of the islands, like Capri. Then fly out of Naples.

Great thoughts, thank you!

If this trip is 8 weeks away, you need to make basic itinerary decisions and look for lodging ASAP. Obviously, the flights you book will determine the "bookends," and you'll need to be at or very near your departure airport the night before your flight to home.

Eight days isn't very long, esp. assuming there will be some jet lag the first day or two. If you decide on Rome and the Amalfi Coast area, see if you can fly either into or out of Naples to avoid the backtrack to Rome. Look for lodging in the Amalfi Coast area NOW. You may have to plan your sightseeing (if not itinerary) around the availability of lodging in your budget range with the amenities you need.

If the AC doesn't work out, reconsider the Dolomites. Arrive/depart Venice, spend a day or two at Lake Garda (ferries, boats), visit Bolzano for the Ice Man Museum and then spend a few days exploring the mountain passes and lakes and riding some cable cars and gondolas. There are castles and several forts/fortifications from World War I scattered throughout the area.

If you want to reconsider Sardinia, look for flights into Olbia or Cagliari. There are one-hour flights to both cities from FCO and to Cagliari only from Ciampino airport. I would start or end the trip on Sardinia and visit Rome for a few days at one end, not both.

Yup, thanks Jean!

What Jean said re: booking flights and accommodations as soon as you possibly can. Given your wish list, here's what I'd do if it were me:

- Fly into Rome and home from Naples. Spend your first 4 to 5 nights in Rome and see the Colosseum, Forum, Capitoline Hill, Pantheon, Vatican/St. Peter's. Do a food tour in Trastevere, walk the Appian Way (on a car-free Sunday), perhaps take a side trip to Ostia Antica if you have time.
- Next, take the fast train from Rome to Naples and then transfer to Sorrento/the Amalfi Coast. Hotels are likely to be almost entirely full by now so your home base may depend on where you can find availability. Sorrento would be my choice with kids that age, all things being equal. Take the ferry between Amalfi Coast towns (Positano, Amalfi et al). Visit Pompeii. Spend at least a day on Capri and hire a boat for a sailing tour - lots of fun and you can usually jump off and swim.
- No need to rent a car. Trust me, you don't want a car in Rome and you definitely don't want to drive on the Amalfi Coast if you've never been there.

That is a very short amount of time. If this is their first trip to Europe, you really don't know what they like. For example, my kids always loved the idea of scrambling over and around ruins. If they've never seen a castle in ruins, how do you know that a beach would take precedent? Or a clifftop village? When my kids were that age we always went for the biggest variety of activities. How do you know they wouldn't be thrilled with Hadrian's Villa or Villa d'Este? Or a church decorated with thousands of skulls and bones? Or a necropolis?

I would stick as close to Rome as possible. The region has so much to offer.

I think this is exactly what we will do. Thank you. We'll get on accommodations ASAP.

One question regarding flying out of Naples. It looks like it will cost us more, and add roughly the same amount of time to the flight as taking the train back to Rome. Maybe I'm wrong there? Seems like the train would be preferable. Unless it will take a lot longer in reality?

I mean, we don't! We will try and give them a big variety of experiences. I still think we'll do two locations, Rome and Sorrento. Thank you though!

You could definitely take the train back to Rome and stay in an airport hotel. I wouldn't chance trying to train back on the day of your flight - too much potential for delays.

You will have a wonderful trip and what a great gift to give your boys!
I love the Rome/Sorrento combination!

I think it important to know where you are coming from. If you have a non stop into Rome, that is an easy decision. But if you have to use connecting flights, you have the ability to fly in and out of different destinations. Are you familiar with an open jaw ticket? Don't look at 2 different one ways, that gets very expensive

My favorite way to travel is to hit the active busy part of the trip first, because you are running on adrenalin, and then go to the relaxing portion. But with your little guys, maybe a soft landing at the beach, would help them to acclimate better. What kind of energy level do they usually have?

So if you are landing in Rome so early, just power through, fly or train to Naples. And do that part first. Then train to Rome to do that portion of the trip last. Or if you prefer Rome first, see where else you can connect to go back home from Naples, it doesn't have to through Rome.
Enjoy!

Thank you everyone!

We are booked! We are going to do Rome the first five nights, and then after watching/reading a bunch, we landed on an AirBnB in Maoiri for the next four nights. A good amount cheaper, but has the best beach (from what I can gather). We'll be right on the water to easily grab ferries wherever we need to go. We'll be coming down from Rome early in the morning, and I'm thinking that would be the best time to do Pompei or Vesuvius, so we don't have to backtrack. Now accepting suggestions! Have to determine how early I need to book anything in particular.

So it'll look roughly like this:

Day 1: Arrive in Rome at noon.
Day 2: Rome
Day 3: Rome
Day 4: Rome
Day 5: Rome - Day trip somewhere?
Day 6: Travel to Maoiri, maybe stop in Pompei? Evening in Maoiri?
Day 7: Maoiri - Positano?
Day 8: Maoiri - Capri
Day 9: Maoiri - Stay in Maori? Rent a boat? Sailboat ride?
Day 10: Travel back to Rome for a 5:45pm flight

If there are particular sites you want to see in Rome I would book those now. The end of June is going to be very busy and very hot, so bear that in mind. We took our then 14 yr old to Rome third week of June one year and we got out early in the morning, did our tours etc, lots of water breaks, had lunch then went back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.

Pompei has no shade and I would not take 3 young boys there on a hot day personally. Herculaneum might be a better option. Have you thought about what you would do with your luggage if you stop on the way to Maiori? So you would take the fast train Rome to Naples, go downstairs at Napoli Centrale and switch to either the Circumvesuviana (it's a commuter train so often crowded and you might have to stand) or there is a new tourist train called the Campania Express, those 2 lines take you to Sorrento (Circumvesuviana stops at Herculaneum and Pompei, not sure about the Campania Express) then you have to get from Sorrento to Maiori. (no train connection). Some people opt for a private driver from Naples to the Amalfi and if you did that, you could stop at one of the sites and leave your luggage in the car with the driver.
Alternatively, you could take the fast train Rome to Salerno and then a taxi to Maiori. You would not be able to stop at Pompei doing this but it would be the easiest, no fuss way to get from your first destination to the next.

A good resource is Rome2Rio, this would be useful for seeing what ferry options there are from Maiori as well. I have the Trainline app on my phone, very useful for booking trains all over Europe, you will get updates etc and your tickets are stored there.

Not to put you off because the whole Amalfi area is gorgeous but it is also very popular and will be crowded when you are there. So just hanging in Maiori at the lovely beach might be a very nice option, or book a private boat trip to Capri, or a small boat trip tour there. The ferries and buses will be really busy.

That sounds like a great trip!

Hadn’t thought through luggage yet, so thanks for the pointers! Perhaps a driver from Naples could make sense.

Might consider whether there are any places a young budding geologist (my 10 year old) might like in the region.

Vesuvius surely?

Yes, but I was also wondering about some place he might even be able to look for some minerals to keep.

I don't think you're allowed to bring back any rocks/minerals. I say this because another frequent poster, ekscrunchy, talked about having some confiscated at the airport on her way home.

Fines for stealing bits of Italy are pretty high, 2017 law

As mentioned, Pompeii can be too hot for 3 small kids. But the climb to Vesuvius can be at a whole other level of scorching. The gravel (primarily decomposed lava rock) retains and radiates heat. It's about 2.5 miles one way, and, no surprise, the first half is all climbing and stairs. Carry lots of water. FYI, no toilets on the trail.

You now need to buy timed tickets, and departures are staggered to maintain trail safety. Check availability and book the earliest entry you think you can manage, considering Maiori is about an hour away by taxi.

Make time for some hikes inland from Amalfi, Atrani or Maiori if someone wants to look for mineral deposits in the limestone. You’ll have to research the legalities of taking any away with you.
https://www.mindat.org/loc-289232.html

The waterfall on the Valle dei Mulini/Valle dei Ferriere walk from Amalfi is magical at all times but especially welcome on a hot day.

Speaking of hot days, two good cooling destinations in Rome are the Church of San Clemente with its many layers, and the Domus Aurea, Nero’s palace still under excavation, with an interesting virtual reality segment. Must be booked in advance, only open certain days.

Positano in my opinion is worth a glimpse from the sea as you ferry to and from Capri.

Another vote for Herculaneum. And for that driver. Book them for the return trip if you are gambling on a same-day return to Rome — train from Salerno might work better than from Naples. Did you book flexible air tickets?

A couple of things your boys might find interesting:

The Capuchin Crypt in Rome. Read about it and look at some pictures to see what you think.

A tour of the underground excavations in Naples.
You can find videos of the underground archeological excavations to see what your boys think. We had seen a PBS show of it several years ago and I was intrigued. We thought it was fascinating and fun. BTW, don’t be led to buy tours from outside companies. I couldn’t believe some prices I saw! Tickets should
be around $16.50 for adults booked through the website. Just look for Napoli Underground. It has another correct Italian name, but I don’t remember it off hand. It was easy to find.

We just returned from a 2 week trip from the Cotswolds and Rhodes. I started taking my family abroad when my youngest was 8 and the oldest 9 and we averaged 2-3 trips a year until their College and Graduate schools days when it dropped to once a year. In the beginning we never asked them where they wanted to go or what they wanted to do. They just went along with it. Now they do have some opinions as to where they would like to go. Now much of what we do day to day is planned by my youngest who uses all sorts of information of the web to guide us. We now go once or twice a year as everyone has responsibilities. Since Dad still pays they still enjoy going. My only advice is not to worry about your children, They are young and adaptable. Mine are girls and yours are boys which may be a factor but other wise I would not worry about them except to note that youngsters can get tired easily, Try not to do to much. I think two destinations for a short 8 day trip is fine. I would prefer to go directly to the Amalfi and leave Rome for the last if you can schedule it that way. Italy will be crowed and hot, possibly scorching if you have an unlucky 40 degrees heat wave. learn to adapt. Have fun.

Hi,
The problem with Italy is there's so much to chose from. Eight days may sound like a long time but it's not with 3 kids, a wife and twice as many bags in tow. I'd suggests 2 stops: Rome + Amalfi (4 + 4). That way you get a feel for each and can schedule some fun family activities. In Rome you could raft down the Tiber, go to gladiator school, bike along the Appia Antica, discover Circo Massimo with VR helmets and let the boys wander the ancient streets of Ostia Antica. In Amalfi you could go on a full day boat tour, go kayaking, learn how to make pasta and relax at the beach. I wouldn't bother with the train but hire a driver to transport you between destinations.

Great stuff everyone, thank you! We are doing 4+4 Rome/Amalfi, and we'll be looking at all these suggestions.

Yeah, we've since seen this was the case. Bummer.

We looked at this, and it sounds great.

That makes sense. We'll have to weigh if they can actually handle this.

Herculaneum over Pompei seems like a repeating theme here.

I had been thinking a train from Salerno would be safe for a 5:45pm flight. On the way FROM Rome to Amalfi, potentially stopping at Vesuvius I see they have baggage lockers, or we could get off there and hire a driver the rest of the way.

We couldn't with the points setup we were using.

That sounds very cool!

Great suggestions, thank you.

Even from Rome down to Naples/Sorrento? I did want to give the boys a little train experience since the US is sorely lacking in that department.

Your boys are sure to enjoy the Napoli Souterranea or Naples Underground, narrow underground passages, some so narrow I was scared of getting stuck. I strongly recommend this, the guided tours take about 2hours.

A boat tour on the Amalfi Coast with swimming, etc should be a fun day trip. I believe Maiori has a good beach, so that’ll be a great way to chill and enjoy water activities.

Have a fabulous trip and come back to tell us all about it, especially what your sons made of Italy!

I would take the train from Rome to Naples, you can book the fast train, I think your boys would love how fast it goes and it would be a great experience for them.
You could either then connect onward to Sorrento on the commuter train and get a driver from there to Maiori or get a driver to collect you at Napoli Centrale and then you could do a stop at Herculaneum or Vesuvius.

This sounds like a good plan.

We are going to travel to Naples on what would have been our fourth full day in Rome, and explore there some, stay the night, then do herculuem in the morning before continuing onto Maori.

Wife vetoed the underground caves. 😂 The tight passages are a no go.

We’ve got the gladiator school as the only thing scheduled on the day we arrive. (I know, super touristy but have to throw the kids a bone.)

Colosseum / Roman forum / palatine hill tour on day two.

Vatican museum and Sistine chapel on day three.

Then one full day where we haven’t planned anything yet. Any suggestions for kids?

Still need to decide what to do in Naples on day five as well.

I think the Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre are more popular with middle aged adults than with kids. The beaches are small, stony, and crowded. I agree with going to the Lido of Ostia, which is right in Rome. I would skip the famous overcrowded museums (looking at you, Vatican). There are some great smaller museums in Rome if you want to include a little culture.

I live in Italy, and I've taken my granddaughter to Rome nearly every year since she was a toddler. She's now 18, and we spent last weekend in Rome. Here are some of the things she enjoyed when she was 7-10.

• The Villa Borghese park. There is a little lake with boats, and you can rent 4-person bicycle carts.
• The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Try to find a guide who's good with kids. I think something like this would be great, although it's expensive. https://www.contexttravel.com/cities...nd-roman-forum
• Galleria Doria Pamphili, a sumptuous Renaissance palazzo, still owned by descendants of the powerful Renaissance family. The family's original art collection is displayed, so there's your culture. An excellent audio guide is included. When I was last there, it was narrated by a member of the family, and he talked about roller skating with his cousins in the marbled halls. https://www.doriapamphilj.it/roma/
• Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman port city. This site is even bigger than Pompeii and much less crowded. You can see an ancient Roman theater, a bar, a multi-story apartment building, and the ancient public toilets, with side-by-side seating, separated by sex. When you entered, you picked up a sponge on a stick, dunked in sea water, and this was your toilet paper. You left it in a vat of sea water on the way out. https://www.doriapamphilj.it/roma/
• The Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, a museum of ancient art and various other artifacts. My granddaughter was fascinated by Greek and Roman deities, and there were lots of statues of those.There is also the mummy of a little girl, buried with her doll. (Last weekend my granddaughter said she wanted to go back there, 10 years after her last visit. But we ran out of time.) https://museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/en/palazzo-massimo/

You could easily spend the whole time in Rome. But there are some interesting day trips you could take. I'll try to get back to that.
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Lake Garda has a lot of things to entertain children, but it's a long way from Rome. It would be better to fly into Venice or Milan, or maybe into one and out of the other. You could spend two nights in Venice and two in Milan. (Everyone will tell you two nights isn't enough for Venice, but I think it's enough for 7-10 year old kids. ) In Milan, there is a huge castle right in the center of town. https://www.milanocastello.it/en
Your kids would also probably love the "terraces" of the roof of the Duomo: a fantastic forest of over a hundred Gothic spires, and gargoyles, spires, and statues.​​​​
https://www.duomomilano.it/en/art-an.../the-terraces/

Lake Garda has a wonderful amusement park, Gardaland. You can take boat rides on the lake; in the northern end, near the Swiss border, you can see the beginning of the Alps. In the town of Malcesine, you can take a cable car to the top of Mount Baldo. It's another place my granddaughter loved.
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I was writing my post when you posted yours, so I missed it. I didn't realize you had already planned out your time in detail.

The one thing I suggest is not to do so many tours. They move slowly and are usually very boring for kids. I especially suggest cancelling the Vatican tour. The Museums are horrendously crowded and huge, and there's almost nothing there that would interest a child. I'll tell you a story.

About 5 years ago my cousin and her husband came to Rome with three adolescents. I offered to go with them to Rome and show them around. My cousin had arranged a private tour of the Vatican. I warned her about the Vatican Museums, but she said it was on her "bucket list". She offered to include me in the tour, but I declined. Much as I love art, I long ago decided I would never return there except perhaps on an evening tour, which is usually less crowded.

So my relatives arrived at the meeting point inside the museum by the ticket office. The kids saw the crowds and flatly refused to go any further. The two adults were outvoted, so they abandoned the tour. Actually I think my cousin's husband was secretly on the side of the kids.

We took my granddaughter to the Vatican Museums on a Friday evening once. She wasn't particularly impressed by the Sistine Chapel. (She was much more impressed by the Doria Pamphili Gallery, which I mentioned above. ) The only thing she was really enthusiastic about at the Vatican Museums was the Egyptian Collection, because she was a big admirer of ancient Egyptian civilization as well as Greek and Roman mythology.

You might want to see if you can get an evening reservation on the day you have to visit.

If you can't find an evening tour and you really want to see some of the Vatican, I suggest you visit St. Peter's Basilica instead of the Vatican Museums. There is often a long security line, but once inside it's not very crowded. Your kids might also like going up to the dome. I've never done it.

Another vote for St Peter’s Basilica rather than the Vatican museums, easier to do at your own speed, awesome for any age. Not open on Wednesday mornings due to the papal audience in the square.

I also agree with the recommendations for Ostia Antica and the Borghese park.

With regard to heat, Ostia Antica, which I mentioned above, is better than either Pompeii or Herculaneum. It's a bit further north, is on the sea, and it has some shade. However, if it's really very hot, any archeological site will be a bit miserable.

By the way, there's no air-conditioning in most of the Vatican Museums, and you'll be sharing the space with several thousand sweaty bodies. On the long, long hallway to the Sistine Chapel, the only things the small children will see are the backsides in front of them.

Alright, I hear you about the tours. We will consider changing plans.

Glad to hear you're reconsidering, and I hope that means cancelling the Vatican Museums. Two years ago, I returned there, not having been there since 2005, because a friend was with me and wanted to go. We took an evening tour which still had a lot of people, although not the mobs of daytime, but I had forgotten how many stairs there are! A ton, and an elevator only in a couple places that didn't help much. I agree that the kids would probably hate it.

And I hope you're giving up climbing Vesuvius. I haven't done it, but I can't imagine taking three young kids on a five-mile hike in the heat, half of which is straight up!

FYI everyone, the trip last year was a great success! Going to make a new post about hitting Northern Italy & Switzerland!