We plan to spend aprox 2 weeks in Italy next summer with 2 kids (teens). My original thought was several days in Rome with the rest of the time based in an apartment or villa somewhere like Lucca to explore Florence and the rest of Tuscany. But I was thinking the kids would probably be interested in Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. How can I fit this in?

Heather,<BR>You should be able to do a day trip from Rome to Pompeii. But, I would suggest spending a few days in Rome, and then renting a car to explore beyond Rome. The Amalphi coastline is very beautiful, and you could take Pompeii in on your way down.

Hello Heather,<BR><BR>You can certainly do a day-trip to Pompei/Vesuvius by train.<BR>There are also coach tours from Rome.<BR><BR>Steve

Suggest that you consider an apartment or villa south of Florence rather than Lucca if you want to easily explore the most beautiful areas of Tuscany. Go to www.slowtrav.com and its related message board at www.slowtalk.com, two non-commercial sites, with a stupendous amount of information about rentals in Tuscany. Book early, because the best places go early.

Thanks Betsy - I've been checking out slowtrav and contacted tuscan house - one of the favourites. What town do you suggest?<BR>Regards

Although less famous than the Chianti the countryside of Lucca is by no means less spectacular than the most famous area of Tuscany, and it can be far less crowded. Once you are in there you can travel to several very interesting and highly scenic areas such as the Appennini mountains, the Lunigiana area, the Colline metallifere (south of Pisa). Al these places are extremely worth seeing. Chianti is NOT the only (and by no means the best) are of Tuscany worth seeing. For sure it is a nice place, but you can find even better places to visit in other areas.

From Lucca you can easily get to Cinque Terres which was my family's favorite place. They loved hiking from town to town and the scenery was amazing. It was a nice change for my teens after all of the museums and churches.

Heather, you picked a great agency. I had the pleasure of meeting Zak and Gary of Tuscan House at one of the Slowtrav picnics in Tuscany last October. They're both great. I love the area around Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino. Be sure to have dinner at Latte di Luna in Pienza. Tell 'em Zak sent you and you'll be treated very well!<BR><BR>Are you posting from Richmond, VA? I went to grad school at VCU.

My husband and I have traveled the past three summers in Italy with teens. We've found that if you stay someplace where they have some freedom to explore on their own, they are much happier. Two years ago, we rented a villa outside of Siena. Whenever we were there, they wanted to be where the action was. Last year, we stayed in towns so they could go out to dinner or wander around by themselves. They were much happier and, consequently, didn't bug us as much. We stayed in Venice, Rome, Milan, Lucca, Lavagna (near Cinque Terre), and Bellagio. The mistake we made was traveling that whole time by train. I wouldn't do that again but would rent a car and drive from town to town. On a previous trip, we visited Pompeii and they did enjoy it (alot had to do with the artwork on the walls!) but it still made a big impression on them. Private guides made a difference in understanding everything. Their favorites were Rome and Venice but also loved the Cinque Terre area! A day trip from Rome to Pompeii is easy. Good luck.

We were in Italy Sept. 2001; when we left Rome, we went to Naples and then Pompeii.<BR>Timing is important. If you go on your own, instead of a direct tour from Rome - here's what we found. We planned to leave 9AM. The train didn't leave til 10. It sat outside Naples for 20 minutes. Then we checked in our Hotel, and went back to the station to catch the "subway" (actually the interurban Transvesuvio?) to Pompeii Scavii. So, all told, it was 2:30 when we got there, and the place closed at 7 or so. I probably could have spend a full day or more! We had a delightful open air pizza dinner and caught the train back. So leave really early and make a full day of it.<BR> <BR>When in Rome, do as the tourists do. Some guidebook store probably has a good illustrated guide to Pompeii - buy it and read up about it on the train. You could also spend a night or two in Naples (for a delightfully different experience!) and take the kids to Capri whenre they can wear you out walking up to Villa Jovis, the arch, and all the other high points. Take a chairlift to the top of the mountain!<BR>The museum in Naples is worth seeing too, if ancient sculpture doesn't bore you to tears.