Italy with 13 & 16 year olds

Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:21 AM
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Italy with 13 & 16 year olds

We are planning a special family trip for April 2006 (yes I plan ahead - also need to decided where we are going so I can get in early to use FF miles to fly) and were thinking og taking them to Italy.

They are not big Museum kids but there is so much history in Italy that I thought it would be a good plce for their first European experience.

My husband and I were to Venice and Rome a few years back. I would love to go to Venice again (have been dying to go back since I left) and I think the kids would enjoy it - Doge's palace, gondolas etc for 2 days. I also feel they should se ROme as long as they are in Italy.

We will have about 12 days - what else could you recommend that ties in with Rome and Venice - I prefer to take trains instead of driving if possible.

If not Italy - we are open to other European ideas as well.

Any and all thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

Donna
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:25 AM
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With 12 days I would do either Rome, Florence, and Tuscany or Venice, Florence, and Tuscany--not both Rome and Venice. Your airline may decide for you which is more feasible.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:42 AM
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We took our kids (who also aren't big museum kids) to Italy when they were 10 & 12. We started out in Venice. We spent 3 night there. From the moment we left the airport in the water taxi to our hotel, they were snapping their cameras (and believe me they were exhausted). We took it easy that frist afternoon, and just wandered around. We toured Doges Palace, visited all the typical touristy sites, visited the Jewish Quarter, and went to Murano (on our own). There was another smaller museum (I don't remember the name, I think Palazzo ???) with an Etruscan exhibit that my kids were actually interested in, but we didn't plan in advance and the line was very long. AFter Venice we rented a car and headed to FLorence just for a night to visit a friend there. WHile there, we did walk around most of the main sites and even visited the Museum of Science (which is great). We didn't visit any of the art museums, because our time was limited and we wanted to not overload our kids. We also stopped at San gimingnano while driving between cities. AFter FLornece we drove to ORvieto to spend the night there. I thought my kids would enjoy spending a night, in a small medieval hill town (which they did). WHile there we visited the Duomo and took the Orvieto Underground tour. The end of our trip was 4 nights in Rome. One of the days we went to Pompeii which was great for all of us. In ROme, we did all the main sites including the colliseum, St. Peter's, Vatican museum, Borghese Gallery (which is one of my favorites), pantheon, trevi fountain, spanish steps, the church with all the 'bone' scupltures (Capuchin crips ??) and all the typical piazzas. My kids loved Italy. We did not spend extensive time in any one museum and we always rented the audio tours.

This was a great trip, and my kids especially liked the food (my son in particular is very picky). We tried to mix museum, with more kid-fun type sites. There were certains places where I said we must go, and even when they resisted, once there, they change their tune quickly. I also let them make some choices (they wanted to see both Pisa and Pompeii but we only had time for 1 so they chose Pompeii). I let them look at book beforehand to get an idea of what they might see.

Your kids being older, I think will really love it. Let them have some input as to where they want to go and what they would like to see.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:45 AM
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I took my 14 and 16 year old to Itay in May, they loved it. We went to Sorrento, Rome, Florence and Venice in 23 days, I agree that more than 2 cities in 12 days (I assume that includes flying?) - traveling from one city to another can be stressful - I always thought we'd do sightseeing the day we arrived in the new town, but it never happened, we just relaxed.

Rome is good. Venice is good, but Sorrento was my kids favorite. Do they like cats? YOu'll have to check out the cat Sanctuary in Torre Argentina in Rome.

Here's a link to my trip report to give you an idea of what traveling with teens might be like.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...nitaly04&fid=2
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 06:48 AM
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Wow - I love this place thanks so much for the quick replies.

For some reason I have always been nerbous about driving in Europe and have never done it.

Is it not as awful as I think it will be? I am from New York so I am used to drivingin in many different traffic conditions.

Tell me about it please.

Thanks
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:05 AM
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The highway driving is great, but the city driving could be horrible depending on the time of day and the city. Some of the smaller towns were easier to deal with. On overnights where we kept the car, we arranged for the hotel to park it for us (maybe $15 more then the cost of the garage but worth it). The highways are easy to navigate, the toll booths take credit cards, the signs were pretty good, but once you leave the highway it could be tricky. A good map and someone in the car with good navigation skills is very important. We drove into ROme, which was like nothing I have ever experienced before (and we live and drive in NYC). We ignorantly got off at a very inconvenient exit for ROme (we should have gotten directions from our hotel in advance instead of trying to figure it out on our own). I can not even remember how many people we stopped and asked for directions (we were somewhere in the outskirts of ROme, more of a residential type area). Most of which made us more confused than we already were. In ORvieto, which is very small, a kind gentleman 'walked us' to the hotel (we followed him by car) because all the streets were so tiny, they didn't exists on our map. San Gimingano had parking right outside the main entrance, so that was easy. FLorence wasn't too bad but there was construction near our hotel so the map was pretty useless. We also drove from ROme to Pompeii which is very easy and this time we went in and out of ROme much easier (and returned the car near termini station).

I would not hesitate to drive again, but I would ask for directions from the hotels in advance and make sure I had a really code (and detailed) map for the towns I was visiting.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:56 AM
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We took our boys to Munich and Rome when they were 13 and 15. We flew into Munich - saw the Olympic Park, swam in the pool, went Dachau, Eagle's next, BMW museum, took a 1/2 day city tour on a bus, walked around the old city, churches, etc. It was fun and the public transporation was wonderful. Then we drove to Rome via Laga Di Garda - beautiful, restful, good place to spend a day or just an afternoon as we did. Loved Rome - we took our time - did a lot of walking, stopping for gelatto; did two planned guided tours - one of Rome at night and the other of Vatican Museums and St Peter's. Hooked up with a 'free' tour of the forum which led us to the other two options. Kids loved the colosseum - plenty of good food choices, not overly hot weather but pleasant (in August). Flew home from Rome.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 07:59 AM
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PS we also had 12 days and used FF miles for the airlines. UAL into Munich and Austrian from Rome. we split it 4 days munich, 6 days rome (including the driving day from Munich and a quick stop in Innsbruck) and a travel day on each side
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:01 AM
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I think your trip with the kids will be much more successful (it will be successful anyway), if you involve the kids in the planning process.

For example, have them do a lot of the research necessary for the trip. They can go on-line, go to the public library and get information, they can even borrow travel videos from the public library.

After they do extensive research, have THEM recommend some cities/towns they want to see, and then within those cities, have them recommend some sites they are most interested in.

Then DURING the trip, have them each keep a journal that will explain each photo they take.

After the trip, have them put the pics together with the journal for a keepsake.

Their involvment in planning, and during the trip is important, in my view.

--Marv
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:08 AM
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If you are just going to do Rome and Venice, no need to drive. Train works fine. We didn't drive and saw plenty. But we live in rural Iowa so the idea of driving around to see pretty hills in Tuscany, just wasn't as appealing to us as to some. Frankly I drive so much for my job, a vacation for me is NOT driving.

Having your kids plan is good, but all kids are different. My daughter wasn't all that interested in planning - she wanted to see Pisa and shop and that was the extent of her planning and she had a fine time.

I gave my kids cameras and journals but I didn't insist or "have" them do anything. This is their vacation, you want to be careful about turning it into too much of a school assignment. My daughter is still working on a scrapbook and my son kept a journal of unusual things he saw. You know your kids, have them get involved in a way that is fun.

Joelle
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:11 AM
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I have taken my children to Italy 3 times. They love it. I limit museums. Instead of dragging them now I feel they have a life of traveling ahead and will enjoy the museums when they get a bit older. My 16 year old loved Rome, especially at night and Cinque Terre. My 14 year old loved everything. Sienna was also a big hit.

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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:13 AM
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Neither my kids nor my husband are planners - so basically it is up to me to make sure all are happy.

What I have found successful is making up a list of things we'd like to do in a particular place, but not normally a schedule as to when they will be done (unless reservations are required).

Typically we start out on a day to do A B & C and wind up with A F & G - it makes for a nicer less stressful trip, and leaves time for the unplanned activities and sites.

Thanks for all the info - I can;t wait to talk to my kids about it tonight.

Donna
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:16 AM
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Another thing we did to get our kids involved, we rented movies that take place in Italy (Gladiators, another one with robert downey Jr, etc.). There are several posts on this board on the topic of movies set in ITaly. I also picked up the eyewitness italy book because of all the great photos. They may not want to be that involved n th eplanning, but when they're sitting on the plane for 10+ hour, they may jusy change their mind.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 08:30 AM
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Its a good thing to try and coordinate with your kids' interests. One of mine is a swimmer so being in the pool where Mark Spitz swam was a big deal; they had also both studied ancient european and more modern european history in school so the WW2 stuff in Munich and ancient Rome were very good and meaningful. we had a great guide in Rome who was from Florida. She really involved the kids with questions and bits of trivia that they could both relate to and take back with them. She also prepared them for St Peters and the Sistine chapel with explanations of the various panels, statues, etc. We're doing Spain next March and hopefully Venice/Florence in August 2005.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 11:00 AM
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Took my 12 yr old son to Italy in 2000 and he loved it. Just walking aroundthe hilltop towns, visiting ruins, the Science Museum in Florence is outstanding and we let him eat gelato everyday. He also had a personal quest to find the best pizza in Italy. We're going again this winter (he's 16 now).
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 12:30 PM
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Oh good, Joelle is here. I mention her for Donna because the trip reports were the first time I ever was jealous of someone having teenage kids! Their adventures sounded like such a great time (well most of the time!).
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 01:08 PM
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donnapg,

I've been to Italy three times with my kids, (now same ages as yours!) most recently this past summer when we visited the Italian Riveria, Pisa, Florence, and some Tuscan hilltowns.

If I had to say what their favorite trip was, I'd have to pick Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The food was for the most part out of this world, and a trip to Pompeii was a real highlight for them. Howcver, this area is definitely at it's best in the early summer when weather is less variable, and swimming is possible every day.

A close second to this trip, would be the trip we took two years ago to Venice and Rome. My kids were thrilled with the gondola rides and the Doge Palace, but also really enjoyed wandering around the Jewish Quarter, and the very touristy day trip we took to the glass blowing factory in Murano.

Again, because of the time of year, I'd probably recommend Venice-Florence- Rome. You can easily take trains between all 3 of these to cut out the need for driving. And no, I wouldn't involve the kids in too much planning. If your kids are anything like mine, they won't have a clue where to start!

One last recommendation. Before you set your hopes on this trip, check in with the airlines. It is more difficult all the time to cash in on those frequent flier miles, so if you're interested, I'd definitely get going NOW.

Good luck with your plans!
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 01:19 PM
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I would second the earlier suggestion to rent movies set in Venice and Rome before going on your trip.

In particular, Gladiator is a great movie to see before visiting the Colosseum and Forum in Rome. (I know it's rated R for violence, but I think it would be okay for most 13 year olds, although ymmv.) We had a great guide for our Colosseum tour, but many of the comments and descriptions could be related directly to something that happened in the movie and it made it much easier to imagine what it might have been like in ancient times.

The Italian Job is another modern era movie, and it has some fun chase scenes through the Venice canals.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 02:19 PM
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My wife and I took our daughters (who coincidentally were also 16 and 13 at the time) to Italy last Novemeber. We also used FF miles and booked an "open jaw" ticket, into Rome and out of Venice. We had less time than you so we only saw Rome and Venice, taking the train between the two. If we had more time I would have added Florence to our trip.

Our daughters are also not big on museums, but they did like the Borghesee in Rome. It is small and easy to enjoy, with lots of wonderful sculpture. My 16 year old especially liked Bernini's Apolo and Daphne sculpture because she had been studying mythology in school and knew the story.

You might also consider a day trip from Rome to Pompei, or from Florence to Pisa. I think our daughters would have enjoyed either of those.

I believe 13 to 16 is a perfect age for this kind of a family trip. We enjoyed it so much that I am now planning a Paris trip for March.
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Old Sep 27th, 2004, 03:13 PM
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newesttraveler - That is just what I think we are going to do - Venice - Florence - Romw with a side trip to Pisa since my younder son asked if we could see the tower. I will also look into Pompei since I think the kids would love that also.

Please keep the info coming - I know I have a long time but never too soon to start a planning book.

Lest time we went to Venice (no kids) we stayed in la Calcina and absolutely loved it. But for 4 of us it might not be practical. Any recommendations for hotels/suites in any of the 3 cities? We either need a suite tye room or 2 rooms near each other.

Thanks and let's keep up the good work!!

Donna
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