dlejhunt

We will be traveling to Italy next summer. Two families - four adults and four kids between the ages of 11-16. Two of the kids are boys who like war history, two are teenage girls who like to shop. We will be in Italy for one week. Is the first trip for all of us.
Any advice on what area is best with the kids? We want to minimize the museums/churches - though of course we do want to see some, just not overload the children. Right now we are torn between Tuscany/Florence/Pisa, and Rome/Venice. Since we will be spending a week in Paris first, right now I am leaning towards staying in the Tuscan countryside, since we will have had our "city week" in Paris, (though we have been there many times we will not be doing much sightseeing, rather just living Parisian life). Any advice would be appreciated!

rbnwdln

I vote for a villa rental in Tuscany. Let so do and see but a nice place for downtime, too. Maybe a villa with a pool?

BobEastEnder

I would say to go to Tuscany because after Paris you will be glad of the space and provided you hire a car, you will have plenty to do within enough distance.
You might also be better off renting a villa or something, rather than a hotel, so that you can all stay together and in a decent place. The peopel I tried last time and were pretty good were http://www.holiday-velvet.com/tuscany
I hope the info helps.
cheers.

ciaolaura

Tuscany! To me, it might be a little too challenging to keep track of a group that size in Rome during the tourist season. There are some great little towns throughout Tuscany to take day trips to that offer shopping and art that won't be nearly as crowded - something for everyone!

ciaolaura

5alive

Well, obviously Tuscany would fit the "countryside" goal better.
But war history for the boys is at its best in Rome: the Colosseum, all the ancient Rome stuff. However, it will be very hot that time of year.

We took our kids to Rome at Christmas time, and for several reasons did not go to Venice: The possibility of flooding that time of year, the timing of large family gatherings,etc.

My kids later saw pictures of Venice and sort of wish we'd gone there too. The idea of streets of water intrigued all of them. I guess the question is, how soon will you go again? Maybe you should show the kids some pictures and ask for their input.

Dayle

Hi D,

Some previous trip reporters have mentioned that their teeagers got bored with Tuscan hilltowns pretty quickly.

I really think they would enjoy all there is to do and see in Rome and Venice much more. So much variety! And - totally different from Paris.

If you do decide to do Tuscany - I'm sure a pool would help.

Jake1

Our teenage son much preferred Rome and Venice to the "boring" countryside.

Lexma90

With kids/teens, I would also suggest that they may prefer Rome and/or Venice. Both of my kids would jump at the chance to go to either place (maybe next year!).

We recently took our 12yo son, who LOVES big cities, on a trip that included Barcelona at the beginning and Paris at the end. In the middle, we spent 6 days in the southwestern French countryside. He said he loved that, too, and wants to return; he even said he would enjoy it if we rented a house for a week. HOWEVER, we spent lots of time every day visiting castles, caves (those with prehistoric paintings and some that had interesting rock formations), cave dwellings and other sights (but on that part of the trip, no museums or churches).

While I love the small towns of Tuscany, I wouldn't pick it for my kids or teens. Wandering through small villages, or even bigger towns/cities like Siena, sipping wine and gazing into old churches, just doesn't seem to me to hold much appeal for the younger crowd. And unlike southwest France, I don't know that there are a huge number of places to visit in Tuscany that they would especially like. I would think that's especially true for your set, that's already expressed an interest in war history and shopping. (Florence is of course a bigger city, and probably great for shopping, and I do remember lots of youth congregating around the Duomo, but the history the boys probably have in mind is Roman.)

Pick a couple of towns that you might visit in Tuscany, plus a website for the kind of lodging you might stay in. Have the kids look at them online, and let you know their throughts. That really helped in planning with our son.

Here's another suggestion - you don't have to visit both Rome and Venice. What about your week in Paris, then some days in a small town outside of Rome (Pitigliano, Sorano or Sovana come to mind), then finish your trip in Rome?

tyedye33

Keeping in mind I have not been to Rome...why not spend 4-5 nights in Florence (shopping, history and gardens) and then head to Venice. I say this assuming (and maybe wrongly so) that you will travel by train and Rome to Venice is about a 6 hour ride (with Florence in between). Venice is beautiful and fun but small and your kids might get a kick out of the water Taxi (and the shopping and history).

Travelerjulie

My son is going to be 12 and his choice was Rome, Venice and Pisa, so we're day tripping to Pisa. Though if you stay in Rome, I would suggest a day-trip to Pompeii. My son is bummed that we don't have enough time for Pompey as well. We are splitting out trip into 2 nights Rome, 2 nights Venice, 2 nights in Paris and 2 nights on the train.

Dayle

D,

One hilltown your kids might enjoy would be Orvieto. It could be done as a full day trip from Rome (1 hr by train). There are Etruscan Tombs, an underground well with something like 400 steps, and a very interesting underground cave tour.

Buon viaggio!

dawnnoelm

we leave Thursday am for our Europe trip - Paris, Switzerland and Florence and Rome. We are taking our 10 and 13 year old and while *I* love the idea of Tuscany - we decided that Rome and Florence would be of more interest to the girls - shopping et.
I will let you know how it went when we return after July 13

dlejhunt

You guys rock - thanks for the great responses. I am looking forward to more feedback after your trips...we still have time to decide what we want to do.
I am now leaning towards Rome/Venice.

5alive

You know, it wouldn't be as scenic as staying in a historic property, but there are hotels in and near Rome that have pools. If you are just doing a couple of days in Rome, it might offset the heat.

I saw that some (not all) of the Holiday Inns/Crown Plazas in Rome have pools. Have not stayed in any of these. You would need to research them on Trip Advisor. Main drawbacks are cost and you would have to go farther for transportation to central city sites. (Maybe some of them have their own shuttles??)

http://tinyurl.com/ysddd6

This was the closest in with a pool, it appeared to me from a glance:
ROME-ST. PETER'S
VIA AURELIA ANTICA 415
ROME, 00165
ITALY