My husband and I are planning a trip to Tuscany in March 2005. We will be bringing our 1 yr old with us. Any thoughts on whether that will be difficult finding kid-friendly places? We will be staying in an apartment/villa and will be planning a leisurely trip. However, we would still like to eat out occasionally and sightsee as much as it permits with a 1 yr old!

Thanks!

Vicki

Hi VK,

Italians love kids.

Enjoy your visit.

You and your baby will be more than welcome just about everywhere, including upscale restaurants. Nothing is more important to the Italians then family. I've travelled there a couple times with my infant kids and it was always great.

We took our son who had just turned one to Italy with us two summers ago. The Italians were very, very friendly towards him. (Perhaps they sensed that he is 1/4 Italian!) We didn't find kid friendly places to be an issue. I would suggest that with a one year old though, it's the one year old that will probably have the problem.

A couple of tips, we didn't have a problem finding things like diapers, formula and babyfood. On the advice of friends in Europe, we simply purchased those items in Europe rather then carry them from home.

We did find the selection of baby foods in Italy to be a bit sparse. They had food, it just wasn't as appealing a selection as you might be used to. The week before Italy, we we're in France and much like the food for adults, the French babyfood was quite appealing. (Not that I taste tested it.)

Vicki: There have been numerous threads on this, I have written a few too, check out (http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2, also http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2). I have been traveling with my litle one back and forth to Europe since she was 4 months old (she is now 4 yrs old) and it has been fine each time. I will share a few tips I have found helpful during my travels:

While it may be hard manuevering strollers up and down train station steps (no elevators sometimes!) the Italians have all been more than helpful towards me. And they love children! I would allow time daily for an afternoon nap, if you don't want to be stuck at the hotel, take your 1 year old with you in the stroller for awhile while you are touring a museum, etc. Mine always fell asleep for a good 1 hour+ if we were out and about. The constant motion was a good way to lull her to sleep! A problem might be the dinner time since Europeans eat later than Americans. You can expect restaurants to open up ~ 7:00-7:30 pm. I found the majority opened up at 7:30 pm. The evening can get long and very tiring for your little one. I would order 1 pasta dish (primi) for me and give her some (share) and that would be her meal. Sometimes you can skip the secondi (main dish) if the time is really dragging on, just let the waiter know beforehand that you are only ordering a primi. They should be fine with that.

Regarding your lodging, don't get stuck paying for an extra bed. If you get a "doppia" room, there will be a double bed (sometimes a queen), you should be able to have your child sleep there in the bed with you. Unless you prefer to get an addtl twin (single) bed that you can bring close to your bed. Asking for a crib is difficult as not all properties have cribs, plus may discourage hotelier from giving you a room. I always played it down and made do with the room I was given and it has worked fine each and every time.

You will see lots of merry-go-rounds in Italy. That is a fun thing for them to do (you ride with child); also plenty of parks all around to spend an afternoon picnic or for a stroll.

Traveling with the young one will only bother you when you are tired. Tuscany is very beautiful and I am sure if you stay in a small villa or apartment for a length of time...you will find a Italian grandma there. Italians love their family, you should have no trouble with traveling with your little one. As I said you are the only one to worry about. before you leave make sure you have a stroller with big wheels if not.....SAVE the money and buy one in Italy. We did this with our twins ( I am the nanny..they were 15 months) only person tired during the trip was me but I still enjoyed myself with the family. Everyone above me has great advice and ordering the Primi only will not offend the waiter/-ess. I hope you enjoy your trip!