We are flying to Rome in June with our two boys, ages 9 and 6. We will spend a couple days in Rome and then are planning another stop or two. We haven't decided if we should head north to the Siena, Tuscany, Florence area or south to Amalfi Coast, Positano, Capri, Sorrento area. There is just so much to see in Italy, but we will only be there for 5-6 days so we obviously don't have time for everything. We also need to keep in mind that the kids will be with us and while my husband and I might enjoy museums, churches, and wine tasting, our boys may/will be bored by too much of this. I would love to hear from someone who has travelled to Italy with kids and any ideas they have. Also, if we travel to the Positano area, would it be best to rent a car from Rome or travel another way? I've heard that traffic in June along the coast can be awful and harrowing.
we are also researching places to stay so any recommendations would be appreciated!

We found the Tuscany area to be full of things for our kids. We were also with another family and so we ranged in age from 7-13. We stayed in an agritursimo with a pool and swam every afternoon. We visited Siena and they liked climbing the tower, going into churches (where you can see the head and finger of St. Catherine - my son thought that especially interesting...), eating gelato on the piazza. We all loved seeing the David but didn't like Florence as much as other places. We had a tour in Assisi that included going into a restaurant and visiting the kitchen, talking about food, etc. We ate outdoors for all our dinners and they enjoyed the winery for a very quick look at how the wine was made. Last time we were in Italy my son was 16 and we were on the Amalfi Coast - just a little too honeymoon-ish for us.

hi dimongirl,

you may not like this advice, but with 2 children on 5-6 day break in Italy, I'd stay put in Rome for the whole trip! you can rent an apartment, see all the sights [well, not all but most of the biggies] at a relatively leisurely pace, and then come home not needing another holiday! your boys will love the colosseum, and many of the other sights; they will NOT love being in a car, moving from one place to another every other day, not knowing where they are...remember every time you move you lose half a day at least and if you've only started with 5 or 6, you can't afford that.

if you decide that you want a more child centred trip, another option would be gonig to one of the lakes, say Garda, where there is loads for them and you to do, and you could do a day trip to Venice for some "culture".

trying to fit in Rome and the amalfi or Rome and Tuscany just isn't on in such a short time.

I agree with annhig and suggest just staying in Rome. Does 5-6 days translate to 4 or 5 nights? Lots to see and do in that time frame in Rome.

If, however, you absolutely must go some place else in addtion to Rome, then why not make it easy.

Arrive Rome, immediately train to Orvieto in Umbria. Even from the airport you should be there in 2 hours. Stay two nights then back to Rome to finish up.

Google Orvieto for some photos and ideas. There are underground tunnels as well as a funicular

I would wait to go to Italy until you have more time.
Also, if you mean 2010 then you are already too late for the best accommodation options.

Another vote for staying in Rome. There's so much to see there! Or as Bob suggests, wait until you have more time. Four flights is a lot of money to spend for such a short visit.

I agree with the others. We spent 3 weeks in Italy last summer with our teens and we didn't have near enough time in any place we stayed. We stayed 6 nights in Rome alone and could've easily spent 6 more.

thanks for all the tips - we decided to go with the advice of going directly to the Orieto area - actually we'll be staying a beautiful place in Narni. It's only a little over an hour from Rome. That way we can get to see the Umbria area and surrounding towns for a few days and we won't need to be in the car too long. I think the kids will really enjoy some of the sites and also relaxing by the pool. My husband and I are looking forward to the meals! we will then head to Rome for 2 days. I know it won't seem like enough time in either place - a friend told us this will be our trip to plan our next trip! I had good luck finding some places to stay by using TripAdvisor for research. After looking at the reviews, ratings, and pictures I found it best to go directly to the hotel/inn's direct website or e-mail directly to find openings. The trip advisor site often said it was booked but when I contacted directly I had better luck.