vova

Hello fellow Fodorites! I'm travelling with my wife and kids (boys 10 and 8) for a little over two weeks on our first Italy trip - we fly into and out of Rome. We have already programmed 5 nights in Rome followed by 5 nights in Lucca (using that as a base to explore Florence plus surrounding area) and then head to Venice for 3 nights. Unfortunately these first 13 nights are no longer flexible. So...I then have two more days/nights remaining before heading back to Rome for our last night prior to a late morning flight. I'm struggling on a great way to end the trip that would be fun and relaxing for my wife and I and also engage the boys.

Some options I'm considering:

1) Go to Lake Garda for a couple of days and relax by the lake, go see a couple of lake towns, hang at the pool, do a day trip to Verona (i know that's not enough time) - relatively doable from Venice through Verona.

2) Use Verona as a base and spend a couple of days exploring that town ora day driving to Lake Garda. Wondering if my kids will be tiring of towns and sites by this time and will yearn for outdoor activities.

3) Head to an agriturismo place near Florence...or Siena?

4) Rimini? Dolomites? Stay in Venice for another two nights and use that as a base for some day trips? My wife has been to Venice and she isn't keen on staying more than three nights there but maybe that's the best option.

Would love to hear from others that have done some of the things above and/or folks that traveled with kids and had great experiences.

Thank you so much!

vincenzo32951

You don't mention the time of year, but since you talked about lounging at a pool, I assume it's in the warmer months. If so, how about spending the last few days at Lido?

That way, you'll have the beach/pool in a place that's less hectic than Venice proper, and you won't have to travel much to get there.

PalenQ

Lake Garda sounds neat for yous - I loved Lake Garda more than the other two famous Italian lakes to the west - boat passes can take you around the lake easily and yes Verona is a smashingly nice town - well for adults - kids that age would be most happy lazing around the lake or pool in a Garda base - but that would be nice to come back to at night.

And there is Garda Land - an amusement park and a hotel complex that kids that age would absolutely love - kind of a mini Disney World:

https://www.google.com/search?q=gard...sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Sirmione is on the lake and though the 'fishing' village now angles more for the tourist euro than fish and is in season hopelessly mobbed IME - the Roman ruins there are superb and fairly quiet - in a nice setting overlooking the lake:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sirm...w=1920&bih=955

greg

When are you going? Some places are seasonal. For example, Dolomites is not a good choice for May - neither a ski nor a hiking season.

Coming back from Venice, pretty much anything in between Venice and Rome is a fair game. For example, Orvieto + Civita di Bagnoregio might be a mini adventure for kids. However, you only need one night to do this.

I am not sure if you had to stay in Rome upon arrival. If not, it looks like you have boxed yourself into having to find an idle two nights to find something to do. The way the itinerary is constructed pretty much killed one night (the last night in Rome) which could have been added to the two idle nights to make it a three night stay that could have provided you with more options. For example, 3 nights in Sorrento upon arrival to visit Pompeii, Capri, etc, then 3 nights in Venice, then 5 nights in Lucca, then 5 nights in Rome to leverage 5th night in Rome to function as an overnight in departure city before flight home - a two in one benefit.

sandralist

I would take the kids to Gardaland and the acquapark there for 2 days. After that, you can take the fast trains from Verona to Rome

If Gardaland is too empty-calorie when it comes to culture, you could stay in Verona itself, take in the opera at night, and just do Gardaland as a day trip.

sandralist

Here's a link:

http://www.themeparkguide.org/theme-...ews/gardaland/

sandralist

and here's a link to the aqua park

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...na_Veneto.html

vova

Fantastic recommendations! Thank you. We're going in the second half of June so hopefully we'll have some warmth but not an outright heat wave. Greg - you're right - had I to do it all over again i might have taken the train straight to Venice upon arrival in Rome (since we're already jet lagged) and done a Venice, Florence/Lucca, Rome itinerary (thus ending where i'm flying home from). Oh well, at least i'm still on vacation and in Italy so I won't get too upset with myself .

I think I like the Verona/Lake Garda option at the moment as I can get to Lake Garda within 2 hours from Venice, Verona is only an hour from most of Lake Garda and there's a fast train to Rome Termini from Verona that gets me there in just under 3 hours, so I can hang in the Verona area until 4 or 5 and still get to Rome at a reasonable time for dinner, gelato and bed.

budgettravelwithkids

What about Padua? I would have liked to go there but we just didn't have enough time. I believe it's got the oldest university in the world, lots of history and culture. The city was founded in 1100s BC according to the website below. Not too far from Venice either. http://www.amoretravelguides.com/blo...adua-italy.php

We traveled last summer to Italy with our 3 kids, youngest at 4y.o.We had an awesome time, and I'm sure you will too. If you're looking for off the beaten path attractions to do with kids, feel free to check out my trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

janejohn

Maybe Verona and Mantua would be a good option for you from Venice. Both cities are close and very beautiful. If you are in Verona in August or July you might catch Some opera performances on Arena di Verona. They are very beautiful.

Byrd

Verona, Bologna, or Orvieto...what a wonderful decision to make!

traveller1959

Given your preferences, Lake Garda should it be.

Look for a beautiful lakeside hotel around Bardolino or Garda - the eastern shore is easier to reach from Venice and closer to Verona. The northern half of Lake Garda is more scenic - the coastal roads are among the most scenic roads on the planet. Or ride on a speedboat.

After Venice, you probably do not need another city which is full of art and palaces and churches.

Relax a bit, enjoy the scenery, the water and Italian lifestyle.

vova

What great recommendations. I think we'll do Lake Garda as our base and go from there. I want to see Verona but I have a feeling my 10 year old will start rebelling on all the "culture" at some point and want to just go jump in a pool and lake for a day so this will give us that option. We'll likely get a few hours or half days in Verona (not enough i know) on the way to and from Garda so that will at least give me something to look forward to on my next trip to Italy!

I'm also excited to wake up and go to sleep to a beautiful Italian lake view!

suze

I'd put the two "extra" days to Venice.

vova

Thanks Suze - unfortunately that's been "ixnay'd" by DW. She's the only one of us that's been to Italy and she's been to Venice and for some reason she didn't love it compared to some of the other areas of Italy she visited (or wanted to visit). I really wanted to see as did the kids so the most i could negotiate was 3 nights in Venice.

suze

Sorry I see the decision has already been made. Too bad about how your wife feels about Venice. Sounds like there's nothing you can do about that (ha-ha).