Hi, I am new to this forum, regretfully, but have thoroughly enjoyed all of the information so far. First... <BR>Nancy, Hang in there, I admire your obvious strength. <BR>Rex, Thanks for the lecture. Although difficuly I agree it was needed. Sarcasism is funny but don't forget the questions. <BR>Now, I am leaving in 2 weeks to Rome for 5 days then to visit my Husbands home town (he was born there) and his family, Pietrelcina which is Campania (forgive my spelling. Oh and I will have my 7 & 4 yr old children with me. <BR> <BR>Questions: <BR>Is it ok to dress my kids in "American" clothes (shorts and t-shirts)? <BR>Has anyone ever been to the feast in Pietrelcina (town where Padra Pia is from)? <BR>Will it be ok with we see all of Rome without a tour guide? I am not sure my 4-yr old can handle 3-4 hrs on someone else's schedule. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your feedback. I am very anxious/excited about this trip. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

american cloths are fine. The italians are very accepting of children in general. It's an wasy place to take kids.

I agree with M. Your children's usual clothes will be fine, although you might enjoy shopping for an Italian outfit or two in your husband's hometown. And definitely visit Rome on your own. With two young children, you'll be much happier setting your own pace, stopping for drinks or gelato or a romp around a nice piazza whenever you like. Get a good map and a good guide book and don't try to see everything in one week. Have a wonderful trip!

Shorts and t-shirts for kids? Of course. <BR> <BR>Okay to sightsee on your own without a guide? Certainly! Millions do every year. You'll find www.twenj.com/romesightsself.htm helpful with suggestions for itineraries you can do on your own. <BR> <BR>Sorry, but haven't been to Pietrelcina. <BR>

Mary, <BR> <BR>Just remember to cover up when visiting churches and other religious sites, <BR> <BR>Cathy

Mary <BR>You might want to do a search on Amazon.com for "kids Italy" or "kids Rome" or family Rome." There are some books out there with helpful ideas.

thanks Mary. <BR>I am. <BR>About clothes in rome. <BR>My children wore their usual clothes. <BR>It was really too hot for long pants. <BR>My daughter had a "dress-up" dress and one skirt for those better occasions. <BR>Even young girls must adherre to covering up in churches. <BR>(except it seems the day we went to Vatican! lots of tank tops and regular shorts) <BR> <BR>Time tables. <BR>you are a brave woman to be traveling with a 3&4 yr old. <BR>definitely do NOT get onto a scheduled tour! <BR>You will definitely have to readjust your expectations on how much you will actually "see" while in Rome. <BR> <BR>The Villa Borghese has a lovely park to visit, and there are some bicycle/motors that one can rent and drive around in. <BR>looked like fun, (we ran out of children patience after the tour) <BR>Do one major thing while the children are "fresh" and then call it quits at least til later in the day. <BR> <BR>My kids did great, but they are much older. <BR>even then I was really brought back to reality, by how tired they get doing what we adults enjoy so. <BR> <BR>A thing to keep in mind while in rome, <BR>The water out of the street faucets is absolutely safe and drinkable. <BR>so, one can usually find cool drinkable water , while walking around. <BR> <BR>Piazza farnese, next to Campo de' Fiori, is another great place to let the kids romp and move around. <BR>While it is right in the city, and is not a park, it is a spacious, but not crowded by people and autos, so your children would be safe , and not get lost in the masses, <BR>running around and letting off steam. <BR> <BR>Have fun. <BR>don't worry! <BR>

Mary: <BR> <BR>My wife and I took a 3 1/2 year old to Italy last summer. The biggest challenge we faced was adjusting to their different dinner schedule. No restaurant opens before 7 pm and some as late as 8. That's bedtime for my little one. We solved that by resting in the afternoon as the locals do and then stopping somewhere and eating an early dessert (usually gelato or pastries) in the late afternoon. That would tide her over to dinner. Usually she would conk out before dessert could be served in the restaurant so that worked out pretty well. The Italians love kids and ours was welcome wherever we went. <BR> <BR>One thing to "beware" of also is that some Italians (of course complete strangers to you)will reach out to your (especially younger) child uninvited and stroke their hair or caress their cheek with their hands (this is more than a pat on the head), and may also say something to them or you - perhaps how pretty the child is or how lucky you are to have him. Of course in the States this is a serious no-no but expect it in Italy. It is a sign of their affection for kids in general and not an attempt to molest your child. Additionally, if you try to prevent a local from doing so it will be considered a very rude gesture. Although it may make you very uncomfortable, it is a compliment paid. It happened to us several times and we would just smile. The kids of course love the attention. <BR> <BR>Fortunately for us my brother lives in Italy and forewarned us about that particular custom and we took it as such. My brother has a five year old daughter with flowing blonde curly hair who stops traffic there. <BR> <BR>When in Rome...! <BR> <BR>Dan

We were in Rome for 4 days in April w/ a 12 and 10 year old. We found it necessary to take a couple of breaks from sightseeing to return to the hotel for rests. My husband and I took naps while the children played with the trinkets they bought in the Piazza Navona,etc! Ah well, even though the kids didn't nap, the point is that staying in the Centro Storico made these mid-day breaks possible since we were close to so many sights. This also helped them stay awake late enough to have dinner at 7:30 or 8:00 since most restaurants don't open till then for dinner. My kids usually had a quick slice of pizza or gelato about 5:00 to tide them over till dinnertime. Nonetheless, a four year old simply can't walk as much as Rome sightseeing demands so plan to splurge a bit on taxis as the metro doesn't traverse much of the tourist areas. We too decided our kids couldn't handle a 4 hour Amex-style bus tour of the city but we did enjoy the Ciao Roma bus tour. Only took about2 hrs. and has recorded info in multiple languages. This was good on an afternoon as it gave the kids a rest also. Enjoy your trip.

Gee Dan, where are you in the States where complimenting a child is considered molesting? A little uptight there, daddy, you wouldn't last a day in my church.

S: <BR> <BR>Perhaps "molest" was a poor choice of words. I certainly never felt that any one was molesting my child in Italy and don't want to imply that that's how I perceived their gestures - far from it. And of course here in the States touching children among friends and family members (including friendly churches such as yours) is quite acceptable. I think that you would also agree that in the US it is considered very inappropriate for strangers to reach out and touch strange children in public areas such as train stations, shops, restaurants, etc. Yet in Italy this is appropriate. I just wanted to point out to Mary that with a four year old she will probably encounter this in public and that she shouldn't be alarmed or threatened by it. Some American parents might be if unaware. I think it is a cultural difference worth noting to parents who travel with small children so that they can understand it, not be threatened by it, and not do something in misunderstanding that would cause embarassment or worse. <BR> <BR>Just one overprotective dad's advice <BR> <BR>Dan

In fact, Dan's post was the best tip I've picked up here today! I'll be in Rome soon with an 8-year-old girl, who would probably be freaked out by innocent facial touching if not forewarned. Thanks Dan-o, good to know!

Thanks Dan for the advice. I did not take it the wrong way at all. My 7 yr old is absolutely terrified of someone touching her and saying something and her not knowing what they are saying. Do any of you have suggestions on how to handle a negative reaction from them so that we do not offend the Italians? <BR>Thanks to everyone for the great information. <BR> <BR>Mary G

Dan brought up a good point. Other cultures aren't nearly as hysterically worried about strangers touching their children as Americans are.