Tuscany or Sicily for Family Travel?
 

Our family including 9 yr old b/g twins are planning a summer trip to Italy. Including flight times, we will be traveling for 16-17 days with Rome & Venice on our "must" lists. Given the ages of our kids, we'd like to have some "down time" from the museums and cultural sites and are considering Tuscany or Sicily. Ideally, we'd like to rent a home/cottage/apartment with a kitchen, a swimming pool or beach nearby and simply relax with perhaps some minor sight-seeing mixed in.

We have been to Tuscany prior to kids and have never been to Sicily. Kids have never been to Italy.

Would appreciate honest feedback or pros/cons of both areas for a family.

Thanks!

If you want only minor sightseeing and wish to rent a place for a few days, skip Sicily. I love it, but it is a place that is great for major sightseeing and you have to move around a good bit to do it, so why take the time and spend the money to go back and forth?

I agree with Sassafrass-Sicily is fabulous but only if you travel around the whole island and sample everything it has to offer.Tuscany would be a better bet for just sitting and relaxing.

Thank you, I appreciate the honest feedback! Any other areas you might recommend other than Tuscany that would meet our objective?

beach family,
This may give you some ideas http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

I think you are on the right track. I'd consider getting into Florence at least for a day trip. It's a great meander-with-kids town

I aagree with Tuscany as a place to combine relaxation and a bit of wandering around. Our trip to Sicily was one of the most memorable of our many trips to Italy but I don't see Sicily as an attraction for 9 year olds and it does require a lot of moving around.

Tuscany is beautiful and relaxing and there are any number of rentals with swimming pools. If you are looking for a beach, you might go further afield to the Ligurian Coast.