I am starting to plan next years trip.
I will be traveling with my children , and each will be bringing a friend. So there will be 2 boys-17 yrs old and 2 girls -14 yrs old.
I have taken my children to Italy a few times, and we added London onto our last trip.
The children really wish to return to London, so that is where we will start our trip.Either 4-5 nights .
all of us, but me especially ,adore Rome, so that is where we will end our trip with no less than 4 nights.
I thought a nice "new" area to explore this year would be Umbria. We would have 5-6 nights to spend there. I was thinking of Spello , Spoleto or Assisi to base ourselves. I will rent a vehicle for at least some of those days.
I actually would prefer one of the smaller cities, but I would be happy anywhere. I am wondering if anyone would have any suggestions on which city may provide the most interest for the teens.
I know I will get alot of different opinions, as we all have our favorites but that is what I am looking for!
Thank you.

I really liked Spello, which we used as our base a couple years ago, travelling with 5 adults and 16 and 19 year old girls. It was convenient to go pretty much anywhere around Umbria, but was a very calm and peaceful place to stay, like any small town. It has good hotels and restaurants, so is comfortable, and just has a very pleasant feel to it. Not a hotbed of activity, and if that is what you'd prefer, I'd recommend Assisi.

As for the teens, Rome was where they wanted to be (good shopping), but the girls liked Spello because we did not hesitate to turn them lose on their own at night, something I was completely unwilling to do in Rome. They said to say Rome is more fun, but having freedom and getting away from your parents is almost as good.

Perugia! I think it would fit the bill perfectly for you. We stayed at a villa about 15 minutes away, so I can't recommend a place IN Perugia, but I can tell you that it's a great city. Small enough to have a small town feel about it, but large enough to have museums, shops, restaurants, etc. It's pretty lively at night which your teens will like. It's also in a central location and easy to get into and out of. We rented a car and visited Gubbio, Todi, Assisi, Deruta and Orvieto from our base. Also, Perugia is home to the University of Perugia, so there are always plenty of young people about.

I hope you post a trip report. My own two children are about the same ages as yours and we've been thinking about bringing them along with us on a European trip (we've been leaving them home lately with grandparents minding them). I'd love to know how your trip went when you return.

Thank you for the replies.

dln, take your kids to europe! I have taken mine on three trips, starting in 2001. I have to say the last trip left the most memories with them (as they are older) but the first trip was the most memorable.
I have a friend who has taken groups of college students to Perugia for the last 6 yrs.She really enjoys that city too.
the thing I love about starting planning so early, is that I can change my mind a few times after getting input from others like you!

Eleni, I would prefer Spello , or another quieter city, esp. since we will be in two major ones on our trip.
But as we live in a very very rural area , the children crave the city like excitement. on our trip 2 yrs ago, we spent a week outside Siena for a week and although we all enjoyed it the children got pretty bored after we would return to our house after dinner.
That is why I will be sticking to cities for this trip.

I am not afraid to let my kids out in rome at night, as long as they stick to around the piazza we are in AND the big brother is there too!Or I know they are going right back to the hotel or apartment from dinner.
And, I know all too well the temptations of shopping for teens in rome

But, your children had a fun time going out on their own in Spello and did not find it terribly boring, yes ?So food for thought.

Thank both!

I don't want to mislead about Spello being a hotbed of excitement for kids. It is very low-key. But they ended up meeting and hanging out with Italian kids there so had a lot of fun, and I think the smallness of Spello facilitated this. I agree Perugia would be a nice place to stay with more going on, as would Orvieto, another good Umbrian town. Honestly, its hard to imagine how you could go wrong. If you do decide on Spello, we stayed at the Hotel Palazzo Bocci which was very nice, and had the most amazing dinner at a hotel called La Bastiglia (where you should go if you like food no matter where you stay in Umbria), and checked out the rooms there, and it would also be a nice place to stay.

I would suggest you look at slowtrav.com for Italy trip reports and vacation rentals. They have really good information for people who are looking for places that cater to families and accomodations other than hotels.

I don't think it makes a lot of difference where you are exactly in Umbria, as long as it is somewhere central, grossly in the Perugia-Gubbio-Foligno triangle. Umbria is not that big.
I would therefor suggest you look for a pleasant place to stay. Have you considered a countryside agriturismo? With a swimming pool for a refreshing splash after a hot day of roaming the Umbrian roads?
Have a look at the following two sites:
http://www.holidayfarm.net/en/welcome.htm
http://www.agriturismo.it/umbria/enumbria.asp
Hope this helps!

Eleni, thanks for the restuarant tip for Spello. I had already bookmarked the Palazzo Bocci if we stay there. Is that where you stayed? But, as far as Spello, I will definitely read more about it , as it is definitely one of the cities that caught my eye, and now with your input seems even more appealing
We spent a day in Orvieto two yrs ago, after dropping off the car , before catching the train to Rome- lovely city, but i would like to be further "in" in Umbria.

Marcia- I love slowtravel ! It is great to be able to find input from something other than guide books, isn't it?

Baldrick, you are right, I really don't think one would go wrong in umbria, but sometimes it is fun to get feedback here on this site.thanks for the sites , I will check them out. We all loved our stay on an agritourismo a couple yrs ago , but I am wondering if it would be too quiet for The Teens.

And while I do not want to "cater" to these guys, I am specifically taking this trip with them as it may be the last yr we get to travel as a family for awhile (college, jobs, etc)
Agritourismo is definitely what I will do when I am doing my trips sans The teens.
But, I will check the sites out and at least will have fun looking at them!!

Again, thanks for input, that is why I come here

topping myself

Have you looked at La Malvarina?

excuse my ignorance, Bob,
but, this is a small town, yes? or is it a place to stay?

thanks!