Ischia with baby - stroller or backpack carrier?
 

Hi All,

My husband and I are are travelling to Italy in May 2007 with our son who will be 9 months old. We are considering bringing an umbrella stroller for some of the touring around, but wonder about places that might be too hilly, such as Ischia. Should we bring a backpack baby carrier, too?
We are planning for 3 nights in Venice, 5 nights with family in Pordenone, 3 nights in Rome, and then 5 nights somewhere on the island of Ischia. Back to Rome for one more night, and we return to Canada on May 31st. Lots of travel on the train and ferries while we are there, with baby, luggage and stroller and/or backpack.

Your comments and advice would be most appreciated.

On Ischia in the villages you can easily use a stroller. The only one I can think there would be a problem is in the piazza in Sant Angelo. They have large stones on the ground, but it's fairly flat. It depends what type of hiking you'll be doing. If you'll just be visiting the residential areas, there will be steep hills.

If you do not have a backpack already, get this one immediately:

http://tinyurl.com/3a3anj

Even if you have a backpack already, I'd still consider buying this one since your son is only 9 months, you will get several years of use out of it. This is hands down the best travel purchase we ever made, at least as far as child accessories. Second best was this:

http://www.sparebed.com/Phil-and-Ted-T2-Travel-Bed.pro

I don't know how Italian women do it, but I've ruined more pairs of shoes in Italy than anywhere else I've traveled. Even in Roma, or Napoli, or anywhere else I've been, there are always uneven sidewalks (if there are sidewalks) and the streets are even worse...either 2,000-yr. old cobblestones, or uneven concrete pavement, with no handicap/stroller ramps at the crossings. By all means take a baby carrier, or your son will have bruises on his bum from the rough ride. Good luck! (We'll be in Roma and Ischia then, too!)

hi, pompadoo,

For Venice I would definitely want a back-pack. Using a stroller up and down all those bridges would be a real pain, IMO. Many of them have no ramps, only steps.

In Rome, a stroller would be much more useful.

were I you. I'd bring both.

regards, ann