Absolutely no way would I want to go directly from the Milan airport, get to the train station, then take a 3+ hour train ride to Venice, immediately after getting off an overnight flight from NY to Europe! No way!!

The other problem I see is all those 1 night stays! Yikes.

You have to realize you need to GET there (there goes the morning) so each of these is 1/2 day at best. Then you have to pack and be on your way the very next morning.

I kindly suggest you eliminate 1/2 the places you mention and only go places you'd be interested in spending 2-3 days minimum.

Not to undermine your choice of a summer vacation or your understanding of what your children would enjoy, and I really do not want to project myself as a meano..., August will be hot and muggy, and I am not at all certain that your kids would share your enthusiasm for a whirlwind trip of planes, tranes, hotels, museums, etc. I would suggest that you slow down to a near crawl.

My children are adults now (28 and 24), but when they were 11 and/or 14, they would have turned our vacation into a misery, if I had them locked into your type of an itinerary, and I would have no one to blame but myself.

IMO, this itinerary is not child-friendly at all and I am not that certain about its adult-friendliness either. Hope you are simulaneusly planning a trip to Hawaii to recouperate.

Anna Roz

Hi-- Hot and muggy? That is what it is like where we live during summertime. All hotels we have, car we will rent will have A/C. This is only time my kids can go with summer programs/camps in July.

You are not meano, anna_roz, I appreciate your concern but we have traveled in summer before. There is no way I can take them out of school nor extend a week school vacation into two. Either we go or not? We're going.

So your itinerary is already set? You already have your hotels reserved?

Since you were asking about itinerary suggestions, I thought you still had flexibility in making plans.

I think it is OK to go in the summer, it's just your plan to change places every single day I was hoping to influence.

Yes, by all means, go! It will be a magical experience even if it's hot, especially if you commit to having gelato 3 times a day. But maybe just go a little slower and plan to cover less ground. To me, one of the truly great things about Italy is the pace. Give yourself your kids a real gift - time to soak it all in and truly absorb the experience. You will NOT regret it if you opt for less travel to and fro. So maybe just do Venice, Rome and visits with cousins.

my boys liked pompei they are 9 and 6. we were there three hours and it was not enough time. and I would go there since you are at Itri.
they also liked the gondala ride in venice. and the colosseum in Rome
I think it is better to have a base and do day trips than move ever day or so. Find a good picture guide book on italy and let the boys have a look at what they might want to see.
Get them reading things on roman times and the middle ages also about some of the artist if you wish to see too many art galleries.

When I fly to Europe (from the US west coast), jet lag means I'm wide awake at 3 AM for the first 2 or 3 nights. A nap on the train from Milan to Venice would not cure this problem. It's not just an uncomfortable overnight flight; it's a 9-hour reset of your internal clock.

I join with others in urging you to slow down. Your kids' memory of this trip will be a blur. If it was our family, fatigue and forced marches would have everybody at each other's throats.

And you miss the point of Italy. La dolce vita is not lived at break neck speed.

Mimar~ Thank you. You said it so much nicer than I was able to express.

Mimar-- everyone experiences jet lag differently. For me, I am lucky to find sleeping on plane or train no problem. Then when I land I am still tired so a nap of 2-3 hours really gets me all set to be on new time. I am thankful it works like this so subsequent days are not effected at all. That Milano to Venice train will be a dream!

We are slowing it down as I mentioned 2/5/08 thread and for Tuscany we now are looking into staying at San Gimignano as base to see other areas and return by night.

Anyone have any hotel suggestions for San Gimignano or reccommendation to stay in another town? All thoughts appreciated!

Ciaodeb, I could not agree more.

Responders, the question here was Rome vs Venice to use the 3rd day Ciaodeb had - but in most responses I see a common thread - concerns (although well-intentioned) regarding their "hectic" itinerary.

This pattern follows in most of the Italy forums.

While travelers with hectic itinerary may sound ambitious to your experienced ears, I urge you to consider the following:

People make busy itineraries for many reasons and I think Ciaodebs intentions are very similar to mine when I travel and so I can empathize.

1. When I travel, I want to fit in as many places so that the next time I visit I can spend my time in an area that I enjoy.
2. Also, I want to expose my family to as sights & sounds as possible.
3. I don’t think there is a "right" way to see a country - to each his own depending on your sleep patterns, energy level and preferences.

Ciaodeb, I know I did not answer your question - but just wanted to make a point.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy your trip immensely.

Thank you, KRaman. It is not often we can get to Europe and as New Yorkers we are used to a fast pace! Most of it my husband and I have been to but now we want the children experience it.

Have modifed trip to be three days in the four main cities we have planned. The exception in Gaeta area,to see cousins.

We all travel differently but our initial itineray posted here, was harried!

Again, thank you.