Thanks...as far as budget, I guess we would like to spend about $400 per night for the 6 of us. I still need to find hotels in Rome, Tuscany,Venice and Milan. Any suggestions? Is it possible to find something charming, clean, safe for teens to walk to shops, and with AC?

bmad, www.tripadvisor.com is a good source for hotel reviews. You needn't worry so much about safety or AC. In general, stay in a central location away from the train station. In Rome, the areas around Piazza Navona/Campo dei Fiori/the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps/Via Veneto are very good. Practically any place in Venice is good; you could also look at the Lido. It's a beach area within easy reach of the old town. (I would never stay there myself, it's not real Venice, but it might work out with kids.)

As for air conditioning, those thick masonry buildings are good at keeping out the hot air. And adapt your lifestyle, make it part of the learning experience. Sightsee a lot in the morning, take a rest in the midafternoon, go out again in the evening. Dinner starts at about 8 PM.

I agree with adding another day to Venice and subtracting it from Tuscany. And stay in Florence. Without a car, it's a better transportation hub. And do stick to trains, except for the bus from Florence to Siena. Another excursion from Florence might be to Lucca, which has a well-preserved wall that you can walk or bike around.

With six people you will probably want one quad family room and one double. Venice is notoriously expensive, might well exceed your budget. (But still worth it--and kids love it.)

Good luck!

Thanks for all your help! I have read it all and have somewhat of a plan. What do you think?

June 23,24,25 - 3 nights in Rome
(I contacted a guide about spending 2 days with us) I would like to stay near the Spanish Steps.

June 26 - Take a morning train from Rome to Pisa (Eurostar), see Pisa, back on train to San Margherita or Cinque Terre area for either 3 or 5 nights?

June 29 & 30 - Maybe take a train from Santa Margherita to Florence for 2 nights (or just stay in Beach area). If in Florence, we can see the Duomo, Santa Croce and the Ponte Vecchio on day one. Go to San Gimignano the next day and see the Uffizzi Gallery and the David on the last day before getting on train to Venice.

July 1 - 3 - Venice for 2 nights - Train last day to Milan or somewhere near the Milan Airport as we have a 10:30 flight back to Newark on July 5th.

What is the best way to make the train reservations. Which hotels do you recommend? I guess I'll try to spend about $500 per night. Thanks again. You have been very helpful.

You might consider giving yourselves a night in Pisa, which would give you a chance to enjoy the piazzas and charms of the town away from the very touristy area that surrounds the monuments.

Unless you are very avid hikers, 5 nights in Cinque Terre itself in June is a long time. I would give one of those nights to Pisa and another night to Venice.

No need to book trains until you get to Italy. Your budget should get you very good accommodations, but you should book early.

On your last night in Italy, consider staying in a grand hotel in Stresa overlooking Lago Maggiore. A bus will take you to Malpensa, even as early as 6am. (Stresa is one hour from Malpensa). It would be a special way to end your trip. If you arrive in Stresa by lunch time, you would also have time to take a boat tour of the Borromeo Islands.

However, your budget allows for an overnight in Milan itself, which would enable you to see the Duomo and the Last Supper (reserve ahead).

bmad,

Did you decide against the car? If so, you should possibly rethink some of your itinerary.

Pisa to San Margherita is at least two or three hours by train. And I think it involves a change of trains in Genoa. This makes for a pretty long travel day.

Also, Santa Margherita to Florence will probably take about t3 or 3 hours on the trains. And you're only going there for two nights.

Florence to Venice is also about a 3-hour train ride, and Venice to Milan is another 3 hours.

Of course it's your trip, but you might want to consolidate your itinerary so that you're not spending so much time getting to and from your destinations!

I haven't decided yet for sure on the train or car issue. I have been given advice from both points of view. If my family was smaller, we would go with a car. But the train may work better for six people.
One friend so that the train was their down time to read, etc.
Others say to rent a car.

I promise this will be my last e-mail before I get back to work, but I'm thinking that you have way too much packed into the 12 days. If it wouldn't be too heartbreaking, would you consider giving up Santa Margherita and going to the lake country instead? It would work much better with the rest of your itinerary, and your kids would still get some of their requested "beach time" although on a lake! BTW, I've been to the lakes with my kids and they loved it- did water skiing, visited the Borromean Islands, visited Switzerland for the day etc.

What I would suggest if you're interested is:

Rome 4 nights
train to Florence
Florence 2 nights
train to Venice
Venice 3 nights
train to Milan
train to Lago Maggiore or Como ( please note that Maggiore is closer to Malpensa Airport)
3 nights in Stresa or Bellagio
home from Milan

I have to admit that looks like a better trip! I'll call my friend...(we are trying to meet another family in the middle) and see if the lakes will work for them.

I really like Weadles" plan better.:-) We had initially thought about trying to do Cinque Terre/SM area with our boys in June, but it seemed less convenient with our other destinations and possibly very crowded. We chose to do our water/beach thing at Lake Garda (it sounds like Como or Maggiore might work well for you, too).

I think 4 nights in Rome and 3 in Venice sound ideal as does a couple in Florence. The train would be easy with that plan as well.

Good luck with whatever you decide.