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I give up!!! Need some itinerary help please!!

I give up!!! Need some itinerary help please!!

Old Jul 31st, 2014, 05:29 PM
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I give up!!! Need some itinerary help please!!

Apparently planning a trip when you are older when you have children is much more difficult than when I was younger with just me and my husband. Planning the kids into the trip (girls 7,9 and 13) isn't the issue..it is my crazy schedule and lack of focus! I would love some advice and help (positive comments please..life is hard enough!)

Delta changed our plans on us after we had already put deposits down for accomodations so it isn't as ideal any more but we will manage. We won't be changing them My husband is also accustomed to international travel and driving (we've always rented a car on our European trips)

Our trip is in mid September

Thursday morning arrival to Rome. Pick up car and head for the long drive to Lucca. Ideas for where to stop and stretch our legs? Park in the free lot and take a cab in (as suggested by the apartment owner) Rest, relax, walk around, go to the grocery store etc...go to bed early!!

Friday Pisa..will get tickets soon (my youngest isn't old enough for the tower which is fine with me..not a fan of heights) walk around town (suggestions?) head to lunch then back to Lucca...ideas for lunch? Doesn't have to be in Pisa...anywhere is fine! Afternoon my oldest daughter and I may go on a 2 hour horse ride outside of Lucca..my husband will rent bikes with the girls etc..back in Lucca.

Saturday- adventure park in Selva del Buffardello - San Romano in Garfagnana. Done around noon...ideas for lunch or afternoon excursions? Was thinking the beach or Volterra..other suggestions?

Sunday cinque Terre (my husband I were there pre kids) Drive to ? Then take the train in to Riomaggiore? Take path to Maranola (we swam there last time...still a good place?) hike to Corniglia then take the train back from there? Open to ideas..seriously I think the kids have fried my brain.

Monday morning- leave for Orvieto. Staying at a farm outside, about 10 km. Any place to stop and see on the way? Won't be in a hurry. Just laze around when we get there..swim in pool if it is nice etc...

Tuesday- Orvieto. Do the underground tour, see the duomo. Anything else we must see or do? Best place to park? Good spot for lunch? Afternoon the girls will do a cooking class at the farm and we will eat dinner there.

Wednesday- Dureta. We went there last time. I think the girls will love seeing them painting pottery. We bought some bowls last time so it would be nice to add to our collection. Not sure where to go from there? Need some suggestions please! Then relaxing back at the farm.

Thursday- take train into Rome (dropping car in Orvieto) need to make a train reservation? Arrive at station and take cab to hotel. Check in and relax for a bit. Staying at Relais Badoer. Head to the coliseum...probably do an audio tour..or look into the ones offered through there (suggestions? Don't want to do an organized tour) 5:30 pm free Rome tour then dinner (not sure where?)

Friday- Vatican (need to wake my brain up and figure this out..plan on getting there as early as possible) Lunch? Afternoon head to the cat sanctuary, walk around park..relax. Dinner??

Saturday- take car service to airport (no idea what time our flight leaves..think around 1 pm)

Nothing is set in stone...with kids we will be flexible..if we miss out on things totally fine..but want to have things we can choose to do.

Any and all help is very welcome and needed!!! Thanks
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 05:44 PM
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How about taking the train to Lucca rather than the long drive (4 hours minimum) after a flight.

Shuttle to Tiburtina station; there are trains that take 3 to 3.5 hours (1 change in Florence). You can relax on the train, take a light nap, arrive more relaxed in Lucca.

Pickup the car after day 2 (or after your trip to Pisa) (you can take a train from Lucca to Pisa (30 minutes). You won't have to worry about parking and perhaps getting on a street that you are not allowed to drive on and incurring a hefty violation.

Orvieto to Rome - many trains are regionals and you cannot make reservations. You can make reservations on the IC trains.

Vatican - book tickets ahead from the Vatican web site so you don't need to stand in line.
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 06:56 PM
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I think you're right in being flexible with your planning considering the children, but yes, I would also recommend booking your Vatican tickets in advance.

We went in April 2014, booked the tickets and walked straight in. Even then, our legs were sore after the Vatican Museum and the St Peter's Basilica.

There's a famous hole-in-a-wall pizzaria called "Pizzarium" not far from there where we ate - but it's a takeaway/stand-up sort of setting so not sure if it's your thing. There are quite a few restaurants near the St Peter's so you wouldn't go hungry
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 05:00 AM
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Adrienne...I tried the train route with my husband...he is very stubborn about those kinds of things so I have already pre-paid for the car (trust me I would rather take the train!)

I had been debating about the night tour and day tour for the Vatican before ordering our tickets but think I will go for the 9 am. Although I have heard great things about going at night I would hate for the girls to al of a sudden not want to go and then we miss out Thank you both for the reminder...will book them today!!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 08:12 AM
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Friday: if you're not going to climb the tower, you don't need to get tickets in advance. You may not need tickets at all, although I do recommend a visit to the other spots on the Campo dei Miracoli, especially the Campo Santo (monumental cemetery). The only reason to get tickets in advance is to get a reserved time for the climb of the tower.

A September Sunday in the Cinque Terre would be no fun for me at all. It will be absolutely sinking under the weight of the tourists; Sunday is the day Italians do all their day trip coach tours, and this will be added to the thousands of international (mostly American) tourists shuffling among the souvenir shops on the narrow streets.

The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola has been closed for quite some time, due to the risk of landslides. The only easily accessible trails open are between Corniglia and Monterosso. Some of these involve a lot of steps, but I don't remember which, and some of the others will be packed with tourists.

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/s...sp?id_lingue=2

Most of the trains between Orvieto and Rome are regional trains, which don't take reservations.

After a morning visit to the Vatican Museums, your kids will probably refuse to ever set foot in a museum again. I would go for the evening visit. It starts at 7 PM, which isn't terribly late. The evening visits are by reservation only and are much less crowded. Make sure the kids get a good rest after lunch. Before going to the Vatican Museums, you might want to pop into St. Peter's Basilica, which closes at 7 PM.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 08:47 AM
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Take path to Manarola (we swam there last time...still a good place?) hike to Corniglia then take the train back from there?>

Check to see if the path between riomaggiore and Manorola is open - reports here have said it was temporarily closed (for a long time now) - see WikiGTravel note below:

La via dell'Amore or The Way of Love is a pedestrian street overlooking the sea, with a run of just over one kilometer, linking the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola, Cinque Terre, in Liguria. As of July 2014 the Via dell'Amore is closed

Corniglia's main town is perched high above the sea and its train station - rather steep walk up there for kids perhaps - there is a mini-bus that links seaside train station with upper town perched high above the sea.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 08:58 AM
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Nestled high in the hills above Lucca is Collodi, home of Pinocchio and the town has embraced the famous caricature - the original stories were written by a guy named Collodi - anyway see the picture of this quintessential hill town literally spilling down a steep ravine.

http://www.bestsmalltownsitaly.com/t...uscany-center/
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 09:33 AM
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This looks like a terribly busy schedule. I'm counting 8 stops in 8 full days on the ground. I understand the yen to make it a "trip to remember," but you may end up remembering it for all the wrong reasons.

Just some suggestions:

Why would you land in Rome and drive 4 hours to Lucca when you've already decided that Rome is going to be a stop for you? Wouldn't it make sense to land in Rome, catch your breath, and tour Rome while you're there? I realize you're returning to Rome to catch your departing flight, but touring the city first seems more logical to me. I dunno.

Consider this: You're going to go to Pisa, which is about an hour away from CT, go back to Lucca, and then take another day to go to CT. It sounds as if you're going to Pisa just to see the tower. If you're traveling by car, why not stop to see the tower and then drive to CT and spend the rest of the day there. (It's not the ideal place to drive, but there are parking areas outside some of the towns. Or you can take the train from Pisa to La Spezia.)

Or consider skipping CT altogether.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 09:43 AM
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personally i would forget about the Vatican museums - there is little there to interest children of the age of your kids and it can be a real footslog.

instead, get to St. Peter's early in the morning and take them up the dome - the queue will be minimal that time of day [i think that it doesn't open until 9.30] and they will love going up inside the dome and the terrific views from the top. d?id you know that you can walk around the roof of St Peter's? or that there are loos and a cafe up there? and that you can look at the back of the statues that overlook the Basilica? and get a closeup of the mosaics around the inside of the dome that you can barely see from the ground?

instead of the vatican museums, take them to the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. I'm sure that other fodorites who also post about Rome are getting fed up of my posting about this place, but it really is a treasure; half family home, half art gallery, you get the chance to look at the rooms where the family used to live and hear about their history [great audio guide] and then to look at some lovely pictures, some of which may well interest your kids, especially the ones of animals. There are usually very few people there, and it's easy to get to, as it's just north of the Vittorio Emanuale monument [aka the wedding cake] on the via del corso.

you can do a tour of the underground at the Coloseum - which you book through their website I think, which i suspect your kids would like a lot [you have to pay for entrance on top]. otherwise make sure that you either get your tickets in advance or buy them from the ticket office on the palatine hill - the queue at the colloseum itself is aways enormous, and the ticket is valid for the Form and the Palatine as well as the Colosseum.

once you get to Lucca, i would suggest spending your first morning exploring the town and then making for Pisa later on. you can book to climb the tower until quite late and after about 5pm all the crowds on the buses go home, leaving the campo dei Miracoli to more discerning visitors. it's all lit up at night so it's lovely to go there late enough to see that. as you'll be there in September that won't mean staying up too late for your youngest and it may still be quite hot so an afternoon siesta might not be a bad idea.

hope you have a great trip!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 09:53 AM
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Vincenzo...as I mentioned we had already paid for deposits on our locations and then Delta changed our flights. We can not change our order (trust me...our trip would be much different had they not changed our airports!) When we have traveled in the past we have found it better to do a bigger city last because we are way too tired the first couple of days to enjoy it. So although the drive will be a pain (my kids are used to being in a car for 15 hours straight only stopping for gas) it is better for us because we can just relax in Lucca. We didn't want to do too much on Friday because we may still be tired which is why we just planned the tower for that day and my daughter and I will go riding while the other two stay back and relax. I plan to take everything day by day...seeing how everyone's energy level is.

Is CT worth a stop with many of the trails closed? Can you still swim in Maranola? Do people just take the train to each town instead of walk?

Maybe we should just do a beach on Friday and if so which one? (And do our Friday idea on Sunday)

Thank you for everyone's I put so far!!!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 09:55 AM
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I also think it's too much, but I don't know your kids/family.

On your arrival day, after all that entails (and it's a lot) I know it sounds logical to "go to bed early!!" Not too early, I hope. That could set up the kids for never adjusting to the time difference the entire trip, and you're planning a lot for every day.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 10:14 AM
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I'm curious as how it is too much (not being sarcastic!!!) I've seen so many itineraries on here where people are moving around every 2 days. We are staying 4 nights, 3 nights then 2 nights (which got changed because of the flight) we only plan on sightseeing in the mornings (with the exception of 1 or 2 days) and then spending each afternoon relaxing or just wandering around where we are staying. We live outside of a big city and basically that is what we do..we drive in for a fun activity in the morning, have lunch, maybe walk around a bit more then come home and relax or do things local. Trust me..this is a cake walk verses a 12 hour day at the ball park in the 90+ degree heat playing multiple games which one of mine is used to

Early for bedtime means 9 pm
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 10:18 AM
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dc - i didn't think that it was too much, but that it perhaps needed a bit of re-organisation and having a plan B if something doesn't quite come out right - a bit like all of my trips and probably most of everyone elses!

it'll all come right, i'm sure.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 10:41 AM
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For another Vatican tour option you may want to consider booking the Vatican Garden tour. I did this several years ago and it was enjoyable and with that tour ticket I also got admission to the museum, at least that's how it worked a few years ago.

The garden portion was a guided tour and the museum portion is unguided. If your daughters like to be outside this could be a nice option and then go inside to go through the museum and the Sistine Chapel on your own.

A nice little restaurant not far from the Vatican is Arlu on Borgo Pio #135.

I agree with Annhig, I found the Palazzo Doria Pamphilji to be a great museum.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 11:39 AM
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I also agree with Annhig; and my granddaughter (7 at the time) loved the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. They have a great audio tour narrated by a member of the family (who still lives in part of the Palazzo). He mentions that he and his cousin used to roller skate in the grand mirrored gallery.

Some other museums my granddaughter loved were:

The Villa Farnesina (a beautiful Renaissance villa, with frescoes by Raphael, is set in a lovely garden). This is one museum my granddaughter wanted to see a second time on a later visit.

The Barberini Gallery, in a Renaissance Palazzo near Trevi Fountain, has a splendid collection of Italian painting from the late medieval period to early modern times. It also has an unbelievable ceiling fresco by Pietro da Cortona. They provide padded benches so you can lie down and admire it without getting a crick in your neck. Most of the Renaissance paintings are of Biblical or mythological subjects, and my granddaughter wanted to hear all those old stories. She had me wracking my brain.

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, with a world-class collection of ancient art of all kinds (sculpture, mosaics, frescoes (very rare) and many other artifacts of Roman life, including some very beautiful jewelry, make-up cases, fully intact glass bowls (exceedingly rare) and too many other things to mention. There is also a mummy, in the Egyptian sense, of a little girl. A bit creepy, but my granddaughter was fascinated. She was buried with her doll, also on display. It's a mystery as to why she was mummified in Rome. Her mother and other family members, buried nearby, weren't. We were in Rome just last week, and my granddaughter requested a repeat visit to this museum.

We've taken my granddaughter to many other museums in Rome and she's enjoyed them all. There is a Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Piazza del Popolo with many working models that you can manipulate yourself.

One place we've never taken my granddaughter is the Vatican Museums, for the very reason I mentioned above. So far she loves art museums, and the horrible crowding and heat inside the Vatican Museums might turn her off them forever.

I would also suggest that a family with kids (and also those without) visit the Villa Borghese Park. There are little carnival-type rides for kids, bikes, go-karts, and bicycle carts to rent, a puppet theatre, a zoo, and a pond with boats. One of Rome's best views is from the Pincian Overlook, on the edge of the park, above Piazza del Popolo.

Another place that's fun for kids and has a great view is the Janiculum (Gianicolo) Hill. The great view is from Piazza Garibaldi at the top of the hill. There are also amusements for kids up there, and sometimes pony rides.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 12:01 PM
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I wonder if you've ever been to Collodi, Palenq. We were more than a little disillusioned with the place, after seeing a favorable write-up somewhere. The town had a terrible traffic pattern problem, and the buildings spilling down the hill were mostly modern cement monstrosities. I have to admit we didn't go all the way into the center, but after driving around in a holding pattern for half an hour we were afraid to venture past the outskirts.

There is a Pinocchio park there that looks as though its maintenance budget ran out 20 years ago. We didn't go in, although we had been planning to, because we could see from the gate that it was run down and unpainted. You could look for some reviews on TA to see what other people think of it. It's about as expensive as the Vatican Museums, to boot.

However, the saddest thing, and what I had wanted to see the most, was the Villa Garzoni Garden. It was obviously once a beautiful Italian garden, but this is even more poorly maintained than the Pinocchio Park. Paths shut off with that ugly orange plastic fencing because they're slipping down the hill. Weeds everywhere. Lakes that have become dirty puddles, untrimmed hedges with big gaps. Beds of anemic petunias, struggling among the weeds. Broken and crumbling statuary. They should be ashamed to open something like this for visitors, and yet it has the potential to be a jewel. Garden lovers will weep there.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 12:04 PM
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Vincenzo, Lucca is just as near the Cinque Terre as Pisa is, maybe even nearer.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 12:47 PM
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bvienci - I admit I have no been to Collodi but good friends did and raved about it and the picture in my link makes it look like a dreamy hill town, parts of which you may not have discovered but me I was only trying to give out something that kids that age may like, based my friends glowing report.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 02:04 PM
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Maybe they clean everything up and weed the gardens once a year and your friends hit town the day after. I don't know where that photo could have been taken.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 02:20 PM
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Getting back to the original questions, there are several possibilities for a stopover on your way to Lucca. If you take an inland route, Il Lago di Bolsena isn't far off your route. Città della Pieve is almost right on the route, and is a very attractive little town, with a well-preserved medieval center, just over the Tuscan border in Umbria. The great Renaissance painter Il Perugino was born there, and one of his famous frescoes, the Adoration of the Magi, is in a church there.
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