AngiePM

I posted earlier about spending 3 weeks in Italy with 2 young children...
We were thinking of spending 2 weeks in Rome and 1 week in either Florence or Paris, in March. We have a 3 year old and a 9 month old.
Now my husband is saying he would prefer to just spend one full month in Rome...really living day to day and getting to know the city.
Do you think this is too long with such little kids? He will be working afternoons, so I'll be on my own much of the time with them
What would we do in Rome for one month??

Catbert

You'll have an apartment, right? Sounds GREAT to me. You may want to read "As the Romans Do", by Alan Epstien. It's about a family with young children who moved to Rome.

What will you do? Live in Rome! How fun.

Nikki

I think with two small children, it is easier to spend a month in one place than to move around. The kids can get more adapted to their surroundings and hopefully get into a routine that allows them (and you) to relax.

I have been to Rome in March and the weather was nice enough that you could go out to parks and take the kids for walks around the city. The Italians were bundled up as though it were winter, but for me (coming from New England) it seemed comfortable and pleasant out.

I would just be sure to pick the apartment carefully both for the amenities and space it offers and for the location, since you plan to be there for so long and with such young children.

tuscanlifeedit

Perhaps your husband will compromise with a few weekend or one-day trips out of the city?

Actually, it does sound like fun. Get an apartment near the Borghese Park, or in easy walking distance of that or some other park, and have a ball with the kids.

You can all go to a market in the morning, and rest or nap after lunch, then out to the park or shopping. There are so many, many sights to see that you could explore slowly and really cover a lot.

A church a day alone would fill the month. And perhaps an ancient site, or a special shopping street or market each day...

You could easily fill the month, and in the future, you could always say, "Oh, that was during the spring we lived in Rome."

Hey, how about a daily language lesson?

Would your husband be working every afternoon if you stayed for two weeks in Rome, then another week someplace else?

AngiePM

Yes, he has to work no matter where we go...the downside to self-employment. The upside...spending one month in Rome!
The problem I'm running into it to find an affordable apt for one month, it may not be very large (1 bedroom + sofa bed). The baby sleeps with us, I'm not sure how the 3 year old will do on a sofa bed...
But you are all right...it does look like lots to do and we would do a few day trips.

suze

I love to stay put when I travel! So a month in one city would be a dream for me.

Maybe you can rig up something better for the 3 year old (some kind of cot or futon or something that would feel more like his/her own)?

MonicaRichards

I find it's better to make sure the kids are in rooms at night so you and your husband can hang out in the living room/ kitchen for some downtime. So I agree with the poster about getting a cot or something in the bedroom for the three year old.

LoveItaly

Hi Angie, a month in Rome with some side trips would be wonderful. I agree that getting a cot for your three year old would be a good idea so you and you DH could have the living room and kitchen to yourselves after the children are put to sleep.

Have you looked at www.slowtrav.com/Italy/ regarding apartments in Rome. Guess it is alright to post that website here. Not sure of Fodor's "new rules" and they never answered my question regarding this so still not sure what is allowable.

This should be a trip you will always remember Angie. Have fun planning it.

bardo1

<<What would we do in Rome for one month??>>

Well, you could TRY to see all of the museums, historic churches, neighborhoods, parks, etc. but you wouldn't have enough time.

Trying to see all of Rome is like trying to all of London and NYC combined.

BTW, there are also tons of great day trip options easily reached by rail.

AngiePM

We're booked! One full month, leaving late February...we have an apartment west of the Vatican, near Villa Doria Pamphili.
Now we need to plan some day trips and a couple weekend trips. Can we explore some of Umbria and Tuscany without a car?

wliwl

I see you're already booked -- but I can't imagine a more difficult city to have small children in than Rome. The streets are so dangerous and narrow that you will have to really keep an eye on them. I hope you aren't bringing a double stroller, as you will have a bad enough time getting down the street iwth a single.

Eloise

What Wliwl says about narrow streets applies for the historical center, but where you are renting, it should not be as much of a problem. I suspect, though, that the area is hilly...

You can do day or weekend trips to Florence (by train, 1.5 hours), to Siena (by bus, www.sena.it), to Perugia, to Assisi (both by train).

AngiePM

Yes, we have fully considered all the pros and cons about Rome with kids. Having been there a few times in the past, we are well aware of the negatives. However, as Eloise said, we are not staying in the center. When we do head to the center, it will be the 4 of us with a single umbrella stroller and the baby in a front carrier. The rest of the time will be hanging around the piazzas and parks near the apt.
Thanks for the input!