Italy with children for 10 days
 

Hi all

Our trip is booked! We fly into Rome from eastern Canada in October for 8 full days - 2 travel days and a half travel days extra. We have two young children (ages 7 and almost 3, by then) so we don't want to travel too much. Ideas for Rome plus one other in that time period? Thinking nearby, but it could be overnight or even a couple days. Ideas for an itinerary? We just want to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy some good food.

Thanks!
KD

I've heard good things about the Dolomites, the Belluno area. Someday...we will go....

The weather in Italy usually shifts around quite a bit in October, being highly variable -- you can get beautiful summer-like days, or you can get downpours and wind. Your best bet might be to stay in Rome the entire time in an apartment rental and do a few easy day trips on days when you know the weather will be nice in your targeted destination.

With a child of 3, most people find it goes better to avoid staying in places with lots of stairs and vertical climbs. Problematic places for people with tiny legs are the Amalfi coast and Venice.

There are a number of not-difficult day trips out of Rome that are outdoors oriented that would give you a nice mix of city and small down, and antiquity. Orvieto, Lake Bracciano, Ostia Antica, Tivoli, Sperlonga (a historic beach town) plus the many quieter neighborhoods of Rome would make for a very rich 8 days. With the money you save by renting an apartment, you could also take the high speed train to Florence, a flat town with plenty to see without ever entering a museum.

Another good reason to rent an apartment is because the Italian dinner hour for restaurants really doesn't start until 8pm, and tends to be a long drawn out affair except in pizzerie. Your children will be welcome in any restaurant except the zillion-dollar ones, but you might want to simplify things and save money by having some simple dinners at "home." It is easy to pick up great foods and produce from Rome's delicatessens, so they can be no-cook meals.

I will agree with steve here. Rent an apartment in Rome and from there, take a few day trips.The apartment will give you more space for the children, and have a kitchen, also good when traveling with young ones. As said, you could then enjoy lunches out, on pleasant piazzas, and not have to suffer the late dinner hours. Orvieto is a good daytrip, and not far, but again, you could also get up to Florence for a day. Not moving kids and luggages around will give you a more relaxing 8 days.

And look for an apartment on a lower floor, one with a washer. (Third floor in Europe is fourth floor to Americans.)

Excellent advice from stevewith on all counts! We've traveled often with our kids and staying put in an apt and then making (and having the flexibility on when to do) day trips is an excellent way to go.

Thanks very much. I like this advice. I will check out the options you mentioned for day trips. My idea originally was to spend half the time in Rome and half the time outside Rome in a more rural area... but this works as well. Florence is also on my list. So maybe Florence. We could also rent a car.

But now it begs the question: what area is best for renting an apartment??