Wendy

Any tips on traveling to Italy with a 10 year old? What to do? Our first trip!

karen

I have an 11 year old daughter who really enjoys a series of books about different artists, ie Michelangelo, which may be of help to you and your 10 year old in preparing to see some of the great art in Italy. Its called "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artists" by Mike Venezia, and it is a simple, straight forward introduction to artists, their lives and styles, directed to this age group. They are small paperbacks which I've seen at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Mpls Institute of Art, and just recently at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. At the end of each book he tells where to find the artworks discussed in the short book.

Wendy

Hi Wendy!<BR><BR>Great name... Mine also! We went to Italy this past summer with our kids, ages 10 and 14. Flew into Venice, but stayed at Albergo Quattro FOntane, an upscale B&amp;B on the Lido, which proved to be a great choice for us. It was an easy ten minute walk to the vaporetto stop for Venice, and we had access to the beach at the end of a HOT day of sight seeing with the kids. From Venice, we took the Eurostar to Milan (three hours) then another train to Stresa ( one hour) on Lago Maggiore. We stayed at La Palma, a beautiful hotel along the lake road with a nice pool at the water's edge. Did a few daytrips to the Borromee ( sp?) Islands, and Lugano. The kids had a blast. This summer, if all goes well, we hope to go to Rome for a few days, then down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. This is a trip my husband and I took a few years ago, which we really loved. If you need any help or info, feel free to e-mail. Have a great time- I'm sure you will!

Laura

Wow - great reply. Sounds like a wonderful trip. I was just wondering...what did the kids actually do during the day? I'm thinking of taking my two daughter 10 and 12 in June 03. Are the islands you spoke of going to compare with going to Greece?

Wendy

Laura,<BR><BR>During the day, we saw most of the major sights of Venice, as well as half day trips to the islands of Murano ( glass blowing showrooms, quite fun for the kids to see that in action!) and Burano (sp?) a small fishing village. At the end of the day, we'd take the vaporetto back to the Lido and go to one of the beach clubs for a few hours so the kids could swim. Then back to Venice for dinner. In Stresa, we hired a &quot;taxi-boat&quot; and the captain let the kids take turns driving it for a bit once we got away from lake traffic. We visited the Isola Bella for a day, home of a 17th century palazzo where Napoleon slept, and its gardens which are designed in the shape of a wedding cake (!!) and home to quite a few white peacocks. Also Isola Madre, which houses an extensive marionette collection owned by the Countess Borromeo. I can't say how any of this would compare to Greece since I haven't been, but my kids had a wonderful time, and would love to go back. Good luck!

cap

Tips from my 10 year old boy (who's been to Italy twice).<BR><BR> -- Kids don't like looking at paintings on walls. But they like looking at sculptures.<BR><BR> -- Gelato twice a day.<BR><BR> -- Venice is great. You get to walk around and look at the water.<BR><BR> -- Bolzano (in the dolomites) has a cool museum where the Ice Man was found. They also have a great park for running around in, and a toy store with a two-story slide.<BR><BR> -- Its fun to climb up the bell tower in Florence. <BR><BR> -- Read ``Vendela in Venice'' before your go. Also read ``The Silent Gondolier.'' <BR><BR>-- Bolzano also has a nearby castle covered with pictures (Tristan and Isolde story). There is a cool hiking trail and a bridge over a fast river.<BR><BR>

eva

I found several good websites with ideas for Italy with Kids:<BR>-www.travelwithyourkids.com<BR>-www.travelforkids.com<BR>-www.kidseurope.com<BR>On the latter there is a <BR>print-it-yourself book for kids traveling in Italy. This journal encourages kids to enjoy a number of other aspects of Italian culture, like how Italians stand in a queue (they don't!). Oh, a neat page talks about the mystery of how kids can explore the mystery of whether the Renaissance artists used mirrors to &quot;copy&quot; their subjects for realism. Check it out.<BR><BR>Eva