dosu

My husband and I are taking my teenage nephew to Venice and Rome in April 2018.. his first trip. Having only 7(maybe 8) nights, we plan to arrive in Venice for 3 nights, then train to a town along the way for 1 or 2 nights and then train to Rome for the remaining 2 or 3 nights(flying out from Rome).
I am very aware that with only 1 week, adding a stop is not practical, but I think Rome may be a bit intense for my nephew and he may appreciate a smaller town for a night or two. And I certainly would like to see someplace I haven't been before.
I was thinking either Pisa, Orvieto, Assisi or somewhere else accessible by train. Alternatively, head straight to Rome and head out for a day trip?


Any ideas appreciated. TIA

Sassafrass

Florence is the logical stop.

mjs

Why would Rome be too intense for a teenager? If so trying to see Rome in too short of a time would add to the stress, not detract from it.

Traveler_Nick

Rome is less then a four hour ride from Venice.

Bologna and Florence are on the highspeed line. But I agree just go to Rome. Rushing around is far more stressful then anything Rome will throw at you.

massimop

Orvieto is a good choice. Another choice might be Modena or Ferrara, either of which is 20 minutes from Bologna (with a train switch). Either would be an especially good choice if the family enjoys bicycling. If the family really likes markets and pasta, then make it Modena, from which you can take an excursion to Parma for fun.

Florence and Bologna are also intense with urban bustle. Florence is packed with tourists and Bologna has plenty of auto traffic. Pisa is overrun with tourists right at the tower, but can be nice if you book a place away from the tower, and if the weather is nice, you can day trip to the scenic seaside for a breather.

I know lots of people of all ages who hate Rome or simply would rather be elsewhere in Italy (and I confess even I can weary of Rome's architectural bombast and crowds, and I am quite the fan of all things Italian). My most recent experience of traveling with a tween boy is that he (a) preferred human interaction to sightseeing (b) loved shopping. I would not have included Rome in that trip, although I would not have avoided it were it most practical for its airport or if others wanted to go. But there is a risk that small Italian towns don't have enough interesting things to do and see for a lot of young people, so had I taken him to a small town I would have picked one with activities like biking, hiking or water sports. If he just generally prefers quiet activities and being listened to, it's possible to find corners of Rome that are great for just hanging out and enjoying smaller things.

There are a couple of fake-illusion masterworks in Rome that can be more fun to see then some of the more famous sights:

https://timelessitalytravels.com/201...-baroque-rome/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dome-illusion

young people sometimes find this museum of classical Roman art more engaging than others

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/...e-montemartini

bvlenci

Normally people take the high-speed trains from Venice to Rome. These trains don't make many stops, and none of them in small towns. Padova and Florence would be the best possibilities. It would be possible to stop in either city for eight or so hours without spending the night, leaving your bags at the left-luggage facility in the station.

If you want to visit Orvieto, it would be better as a day trip from Rome. For Pisa or Assisi, you could change in Florence to a train for either city. Then you could proceed from there to Rome. There are direct trains to Rome from both cities, although from Pisa, it's often quicker to return to Florence and take a high-speed train from there.

Still, two or three nights is very little time for Rome, especially if you insist on visiting the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel. These two things alone could suck up most of your time, which would be spent with the 5000 other tourists who <b>absolutely must </b> see them at the same time.

PalenQ

Florence of course is easiest and great - book high-speed trains at www.trenitalia.com - book early to snatch limited discounted tickets-check www.seat61.com for great insights on booking your own trains online - check www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com for trains in general.

With such limited time you may want to just do Venice and Rome and possibly a day trip from Rome to say Pompeii or Orvieto, etc.

neckervd

You have just no time for Venice, Rome and Orvieto/Perugia/Ravenna/Ferrara or so.
Visit Venice and Rome (and nothing else) or either Venice or Rome and some smaller towns (as those mentioned above).

PalenQ

Yes Venice, Rome and maybe a short stop in Florence for a night at most. Kids will benefit from seeing the Birthplace of Renaissance and Duomo which is a graphic symbol of that - useful in art history classes they may take. Could even do a 4-5 hour stint by throwing bags in lockers at Florence train station and taking tram or walking to town center and Duomo, David copy statue, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, etc.

Seamus

You know your nephew best, but the logistics of another stop -get from train to hotel/check in/unpack/find way around new place/repack/checkout/get to train/continue to Rome - would for me be more stressful than Rome, which has more than enough to fill several days. Perhaps a day trip to Pompeii from Rome.

But if you insist on a stop, Florence makes sense.

dosu

Thanks all.. great info.
Yes, I know Florence makes sense, but I'd like somewhere we haven't been before to add something new for my husband and I and more low key.

Love the idea of Modena and Parma and bicycling for some down time and just enjoying hanging together(amongst wine and cheese) we love cooking and I was even thinking maybe the three of us could take a cooking class or something like that
Would Modena/ Parma be doable by train? or do I need to rent a car? I'd prefer to take the train from Venice, but can rent a car if it makes sense.

Also thanks for the links on illusion, that might be fun. I'm planning to put together some reading for before the trip.. much more interesting when you have an understanding of what you're seeing. I will add this to our list.

All people (& teens) are different and this one can get anxious with the crowded fast pace city feel. Keeping that in mind will make for a more pleasant trip We are flying out of Rome and will not be seeing the Vatican museum or Sistine or doing a whirlwind "see everything" tour, so I think even 2 nights will be fine... really only need a taste of the city. The only thing he wants to see is the Colosseum, which i'd like to get a good guide

I'm leaning toward adding that 8th day and spending two nights non-city. Any other suggestions appreciated
Thanks again, All!

dosu

Good idea, Seamus. I thought Pompeii would be a long day trip... but that might work. Possibly just a stop somewhere along the way for the day, from Venice and then continue on to Rome.
I'll have to give this more thought...
Thanks

thursdaysd

Rather than Pompeii, which is indeed a long day trip, and exhausting to visit, substitute Ostia Antica.

http://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/en/

I am a fan of Ferrara, which is a good base for a day trip to the mosaics in Ravenna.

Seamus

We did Pompeii as a day trip from Rome and it was a pretty full day timewise but not really stressful, and the nephews loved it. It was summer so quite warm - hell, it was outright hot! - but sunscreen, hats and lots of water got us through.

Traveler_Nick

You can do virtually any large Italian town by train. The question is how much of a hassle it might be.

Modena take the train to Bologna and then change trains. Go to the TrenItalia website and check. You'll then have a longer ride onward to Rome . I'm having trouble seeing this being less stressful then just spending time in Bologna itself

massimop

If you really would like a cooking class, the Bologna-Modena-Parma area is really a great place to take one if you are interested above all to learn to make pasta and stuffed pasta. All of them are easy enough to get to, so what I would suggest is that you first locate the cooking class you want to take, and then figure out where you want to stay. Probably Bologna has the most classes and teachers, but you can check for Modena (which has a great morning market as well) and for Parma.

Bologna and Modena have beautiful historic food markets, and some cooking classes begin with shopping in the markets in the morning and then cooking yourselves lunch. So that might where you want to stay. But it is also possible to book just a pasta making class for a couple of hours in the morning or the afternoon.

Be aware that there is a "left luggage" storage room in the Bologna station. So if you want to take a cooking class in Bologna the same day you arrive to the area from Venice or the day you leave for Rome, you can parking your luggage in the train station while you take the class.

Some b&bs in Modena and Parma offer free bicycles to guests to use, so be on the lookout for that. Staying in Parma is the furthest "out of your way" between Venice & Rome -- you'll spend more time on the train doing that dogleg. However, if you think you all would be more interested in the attractions of Parma -- which include an historic theater with movable parts, only open in the morning -- might work for you. There is good information on the web about Parma.

Bologna has a lot of quirky sights -- historic medical museums, anatomical theatres, a musical instruments museum, a tower to climb .... so also worth your while to see if sightseeing there has something to grab your interest.

Finally, if your very normal-sounding young travel companion has expressed little interest in sightseeing anywhere in Italy other than the Colosseo in Rome, you might consider either a daytrip to Verona from Venice or spending your nights there instead of the other places being discussed. There is a fantastic Roman arena in Verona, in better shape than the Colosseo in Rome. So would making a comparison be fun and educational as to the reach of the Roman empire? No bicycling in Verona there are other fun things to do, including a day trip to the lake or the castle in Trento, or zipping up to see Otzi in Bolzano (long day trip, but maybe worth it).

PalenQ

Rome may be a bit intense for my nephew and he may appreciate a smaller town for a night or two>

Don't think it would matter at all to most teens - can't see why Rome would be too intense with five leisurely days there.

With just 7-8 days I'd again suggest just Venice - Florence - Rome.

isabel

I did an 8 day trip last March that did Venice, Florence and Rome. Much faster pace than I usually do but I was with a friend who had never been to Italy and wanted to see the highlights. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

Here's my trip report with link to photos and blog
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...n-in-march.cfm