Mimar

Also you will need to store your bags while seeing Pompeii. Fortunately they have luggage storage at the Pompei Scavi entrance.

But it does make for a VERY long day. Get your husband to read up on Ostia Antica. Maybe it will convince him to save Pompeii for another trip, one where you can enjoy more of the many sights around the Amalfi Coast. Such as Herculaneum and Paestum if he's particularly interested in ruins.

Sassafrass

No, I would certainly not stay two nights in Orvieto. I suggested one night there only because you seemed to want a stop between Trento and Rome, and you mentioned the hill town of Siena which would not be a good plan logistically.

A day trip to Pompeii from Rome puts you there exploring in the middle of what is likely to be an unbearably hot day. I spent one hellishly hot July day in Pompeii, with big hat and carrying lots of water, and enjoyed it a lot - as an adult. I am a big believer in traveling with children, but would not subject a little kid to the rigors of Pompeii in July. If your heart is set on Pompeii in July, then arrange to get a place with a pool, stay two nights, get to Pompeii as early as possible in the AM, and relax by the pool in the afternoon.

Having to change plans at the last minute has lead to several problems you are dealing with.
You have changed from a rather small country where a few days works, to a large one where you need weeks to get a good taste of all the variety.
Italy has many more places to see than Israel and when you look at the menu, you want to eat everything.
You want both North and South in a very long country, and not just sightseeing in Venice and head on South, but also hiking in the Dolomiti.
It will be super hot and humid in many areas. It would have been hot in Israel too, but a bit different in scope and logistics.
Some day trips are doable, but not reasonable in July, with four kids, one being a six year old.

It may be difficult to accept, but I don't think this trip can possibly be everything you would all like. Honestly, I do not see how you can make all this work without being nuts. Why not pick the three places you want most and make those a focus, really exploring and enjoying them? I am not a hiker, but that seems to be a priority for your family, and Pompeii seems to be another. If those are your main interests, can you just take those two (or choose another two that are your main interests), consider that you are flying into Venice and out of Rome, put that in stone, and make it work.

Look to Sandralist for concrete advice on logistics. She can offer the best options.

sandralist

If you can get the 11.30 train from Bolzano to Naples, and are willing to pile the kids into a taxi to take you to Sorrento for 3 nights, that looks to me to be the only remotely likable option to accommodate your husband's desire to see Pompei -- and that is a fairly grim one, since you will have 7 hours on the train, with switches in Bologna and Rome.

Better option would be to get off the same train in Rome and spend 2 nights in Rome with a day trip to Pompei, even though it means switching from hotel to apartment. That way, you can also adjust to perhaps a change of heart about Pompei.

Train schedules to Orvieto from Bolzano just won't make an Orvieto plan work, and it is a poor way to see Pompei, since you will arrive so late.

sandralist

I will also point out that if you stay on the eastern side of the Dolomiti and return the car in Venice, the train ride south becomes dramatically shorter with NO train changes. If you can catch the 12.30pm train out of Venice, you will spend less than 4 hours on the train and be in Rome by 4pm

PalenQ

If renting a car up north why not just drive it to Rome or some city with car rentals outside of Rome then take the train in? Short term car rentals of a few days can be as expensive I think as longer ones at times.

adventures6

The reason I was planning on returning the car up north is that I was warned that traffic would be heavy in August with all the Europeans on vacation. We are not going to the eastern Dolomites but rather the Ortesei area. Not sure what the drive time from Venice is but I have heard the scenery is spectacular. The main reason I chose to go to the Dolomites was to get a break from the wall-to-wall tourists I have been warned about in Venice and Rome. I'm still figuring out the best way to get there and onto Rome. It sounds like I'm better off staying at two different apt/hotel in Rome rather than staying a couple of nights in Sorrento because of the difficulty getting all the way from the Dolomites to Naples.

PalenQ

driving may be easier even in August as many locals and businesses even are on holiday - out at the beach or up in Provence and not commuting to work on the autoroutes - even cities are much less congested in August vehicle-wise (but many have no-go zones for private vehicles at times so always beware driving in any larger Italian city - so many posts here about:

"Oh weeks/months after I returned I got a ticket in the mail" - often from violating the no-go zones in city centres and being caught on camera - the car rental agency forwarding them your address, etc.

But on the autoroutes I would think would not be any worse than normal, maybe better - not sure but in France it is that way and Italians have fairly similar shut down August vacations - for the convenience keep the car till Naples area or even drive to Sorrento (now those type areas will be a zoo on the limited narrow roads in areas that attract swarms of tourists and obnoxious RVs clogging up side roads - even in Tuscany I've had that problem.

tinarose

It's sacrilege to some but consider staying in the Lido when in Venice. Venice proper is a mob scene in July and I would be worried about losing one or more of the children in the crowd. The hotels are far more family friendly with amenities for kids. You can take the boat over in 30 minutes and still be there for dinner and sightseeing. The mosquitoes are awful in July too.

tinarose

I'm curious, in Israel, how many different hotels did you have planned?

adventures6

We were planning on moving around the country quite a bit. All the kids have been outfitted with backpacks for luggage. We aren't checking any bags and are packing 3-4 days of clothes. For Israel it was fine. We certainly aren't ready for fashionable Italy.

adventures6

We had 5 hotels planned.

annhig

We certainly aren't ready for fashionable Italy.>>

don't worry, they don't expect you to be. Clean and tidy will be fine [and if you want to go in any churches, you will need to cover shoulders and knees].

MonicaRichards

If you're going to the Dolomites, be aware you have to drive from Venice back down to Verona and then on the Autostrada. So if you're going to drop a car anywhere, it should be in Verona and then train to wherever you're going. We were just there in Castelrotto (Kaselruth) at the Aparthotel Kaster seiser Alm and it would be excellent for your family. Cool playground my older girls (11 and 13) loved, a really nice set of swimming pools, and all of the rooms are apartments. We took the gondola to Seiser Alm and hiked from there. Be aware it's not really "Italy" there, everyone speaks German and the food is German which we all had a lot of trouble with (not fans of German food).

adventures6

Thank your for the recommendation - it looks fantastic. I would love to know more about your trip. Did you travel from Venice to Castelrotto? How long did the drive take? How long did you stay in Castlerotto? Where else did you visit on your trip?
I would love to learn from your experiences. Do you have a trip report that you could share?

MonicaRichards

We drove from Verona to Castelrotto and then drove to Venice and dropped the car there (because we were in Venice for a couple days and then flew home). We were only in Castelrotto for three nights/two days, so one day we did the hike and then next went to Bolzano to see the ice man. It was raining when we were there so maybe if it hadn't have been we would have taken a small hike the second day (Castelrotto itself has a little chair lift to the top of the mountain where there's a petting zoo and hikes). The drive from Verona to Castelrotto took about two hours (very winding narrow road once you get off of the Autostrada in Bolzano), and when we returned the car to Venice it was three hours. We much preferred the trains for convenience and ease of travel, but we did need a car for the Dolomiti.

adventures6

So, as much as we would have loved to visit the dolomite we realized that is is too much to go North since we are flying out of Rome.
Does anyone have any ideas where to stay the 5 nights between Venice and pompeii. An agriturismo in Tuscany sounds wonderful but I still don't have a good grasp on the region and the transportation needed. It seems as though we'd have to rent a car. I have read that some return cars to ovierto before they proceed by train to Rome. So, we aren't planning on visiting Florence because of the crowds and young kids. I have heard great things about Lucca. What are your recommendations?

MonicaRichards

Agriturismos can be very remote, just so you know. We were in one for a week in October one year and it was spooky how remote it was and how far we had to drive to even see another person.

I like Lucca as a location, very kid friendly and accessible of a town, and you could explore other cities from there.

adventures6

I would love recommendations for Luca. Would 3 nights be enough.
Day 1: Travel from Venice to Lucca. 4 hours by train. Sleep Lucca
Day 2: biking ramparts and swimming at the pool (is there a community pool in the town?) sleep Lucca
Day 3: trip to Cinque Terre or the beach. Sleep Lucca
We are going to skip Florence this trip because of the ages of our kids. where should we go next? Orvieto?

Jean

At this point, it's sounding like throwing darts at a map of Italy. And how many days until you leave?

The more destinations you travel to, the more lodging you have to research/identify/book. If you just went to Venice and Rome and made day trips (and there are loads of possibilities), you would need just two hotels/apartments. I realize that may not satisfy your desire to experience a small town or drive through the countryside, but you're scrambling to organize a vacation for 6 people on very short notice. Do you have lodging confirmed in Venice and Rome?

FYI, Lucca to, say, Manarola in the Cinque Terre is 2+ hours each way by train. Driving would mean lots of traffic and a quest for parking. If you rent a car, you'll need an International Drivers Permit.

adventures6

My problem is I need one other location. I started booking earlier in the week. I have 2 nights in Venice and 3 nights in Rome. I've checked with both owners to see if I can extend and I can't. This is obviously not the way I would have wanted to have done this. For Israel we had everything researched and booked in February. Kids had done weekly reports on different sites to prepare for what they would be seeing and experiencing. I have spent many stressful days this week trying to come up with plan B. at this point I was hoping to be packing and downloading books and useful map/apps and the such NOT trying to come up with an itinerary and find accommodations.