Please help with another Italy itinerary...
 

I will be traveling to Italy with my husband and two daughters (6&11) next summer. We are flying in and out of Rome and will have sixteen nights for travel, although the sixteenth night will have to be in Rome to catch a flight the next morning. I would like to see Rome, Florence, and Venice. Since it will be so hot, I was considering renting a house with a pool for a week and seeing Florence from the house rental. Any suggestions for a workable itinerary? Is it a waste to spend a whole week at a rental house? I am so excited but also overwhelmed!

Crs, with small children I would keep things as simple as possible.My visit last year to Rome was nice ,but I must have mentioned to my wife a dozen times that we could never take my grand daughter with us because its very difficult walking,I can't imagine what it would be like to have 2 children with me. Cars and motorbikes run right up onto sidewalks,not to mention the sidewalks are about two feet wide and foot traffic goes both ways.The summer is so crowded I think by staying out of Rome as you are planning makes great sense.Venice will be a good choice , no cars, but the water taxis will be loaded. investigate staying on Lido there is traffic,mainly locals .That part of VENICE was absoutely gorgeous,beautiful boulivards with great eaterys on the streets .Piazzas with locals sitting around,kids playing,seniors riding bikes.Good luck.

A good begining. The reason that I say a good begining is that you have a resonable number of days to see a resonable number of cities (3 cities in fourteen days is almost five days per.) All of these cities have many daytrip possibilities so you might want to research those.

If you are attracted to renting a house for a week, then why not (lots of people do it, so it can't be a terrible idea). With four people it may not be as economical as you hope.

We did a trip to Rome, Venice and Florence March 2005 with our kids who were ages 9 and 12 at the time. We did 6 nights Rome, 4 nights Venice and 4 nights Florence. Here is a link to my trip report:http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34599242. My kids love Italy, and as long as they know to either stay by your side or hold your hand, you shouldn't have to worry about them getting lost.

I have to disagree with the recommendation to stay on Lido in Venice, not convenient for the major sites of Venice. Your kids will love the canals of Venice, and you will appreciate the lack of cars and scooters for a few days in Venice proper.

This summer we returned to Italy for a 3 week trip and stayed at an agriturisimo, Fattoria Tregole, in Castellina in Chianti (Tuscany) for 5 nights. We rented one of their apts. which had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a fully eqiuped kitchen, pool, incl. breakfast, and daily cleaning. Here is their website http://www.fattoria-tregole.com/. We enjoyed staying there, and agree that your idea of staying someplace with a pool is a good one. It is located about equipdistance from Florence and Siena (about 20-25 min.) so easy to visit there for a day. You would definitely need to rent a car if staying there.

There's nothing wrong with basing out of a house. If you have a car, you can use it to see other cities and towns beside Florence: Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano come to mind.

Although I have never been, a region I would like to visit is Umbria and the towns of Perugia and Gubbio. Based on my reading, I think I would choose this area for the house rental over Tuscany. Others who have visited this region might have an opinion on this.

Here's a possibility:

3 days Rome
4 days Umbria
3 days Florence
3 days Venice with a possible daytrip to the Veneto
2 days Lake Como
1 day back to Rome

The Amalfi Coast is also beautiful and could be substituted for any of the above that doesn't appeal to you. 2 or 3 days for that.

You know your family best, but I wouldn't recommend Cimbrone's itinerary if travelling with two small children. I'd stick with three different places to sleep, and I think the house with pool is a great idea. Assuming you haven't booked your flights yet, I'd suggest flying into Venice and out of Rome (or vice versa). If that's not possible and depending on the time of your flight arrival in Rome, you might consider heading immediately to Venice by train or connecting flight. After 3-4 days, head to Tuscany for 5-7 days and finish in Rome for the remainder of your time.

The Sorrento Peninsula is another area to consider for your house rental. With its proximity to the sea, I would much prefer it for July than the HOT interior of Italy. Beautiful views, lemon groves, wonderful daytrips to Capri and the Amalfi Coast...Yes, that would definitely be my choice. You'd have trouble pulling me away!

Hi crs, have you booked your airline tickets already (arriving and departing from Rome)?

Thank you for the great suggestions. I was not sure about the house in Tuscany or if we should head to the coast. I think that Cimbrone is right and it might be a good idea to see that part of Italy. I do have my flights booked and we are flying in and out of Rome.

Jgg, the b&b you stayed in looks perfect. I think that four changes in accommodations is about all that we can handle. That leaves Rome, Venice, Florence, and somewhere near water. Is the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, or a lake region my best bet? My kids love the beach and swimming but I also know that they would be just equally happy swimming in a pool, lake, or ocean. If you could only go to Amalfi Coast, a lake, or Sorrento which would you chose?

Again, I am very appreciative of all of the expert advice and opinions. I want to make this a great trip for all of us so that the kiddies are still excited about travel to Europe and not begging to see that money grubbing mouse in Florida.

If swimming is a priority, you may want to stick to the Amalfi Coast or the Sorrento Peninsula. I never really saw people swimming in the northern lakes, and, except for the very grand hotels there and a few select houses, swimming pools are a rarity in that area. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. The other two places (which are really right next to each other) will have lots of swimming pools and beaches to choose among. Google "sorrento villa" and "amalfi villa" and see what comes up. Posting "Looking for Sorrento villa" here will get you some good recommendations. I seem to remember the Massa Lubrense area is a favorite on the Sorrento Peninsula.

As far as the Lakes versus Sorrento/Amalfi in general, do you prefer an almost Alpine feel (with a few palm trees thrown in) or a Mediterranean one? Both are incredibly beautiful.

Hi there! For those willing to spend some days in Agrigento (Valley of the Temples!), I suggest the B&B Terrazze di Montelusa: located in the historical center, huge panoramic terraces, bedrooms with airconditioning and private bathrooms, ambiance 5 star hotel but B&B rates!!! The owner is very friendly and gave us all information we needed. We really loved it!

We unfortunately have not made it to the Amalfi Coast nor the Lakes yet. However, on our trip this June we did spend four nights in Lerici on the Ligurian Coast. We had a great time there, did the boat tour of the Cinque Terre, relaxed on the beach, went to Carrara and visited a marble cave, and took a fun cooking lesson one night - the kids had a ball!! I do think it was nice to be near the beach, and have some days that were not so hectic with siteseeing.

Jgg, sorry you disagee but I would rather be away from the huge crowds in the 90 plus heat in the summer in Venice, and have a nice retreat, its a ten minute vap ride to the main square.I guess its all how you view things,Again I would not take small children on a trip to Europe I find it way to busy and dangerous , just my opinion!I would agree with you staying in the countryside on a property with a pool.