Hello

We are traveling from NY to Italy for a 14 day trip, 30 sept to 13 oct.
My husband and I have been to Italy before, but this is our first trip abroad with our 2 year old daughter - so are expecting a somewhat different experience!

We are landing in Milan on a Friday morning at 850am. From there, we plan to drive a few hours, find a place for lunch, explore and check into a hotel for the night. The next morning we are continuing to gaiole in chianti where we will stay for a week. After that, we spend 4 nights in Rome.

Can anyone recommend a location for our first day/night stopover, somewhere between Milan and the Chianti region? We thought about Parma or Bologna but maybe there is a better option...

Thanks!
Emily

Rather than drive south via Bologna with the stretch from Milan to Bologna being intensely boring why not head due south from Malpensa to Genoa and stop at Recco for lunch - famous for its focaccia. This is about a 2 hour 15 drive.

Recco to Forte dei Marmi is about an hour 15 and there you will find plenty of hotels and it is a resort which is very child friendly.

The next day is an easy drive to Gaiole.

I agree, from MXP I would head south toward Genoa---easier drive. However, I think I would stop in Camogli, but you may need a reservation.

Camogli/Recco both about the same distance i.e. just the right driving distance for lunch.

I recommend using Viamichelin for driving routes.

Not in the direction you are going, but when we wanted a night close to Milan, we stayed in Verona.

About traveling to Italy with children...We were in Italy when our boys were 3 and 5. It was really fun for all of us, even though it was a different pace than we were used to. The playgrounds were adorable. The people we met were so welcoming to our children.

thank you so much for your replies. My husband is driving and I don't think he's yet considered this route. great advice! thanks again