bmad

I'm planning a trip to Italy with my husband and four kids, ages 18,17,13 and 9. This is the first time to Italy for the kids. We have 12 nights, from June 23 to July 5th. (Only dates that work for us) Right now my flights are on hold for into Rome and out of Milan. We would like to spend some of the in Tuscany with another family with kids ages 10 & 11. Would like to share a villa with them but that would leave only one night in Rome. Would teens be bored in a villa rather than staying in the cities and what about the air conditioning issue in a villa? If we spend 7 nights in Tuscany that would leave 4 nights for Venice...or split with somewhere else maybe Lake Como before departing from Milan.

My questions:

Should we forget about the Villa and split the trip between Rome, Florence, Venice?

Should we rent a car or take the train?

Would it be better to fly out of Venice?

Any other suggestions would ew appreciated!

bmad

TTT

dina4

Hi Bmad,
Sounds like a fun trip. We took our kids to Italy in 2004 (then 11 and 14), and are planning another trip for this summer. Those are good dates. It won't be as crowded and hot as later in the summer.

We found that Tuscany was wonderful for our family-- a very nice downtime between the heavy sightseeing of Rome and Florence. Our kids loved it. As long as you have a pool, I think your kids will love Tuscany. We slept in and hung out by the pool during the day. In the late afternoon we would venture out for a drive to a nearby town for gelato and browsing around.

Try Tuscany.net for accomodations in Tuscany. They have a really good advanced search engine and lots of photos of the places to stay.

In Venice, we didn't do any museums or anything--just walked around a lot, shopped, ate, and soaked it up. Your kids will love it because there's nothing like it in the world. Splurge for a gondola ride at dusk, and make sure to go to the top of the campanile in St. Mark's Square.

We have not been to Milan.

Have fun planning!
Dina

fun4all4

Hi,

We will be in Italy with our 2 sons, 12 and 15, June 16-28. It is not that a villa is a bad idea, but you need to decide your priorities. With only 12 nights, 7 nights in a villa leaves 5 for the 2 cities you mentioned. If the villa is well-located for day trips and has a pool, it could work out really well.

However, one night in Rome is not enough, especially if it is your arrival day and you will depart the next day. Can you make it 3 nights Rome, then Tuscany, then 3 nights Venice?

Whether you rent a car will be determined by your plan. If you do Rome, Florence, Venice, then I would say no to a car. But, if you plan on a week in a villa, then I would say yes to a car.

If you are not going anywhere near Milan, then try to fly out of Venice, if possible.

I find that combining city and "country" time works well for my guys, but it really depends on your interests. For this trip, we are spending 3 nights hiking in the Berner Oberland (Swiss Alps), 1 night in Milan, 4 nights on Lake Garda, and 3 nights in Venice.


What do you think your kids would like best? What are your interests?

Good luck and have fun - it will be a great trip whatever you decide.

bmad

Thanks for your input! The reason we only have one night in Rome is that we can't get into Rome any earlier and the Villas rent from Sat to Sat. I'm thinking we should stay at a hotel so that we can stay in Rome longer. What do you think?

LoveItaly

Hi bmad, every child is so different so I can only comment on my daughter when she was a teen. She loved Rome and Venice (along with Capri, Naples, Milan etc)..big city girl that daughter, LOL. Although she enjoyed small towns that we stayed in for a night or two I know she would have had a fit if she had been dragged away from Rome to stay in a villa. And a comment, just my thinking which certainly is not meant to put down anyone elses thinking. But I don't understand about taking children and teens to Italy and then have them spend a lot of time in a pool. They can do that at home. There is so much to expose them to in Italy that two months in not enough time. Again, just my personal thinking. Rome and Venice were her two favorite places and still are. Best wishes.

dina4

I didn't read carefully and didn't realize you would be in Tuscany for 7 nights. I agree that is too long for the kids, especially if you want to see those other cities, which they will enjoy. I think you should definitely look for a hotel that takes shorter stays

You could do 3 nights in Rome, 4 nights in Tuscany, 2 nights in Florence, 2 nights in Venice, and your last night in Milan.
Or you could do Florence as a day trip from Tuscany and add on to Venice/Milan.

bmad

Yes, your both right, my 17 year old just said that she "doesn't want to be in a villa in the middle of nowhere". Maybe a coastal Tuscany town with a day trip to Florence? Should I try to change departing flight to out of Venice and skip Milan?

dina4

I would skip Milan, but only because I love Venice and have not been to Milan.
Consider the Chianti region, too, in Tuscany. It's an easy day trip to Florence and the area is beautiful.

fun4all4

I would definitely stay more days in Rome and Venice with a few days in a smaller area. Also, a hotel in Tuscany may be located in a small town or village where there would be an area for walking around and getting gelato and stuff whereas a villa could be quite secluded. Also, as dina4 said, if you stay in the Chianti area, it is a close daytrip to Florence.

I'm not sure that my first response was clear....I was trying to nicely imply that 7 days in a villa might be too long and boring without presuming too much. Different families have different interests. My husband and I spent some time in Tuscany and loved it, but I think my boys would be bored there.

On the other hand, I think they will like Lake Garda as it will allow us daytrips to Verona and the many small towns along the lake, but will be a contrast to just big cities for them. And, I agree with LoveItaly in that I would never take my kids to Italy just to sit by a pool for hours. On the other hand, a swim or a bike ride or whatever can be a nice break for an hour or two after a long day of sightseeing before going out to a late dinner.

The other thing about a villa is that you would most likely need to do some shopping or cooking (even if only for breakfasts). For some people, that holds great appeal, for others it is a burden.

Again, the key is to know your own family. With 12 nights in Italy, we would not spend 7 in a villa, but for others, that could be a dream come true.

I would stay an extra night in Venice and leave Milan out if only for one night unless you need it as a transportation point. We are going for one night, but only because it works as a transportation point for us. Try to keep the flow and travelling around as smooth and easy as possible.

You will have an awesome trip. Good luck and have fun.

annhig

If you are going to be near lake garda, your teens will love "Gardaland" [theme park] and the nearby water park too. Also good shops in the big towns round the lake, and lovely boat rides around the lake. A hotel in the area would allow you to spend less than a week here, giving you longer for Rome. Good Luck

Peggyann

The villa idea is nice and I have done that a few times. BUT, it is restrictive in that it is generally Sat to Sat, the locations are usually pretty remote, shopping is required, (everything from TP to breakfast goodies, plus you pay for electricity, final cleaning, big deposits etc.)

There are tons of B and B's in Tuscany with pools, near or in towns where youngsters may do some well chosen sight seeing. We did this last Sept at Il Casale del Cotone just outside S. Gimignano. Perfect.

Try KarenBrown, slowtrav. and this forum for recommendations. This would give you more flexibility in the number of days you could spend in Venice or the lakes.

Renting a car for the Tuscany time will allow for some trips to town and other areas.Then train it to Venice from Florence or drive to Venice and drop it off there.Whatever you decide, you are giving your family a fabulous gift.

bmad

I appreciate all your help! I think we will plan to spend 4 nights in Rome, 5 nights in Tuscany somewhere, 2 nights in Venice and 1 night in Milan (we have to fly home from there). Any other hotel or B&B suggestions? Where would be the best place to stay in Tuscany, keeping in mind that we would like to be close to a town or beach and be able to do day trips to Florence and Siena? What would be the best train/ car combination. (We would need a car that fits the 6 of us) Thanks again!

Weadles

bmad,

We took our two teens ( now 15 and 18) to Tuscany two summers ago, and they were bored out of their minds. COuldn't wait to get to Florence and Rome, both of which they thoroughly enjoyed, despite the incredible heatwave!

That's why I'd recommend adding a night to Venice, and taking one away from your Tuscany stay. I think Tuscany's great for young kids and parents of any age, but not so wonderful for teens unless you're planning on a lot of day trips.

Another easy possibility might be to base in Florence rather than Tuscany for 4 nights, and do day trips from there. You could easily go to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena, using either trains or buses, so you wouldn't need to spend $$ on a car. There are also private tours and wine tastings available, which might solve your desire to see a part of the Tuscan countryside.

Anyway, good luck with your trip! Hope you have a great time!

LoveItaly

Hi bmad, if you need a rental car to get the six of you to your lodgings, say where you will be staying in Tuscany, you will have 6 passengers plus the luggage for everyone. There is no way a standard size rental car could accomodate all of you plus the luggage. You would have to rent a van I guess. If you need a car for just day trips (no luggage) make sure the rental car you reserve will hold 6 passengers. Oh, the details involved with planning a trip, LOL. Have fun, this will be a trip I am sure your whole family will always remember.

bmad

Yes, maybe it would simplify things if we stayed in Florence. Then we wouldn't need a car. (Otherwise, I thought maybe a town on the coast would be interesting for teens.)

panucci

We have taken our children to Italy 3 times. Not that I want to confuse you further, but my teens LOVE Cinque Terre. They really enjoyed the hiking and it offers a diffent perspective to Italy. My kids also LOVE Rome. The entire family agrees that our best trip was Rome, Venice, Cinqu Terre (stayed in Porto Venere)and Lake Como. City, Sea, Mountains and ...Venice. Also, remember cars are small and very difficult to get in a large family with luggage.

bmad

Which hotels or B&B would you recommend in Rome, Florence, Venice that nice and safe for teenagers to walk around (air contioning would be great too)?

bmad

panucci, What should we do about the car problem? Plan the trip around the train? Could we do that and still go to Cinque Terre? I can't imagine the six of us and luggage enjoying riding around in a small car or even mini van.

dina4

Tell us your hotel budget and you can get better hotel advice. You will obviously need 2 rooms, or 3 if the hotel you choose doesn't have a quad room.

In Tuscany, this is where we stayed near Florence (30 min drive). We rented the villa, but they have hotel rooms, too.
www.tuscany.net/relaisvillalolmo/
www.relaisfarmholiday.com/