I have been to Venice three times with kids (the first time, I was one of them), and never saw any evidence of boredom. I think that part of it has to do with letting them get off on their own. And I submit that Venice is a great place to let them try exploring like that. Not the eight year old alone, of course, but maybe the three of them (or just the two teenagers) - - teach them how to find their way back to Pzza s. Marco, arrange a time - - and get some of that parenting gray hair out of your system! <BR> <BR>I have also seen kids like Verona. <BR>

DON'T YOU EVEN CONSIDER SKIPPING ROME!!

Panos, <BR>Yikes! Rome is where the rest of my group is leaning toward skipping! But it's only because of the geographical aspect. What to do, what to do?!

Jeanna, <BR>I know Rome is a bit away, but believe me, it will be a big mistake not to visit that city! <BR>I have been both to Rome and Florence, and Florence doesn't say anything compared to Rome! <BR>Florence is like an open museum. A fantastic museum indeed! But tell me...do you want to spend your trip inside a museum?? I don't think so! <BR>On the other side, Rome has everything!! <BR>Some of the best museums in the world are located there. In Rome you will see the remains of the Roman Empire, you will see the Vatican, in Rome you will experience great shopping, and you will come in touch with the real italian spirit. Not the fake, touristy one in Florence and Venice! Do you know that much of old Venice has been abandoned by Italians? Venice is the playground for tourists! <BR>My opinion is: Skip both Venice and Florence and spend the whole time in Rome. Or you can plan a day trip in Florence from Rome. That's what I did. One day in Florence is ok.

We're going back to Italy next week and have decided to skip Florence and Venice. We don't feel like we've even started to tap into all that Rome has to offer. Florence felt a little like Disney World with great museums but Rome is definitely the real thing to me.

I've been to all three cities and if I had to choose only one to go back to it would be Venice. We took a trip to Paris, Rome and Venice with my then 15 year old son. It was the only place I felt comfortable letting him explore on his own and he loved the freedom. He said it was the best part of his trip. My husband and I would walk into the lobby and whoever was behind the desk would tell us he was out or he was in or when he would be back. They kept tabs on him without our asking which I loved and he never noticed. He would come back from his wanderings and tell us about his adventures - what he discovered. We were there on July 4th for a few days, the weather was wonderful and though crowded, Venice wasn't mobbed. I expect we were not there on a weekend. Don't miss Venice!!!!!! Your children will never forget it.

Last year we went to Venice for a night, five nights in Florence, 2 in Rome. While Venice is beautiful, there is not much to do there. If you absolutely have to skip one place, i'd say skip Venice. Florence is wonderful with the shopping, food, and sightseeing. Rome is also wonderful. You really can do all three in 12 days with no problem. Enjoy

Are you really committed to doing a villa? Because if you are not you can do all three cities and fly out of Rome. Venice can be done in two to three days. Train down to Florence and stay three or four days, train down to Rome and stay for three to five days and fly home. Save the villa experience for the next trip. That is what we did.

Considering your week long villa rental, it appears you'll have no more than 3 days or so free. Once you're driving into Switzerland (is that really a must?), it looks like you're departing Italy from Milan (or Zurich?).<BR><BR>For me, the dices look pretty much thrown. Train to Venice for a 2/3-night stay (it should be the highlight for your kids), rent a car and get south to your villa in Tuscany, explore the hill towns during 5 days or so (don't miss Siena and San G., maybe Assisi in Umbria), bus or train into Florence a couple of days (driving in/out of the city may be a pain; chances are that but for the gellato Florence may be the least exciting city for your kids), drive north stopping possibly in Lake Como for a night, do your Switzerland stuff and that's it!<BR><BR>I can't see how Rome could fit in unless you forget about flying into Milan and leave your Switzerland tour for another occasion. <BR><BR>Paulo

dON'T SKIP ROME It IS A MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS. i HAVE TRAVELLED QUITE A BIT AND CAN TELL YOU MY FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD IS ROME. BUT DON'T RUSH ITALY. YOU CANNOT PLAN EVERYDAY, IT IS MEANT TO BE DISCOVERED AND WANDERED THROUGH. IN ROME THE MUST SEES ARE, THE CATACOMBS,PIAZZA NUEVONO -WE SPENT ALMONST EVERYNIGHT EATING LAUGHING AND MEETING WONDERFULL PEOPLE THERE, THE VATICAN- HELPFUL HINT-HIRE A PRIVATE TOUR GUIDE ABOUT 25 DOLLARS AN HOUR BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY WE DID'T WAIT ON LINES AT THE COLLUSIUM,HE TOOK US TO PLACES WE WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE MISSED. YOU CAN FIND A GOOD ONE AT ANY OF THE HOTELS, DON'T MISS THE FORUM, THE PATHEON, THE SPANISH STEPS AND WORTH THE TRIP TO ROME BY ITSELF THE GELATO .

Skip Venice. Next time, fly again into Milan, you can go to Venice, lakes, then al the way West to Cinque Terre. If you go to Florence, then you'll easily reach Rome in less than 2 hours by train (trains every hour). From Rome you can go all the way back to Milan in 4h and a half. Have fun

I would skip Rome. It is too far from Milan airport. You need more time to see it well and you can always go some other time when you fly to Rome. It is not a place to relax as most huge cities are not. It is such a large city that in a few ways it is like other large cities. Florence and Venice have a look that you can find only in Italy. Part of what you get from Venice you can get in just a few seconds so if you had very little time there you could still get to see that amazing look of Venice. Florence requires a lot of time to see even a small fraction of the things.

It's 5 hours from Rome to Milan. Do you really want to waste that much time moving around? I love Rome, and for that reason, would save it for another time.

SKIP ROME

skip Rome--do venice and florence--great museums and shopping in florence--venice--way too romantic and also must see peggy guggenheim mueum-once a personal home--it's a little hard to find your way in venice,but that half the fun! go and enjoy

Ditch the car, skip Switzerland, and go to Venice before returning home. It is too unique to miss.

Hi Jeanna, <BR>I just visited with a young friend that told me I would love Venice.(we will be there next month) She and her family spent a couple of months touring Europe a few years ago, and she said Venice was the highlight of their trip. It was her favorite city and one she said no one should miss! She and her sisters (who were age 9,ll and 14 at that time)had the best time there. The girls were able to explore on their own as it was very safe.

Jeanna, See all the controvery you've caused! That's because you would be breaking all of our hearts by skipping any of these cities!! DO you realize how close these cities are to each other? Rome is not even 2 hours by BUS from Florence! You simply must look into your heart and remind yourself, without being too morbid, that none of us has the luxury to "plan another trip" in life. While in Italy SEE ALL THREE. Even one night in Venice will satisfy your heart. There is much more to see in Rome and Florence but don't come back from Italy and have to say "I didn't see Venice".

I am planning a trip to Florence, riding the train from Barcelona. I am planning about 5 or 6 days in the area, but I want a reasonably priced hotel for my wife and me. Can anyone tell me a good one centally located? Larry

Thanks to everyone for their input and suggestions! We are now thinking about renting a villa maybe around Chiusi. (WOULD THIS BE A GOOD IDEA??) I'm told it's only about 1 hr. to both Rome & Florence from there. I think we'll still do Venice, maybe just for not as long as the other two.