Visiting Italy in July with kids aged 10, 6 and 3
 

We plan to visit Italy for 2 weeks in July with our 3 kids. We are looking to include 2 or 3 destinations and thinking about Verona, Rome, Florence. They won't spend too long in a museum environment but can take an hour or so at a time! They will enjoy specific sights rather than scenery and love anything interactive.

So I am looking for recommendations of places to visit and places to stay with 3 fun and lively kids.

Thanks, Ruth

Just one quick comment right now - others will chime in soon . . .

Whatever you do, don't over-plan/schedule since it will be very hot. Especially w/ 3 young kids, you'll probably want some down time most days and not every place is air conditioned.

Ruth -- Just did it with one. I would recc. that you find at least one town that has a hotel with pool. This is always popular with the kiddos and insures some down time. My daughter loved Siena (as did we.)

Hello Ruth, I so agree with janisj's comments.

Yes, it will be hot and very humid. Consequently I would schedule the days with your family getting out and about as early in the morning as possible. After lunch no doubt the little ones, and perhaps all of you, will be ready for a break. Do make sure you reserve hotel rooms that have adequate air conditioning. I would email any hotels you are interested in to find out the details of what air conditioning they offer. Taking a break after lunch by going back to the hotel so everyone can relax and cool down and hopefully nap would be a good idea. Even showers after time in the hotel room would be a good idea.

No doubt your little ones will want to eat earlier than the typical Italian so I would keep an eye out for restaurants, trattorias, cafes that could accomodate your family. If the little ones are up to it walking around after dinner could be fun and certainly cooler.

In Rome the Borghese Gardens would be a cooler oasis for your family to visit and enjoy.

I have never been in Italy with children the age of your children but I imagine that other Fodorite's that have will chime in with some good suggestions. And no doubt your various hotels will be able to offer some good thoughts also.

Just another thought, Ruth. With two weeks if you only stayed in two locations I would think about renting apartments in those locations. You would have a kitchen and would be able to have snacks and cold drinks for everyone, you could have breakfast (cereal or whatever) in the apartment and more room so that the children could be put to bed by their bedtime and you and your husband could still stay up and enjoy your time together without disturbing your children. Two weeks, two locations would mean less packing up and unpacking and travel time between locations and probably more rested adults and less cranky little ones. Just a thought.

We made several trips to Italy in mid-summer with kids of various ages. The thing that saved us every time was renting an apartment or small villa with a pool. We planned our days as the Italians do - up for some low-key sightseeing early in the morning, back to the apartment/villa around noon, light lunch, rest and swim in the pool, back out for more sightseeing and touring around 3-4 pm, light dinner in a café around 7 pm, back to the apt./villa by 9, more swimming, kids out like lights by 10. It worked really well, because it stays light until so late in Italy in summer.

If you can narrow your choices down to two locations, that would make rentals easier.

Agree to find places with solid AC and a pool. With kids that young the heat will be a major factor - more so than boredom in museums. Finding a hotel room for 5 will be difficult - so an apartment or villa will be really useful.

ok, so if I narrowed it down to 2 destinations which should I go for......thanks everyone!

One thing to remember about Italian cities is that compared to most other countries, they don't provide a lot of things specifically for children. True, you can take them anywhere and they will be made welcome, but even high chairs may be hard to find in restaurants and there are very few parks in the centre with swings and slides, for example. So it's not so easy to combine sightseeing (i.e. what parents want to do) with diversions for children, other than perhaps to have a gelato sitting on steps (nice though it is). So having an apartment as a base within easy reach of the centre, where they can amuse themselves with their toys, games and DVDs becomes important.

There are public swimming pools in Firenze (Florence) where children are welcome and you might have a lot of fun.

http://www.vivifirenze.it/cgi-bin/ne...20plunge!.html

Check out Tourist House Ghiberti to see if you can get connecting rooms. Other B&Bs in Firenze might also be an option.

I know that Verona also has at least one public swimming pool (the hotel porta pallo is located opposite it) but you might also consider staying in Pescheira del Garda, which is on the lake and about a 30 minute train ride from Verona for day trips. It is also where Gardaland is located.

More on swimming pools in Firenze:

http://english.firenze.net/turismo/c...d_categorie=92

Also consider going in June as soon as school is out. It's a little cooler and a little less crowded.

I'd certainly spend at least 5 days in an apartment in Rome. I've never heard of an apartment there with a pool. Hotels with a pool are too far away from the historic center, which is the best area in which to stay.

For your second stop, find a villa in Tuscany with a pool. This probably would require renting a car. Try to find a place near a town with bus or train service into Florence. Then you can do Florence as a daytrip by public transportation.

Finally drive to Venice, drop off the car, spend a couple days there and fly home from there. I prefer to stay in Venice proper, but with the kids you could stay on the Lido, which is a barrier-type island with a long sandy beach. And frequent vaporettos to Venice.

For reviews of villas and apartments and of rental agencies, check out www.slowtrav.com. That site is packed with useful information, especially about self-catering in Italy.