We are Americans and currently doing an expat assignment in London and want to take my parents (in their early 60s) and our kids (ages 2 and 3) to Italy this Spring. My parents have dreamed of going to Rome for a long time, so this is special for them.

However, I know that traveling to cities can be somewhat daunting with very small children. We've been researching family friendly hotels in Rome, but am also wondering if it is worth it for us to travel to a more rural area around Rome (no idea if this exists!) to rent a villa for a few nights so the kids can run around and we can make some home cooked meals? The kids are little so their interests are pretty basic. Things like boat rides, pony rides, country walks, etc. get high marks with them. For the adults, some great scenery and some choice of dining out options would be nice.

I'm just not sure what is near enough to Rome to make that work. Also, I don't want to spend a lot of time moving locations when we only have 1 week in total.

Would love any advise you have!

Thank You!

We rented accommodation a little way out of Rome and to be honest the transport to get into the centre of the city was very slow. If Rome is important as part of this trip then I would recommend staying in an apartment in the centre of the city.

Your kids can run around in the Borghese Gardens and in the piazze. They'll probably love the fountains of Rome. There is a petting zoo in Rome

http://www.romefile.com/sights/bioparco-zoo.php

and there are pony rides up in the Gianicolo

http://www.rometravelitaly.com/Famil...-for-kids.html

I also recommend an excursion to Ostia Antica, where the kids can run around on the grass while you marvel at the history. Nice place to eat out there is Il Monumento, but you can also take a picnic.

For just a week, I don't think you want to be out of town, relying on public transportation, especially if the kids still like to take naps. Better to get a very large apartment with enough bathrooms in the center of town.

There have been other people who have taken toddlers to Rome and written trip reports about it. You might want to look them up for tips.

Thank you, very very helpful. Will check out the links and previous posts.

yes, jennifer, I definitely suggest going the apartment route, and getting somewhere near the borghese gardens. then you can have the best of both worlds!